Sweet race photography - Louie Traub

buckles

Not sure where to put this, but there are some really good photographs on this photographer's blog
http://louietraub.wordpress.com/

frenchfighter

Great stuff thanks. Got a bit disappointed when they were of cross but there are some decent road ones further down. Nice anecdote about meeting Froome and Porte.

Richmond Racer

Thanks Buckles - some great photos and anecdotes there

louietraub

Thanks for checking out my work, guys. Saw through my blog stats I was getting some nice traffic from this forum, which I appreciate! Events where there are a million other photographers are sometimes my favorites because with so much content out there, it's more motivation to look for unique angles and moments to tell the story.

It's true, I caught the 'cross bug this winter, but I primarily focus on road racing, working out of a van that I live in with my dog. Currently trying to get the word out to land new clients to help fill the gas tank and belly to get to the next race and make pictures people dig seeing. Running into the Tour de France champ at a coffee shop are moments that just seem to naturally happen when you're living on the road full-time.

Cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/louietraubphotography

frenchfighter

Good luck to you Louie - brave step you have taken and I hope it pays off. Your photos are better than many of the ones I've seen from the 'big' agencies/photographers.

I'm guessing you know about both these already, but just in case. Maybe reach out to the guy at CyclingTips and he could do an article on you and your work. He is a decent bloke from the looks of it and has a great site.
http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/
Also, the photographer Jered Gruber has some superb shots often taking a different angle to most pro photographers.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smashred

andyrr

Louie, I think what you're doing is something that many on here would love to do but never had the required bravery to make that jump and now many of us are loaded down with too many financial burdens (family, house etc) - I'd have loved to do similar, probably would have been where I had done a little commercial work within the motorsports field)
Photos are super-sharp - what gear are you using ?
In being so super-sharp sometimes the photos seem maybe too 'crisp' if that is the right phraseology - maybe it is the sunshine that lends that quality whereas if you were in Europe for, say, an early season Belgian classic in the gloom then they would appear more akin to what I'm used to seeing.

Anyway I hope the work and money comes your way, your certainly giving it a good go !

louietraub

Those are nice words to hear! There are many photographers with a ton of experience out there who I gather loads of inspiration from, but at the same time I see many shooters producing average content, so I figure there has to be a different way of seeing things.

This journey was fueled by a previous taste of success, owning, and losing a home, then moving to Colorado where so many of the pros in the States live. Wanderlust and an uncontrollable thirst for adventure kicked in, so I let my lease run out, quit my near minimum wage retail job, threw my bikes atop this all-wheel drive van that I built a little home inside of and hit the road because I feel it takes doing something a little crazy to stand out these days. Especially when I throw on a backpack full of camera gear and ride up a beyond category climb to await the pros at the KOM. For a stick figure of a climber like me, adding all that weight is absurd, but I look at it as a great training ride until they give me a moto!

On the pix, I'm using Canon gear. 5DMKII and 7D bodies with typically a 16-35 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 lens, as well as a fisheye lens for super wide shots. When I use the flash, I try and get it off camera, which makes a huge difference. Granted, that means I usually end up completely tangled up in power cords and camera straps from time to time. I also don't mind getting completely muddy or climbing a sketchy rock face to get a cool angle. I then do some light post processing work, which includes unsharp mask in Photoshop, so that crisps it up a bit. I also tend to shoot with a fairly open aperture to decrease depth of field and make whatever the focus is on 'pop' more. There's probably less haze in the air the higher in elevation you go, but with the recent legalization of marijuana in CO, that's debatable!

I would LOVE to shoot in Europe. Especially after Chris Froome asked me if I had ever been. I heard 1.2 million TV viewers and 20,000 liters of beer sold at the Belgian cx nationals. And of course there's the Tour. That's a top goal...someday.

No_Ta_Doctor

Keep up the good work and you'll get here someday!

frenchfighter

Interesting hearing about the details of the shooting. What do you think of veloimages work? They often use some severe editing which, although I understand is not real, I think is really cool from a visual perspective.
eg/. http://www.steephill.tv/2013/tour-of-turkey/photos/
http://www.steephill.tv/2012/tour-of-turkey/photos/
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/tour-of-turkey/photos/

louietraub wrote:

I throw on a backpack full of camera gear and ride up a beyond category climb to await the pros at the KOM.

Heavyweight.

MrTapir

There are some really nice shots there, and a bit different too. I think the Rhae Shaw one is my favourite.

Do you know The Inner Ring? http://inrng.com/ He puts photos on the articles and often says about the photographer and gives a webpage or blog.

louietraub

There are some sweet images on those links. Always nice to surf through galleries like that to get ideas or see what I'd do differently.

Great idea about contacting The Inner Ring. I follow that site and would think my shots of bigger races here in the States would be relevant to stories covered. While working in what is now a slowly dying newspaper industry, it was cool having viewers seeing my work on a daily basis. Building that network of people who would dig following this adventure is ongoing task in the rebuilding process. Been teaching myself marketing 101 on the fly by sending out promos of images you saw on my blog to pro teams, race organizers, media outlets, and sponsors. Self promotion can be more awkward that riding up a climb stuck in the big ring, but it's necessary in business. And much like a painful climb, ya just keep hammering away til you get to the top... or bonk!

Richmond Racer

Good luck Louie, hope you get to where you want. Please will you drop links in here for your Cali, Utah and Colorado race trips this year?

Paul 8v

Loving your work Louie

napoleond

Great stuff!

No_Ta_Doctor

louietraub wrote:

There are some sweet images on those links. Always nice to surf through galleries like that to get ideas or see what I'd do differently.

Great idea about contacting The Inner Ring. I follow that site and would think my shots of bigger races here in the States would be relevant to stories covered. While working in what is now a slowly dying newspaper industry, it was cool having viewers seeing my work on a daily basis. Building that network of people who would dig following this adventure is ongoing task in the rebuilding process. Been teaching myself marketing 101 on the fly by sending out promos of images you saw on my blog to pro teams, race organizers, media outlets, and sponsors. Self promotion can be more awkward that riding up a climb stuck in the big ring, but it's necessary in business. And much like a painful climb, ya just keep hammering away til you get to the top... or bonk!

Blog it, tweet it, Facebook it. Tell the story of the journey, as well as the race.

And post some links here :-)

frenchfighter

Hey Louie, check these guys out. Superb photos, editing and composition.
http://brakethroughontheroad.com/

Yellow Peril

Cycling photography is almost an art form in its own right. I can't think of that many other sports that can constantly produce such evocative images.

rallyman1978

Really enjoyed reading through your blog the other day and the pics are fantastic

louietraub

@frenchfirefighter Thanks for posting that link. Bookmarking it under inspirational, no doubt.

@YellowPeril Neither can I. My background is in mainstream sports (basketball, American football). Got pretty boring after several years on the same field/court, same bad lighting, shoulder to shoulder with dozens of other members of the media getting essentially the same shot. No other sport other than cycling has so many colorful characters from different countries all tearing themselves inside out across epic landscapes. And only the imagination limits us on where to view the spectacle in person and as a photographer, how capture it all. Only makes sense to pursue the traveling circus because it's so damn fun!

@rallyman Much appreciated! My blog page tells me page hits by country and let's just say after the past week, I'm feeling a Team Sky themed post.