El Tour de Tucson 2012

It's interesting to think its been a whole year since last year's El Tour de Tucson but sure enough its gone and passed us. I can honestly say for me personally so much has changed this year I'll never forget 2012 for the good and the bad. With that being said I couldn't have had more emotions flowing for the race. I'll be the first to admit I was nervous, scared, anxious, and excited to roll up to the start line and begin my 111 mile journey around the city I love so much. One major difference this year compared to last is the amount of riding and racing I have done since the last version, also I'll be riding with a team this time around. Every year the Wednesday before the big race the El Tour de Tucson expo is held in the TCC downtown. It's always fun to go to the expo because that's where you pick up your race number a.nd all sorts of goodies. Walking around the expo is an exercise in self control as there is just so much stuff you wanna buy. I saw and tried on some truly amazing hand made Italian cycling shoes and now I'm convinced they are the shoes for me. One booth I simply had to stop at is the JDRF foundation to cure diabetes. Diabetes is common in my family so it's only natural I was intrigued by their cause and am looking forward to riding in one of their events next year. The weather on race day was simply amazing and you couldn't ask for better riding temps. I arrived at the starting line fairly early around 5:45 am to meet up with the team. After shoveling down some granola bars, energry chews, and water we took our place in the huge starting line up. The national anthem rings loud through the streets of downtown as a news helicopter circles the sky looking at the thousands of cyclists. We leave the starting line and the race is officially on. For myself personally, the ride couldn't have gone smoother in terms of no problems. This year I had no crash and flat tires to slow me down. It was amazing to see all the people supporting the riders through their very long day. Big thanks to my immediate family and Syndenn Harmon for taking photos throughout the day. As I rolled across the finish line completely exhausted, I found out my time was 8 hours 27 minutes. Although this is substantially better than last year's time I still cant help but feel a bit disappointed. After it was all said and done I am still happy I was able to enter El Tour with my friends and finish something not many people can say they've done. Until next year.

This year's race route. 111 miles around beautiful Tucson

New handlebar wraps for the big day. Me gusta

Bambo and carbon fiber bike. Such a nice bike

Jerseys everywhere

These little cycling caps always make me laugh

Fat Tire bicycle

Bianchi rep

Handmade italian cycling shoes. Mmmm

My race day kit and number

Jeff before the race

The team having a laugh before the day

Fin

Super telephoto power!!!

I must say the camping trip went very well overall and excellent in terms of photography. I had a great time with good friends and got to test out the Canon EF 300mm F/4L IS USM. This lens appealed to me for a few reasons really. Number one being the relatively low cost to rent one. Number two being its loaded with all sorts of good bits you want in a super telephoto lens. Superb optics, large aperture, auto focus, weather sealing, and image stabilization to name a few. Aside from camping I also took this lens to the local Reid park zoo where my good friend Syndenn Harmon works. I would go as far to say this is possibly the most hand holdable super telephoto on the market. It's no light weight at 2.6 pounds but you sure do get alot of performance to accompany that weight. All of the photos on this post are from the Canon 300mm F/4L IS USM lens and straight from camera with no photoshop. My next post will be a preview leading up to the big bike race this Saturday, the legendary El Tour de Tucson. Like always let me know what you think of the photos or if there is something specific you'd like to see. Thanks for stopping by

This lens simply melts away distracting backgrounds into creamy bokeh goodness

Nick and Sergio enjoying the warmth of the sun early in the morning

Nick's headshot

Two kids playing some footy

Staring contest with a cow

Wild fungus

Some random bro fishing it up

Personal favorite

I love the natural lighting on this shot

The only thing funner than shooting with this bad boy bazooka would be shooting a real one

All Souls Procession 2012

This weekend I am going with some friends camping at Patagonia lake. It will be nice to get away for a few days since I have Monday off work. I have high hopes for this particular trip as I'm going to relax, submerge myself in the nature and find zen. Nature has a way of bringing out the beauty you hardly see in the city life most are accustomed to. Knowing this I decided I wanted to rent a super telephoto lens from borrowlenses.com . My lens of choice this time is the Canon 300mm F/4L IS USM. It's classified as a super telephoto with superb optics and autofocus that's hand hold able. I chose this lens because I had done some research and there is supposed to be an abundance of birds and animals in the area. One thing about nature shots is often you're not able to get too close to certain animals without them fleeing. I'm very excited and am looking forward to working with some more Canon L glass. The photos on this post are from the recent "All Souls Procession" that took place in downtown Tucson, AZ. It was a fun event to take part in and photograph. I went last year and came away a little disappointed in my photos. This year I went armed with my trusty Nikon Nikkor 50mm F/1.4 lens for all the no flash low light shots I would be taking. My approach was also different and I must say I'm quite pleased with the results. It feels good to see a progression in your work and to be complimented by others. Hope you enjoy the photos and like usual let me know how you feel about them. Until next time.

Saw this walking down 4th Ave to Downtown. They're preparing for the event

Waiting for the light at 4th and 6th. Dead Cyclists

Following directions

A lot of photos were taken this night

Right before this was taken the man next to the girl says "Look at all the people taking our picture" She was in complete awe of everything

These types of things were everywhere

Holy dead man

Pretty old and still out with everyone

Opposites

I thought he looked like powder