Tip of the week: Sometimes events are so big and varied that no one photo will be able to tell the story of the day by itself. Photograph various subjects from various positions to try to tell the whole story with a portfolio of images. This past weekend my wife and I went to the Twilight criterium in downtown Athens. This was the fourth twilight race that I've attended over the years and this time I was focused on capturing a portfolio of images from the event.  I was focused on trying to capture images that would be unique for this particular event. I circled the entire course with the camera and experimented with various angles and focal lengths to document a comprehensive version of the race.

Twilight is unique due to the sheer number of people that come out to the race. There are very few races in the US that have the attendance that Twilight has. Because of that, I wanted to make sure that I made the fans of Twilight a main focal point during my coverage. This year was extremely crowded with spectators sometimes four deep in the corners. This made for wonderful framing opportunities to frame the race around the throngs of people gathered to watch. The other thing that sets twilight apart is the location. The race circles through downtown Athens and speeds past various landmarks along the way. I made sure that I captured some of those landmarks in the background of the images with the cyclists serving as my main subject. The last thing that sets the race apart is the timing. Twilight is the oldest night criterium in the US. The race starts around sunset and last for nearly two hours under the street lights of Athens. I wanted to make sure that I captured the ambiance of the scene by using the natural light as much as possible. In the darker parts of the race course, I used a handheld flash to help highlight individuals during the race. To find my full photographic coverage from the day, check out my Twilight gallery under the 'Current Work' tab.