MNDA at The Brighton Marathon 2017
Photographing runners raising money for Motor Neurone Disease at the Brighton Marathon was a moving experience, also involved a bit of planning of positions and a lot of cycling around to each point. The love and support which I captured had me in tears most of the day and I felt very fortunate to be able to photograph some of their stories from the start at Preston park to the finish at Madeira Drive, on a very hot and sunny day.
Advice for other photographers:
- Pick 3 spots ahead of the day to capture most of the runners according to the light. Mine were opposite the Pavilion; on the road where they were running up then coming back so I could get the from both directions
- Wear their charity top so the can see you and at least make eye contact, wave, smile - depending on pain! Shout the charity to get attention
- Settings f4-f8, high shutter for no motion blur (if that is your style, use a higher ISO to help) Change the focus points on cam to match their face when staying in the same spot
- Backpack with water, snack, suncream! Use a baseball cap, as we cant use shades, keep that sun off you!
- You may not be able to use your phone to contact client, it was so busy in Brighton that day I couldn't. They did tell me when the last runner had left, so I knew when to leave my first spot
- Have the route on your phone
- Get press accreditation from organisors
- Group shots back at the charity's tent
- Shoot with a landmark in the background i.e. the Pavilion with a wide lens - The rest was a longer lens just for runners - Finish line wide angle
- Ask about any special runners i.e. Unicorns, wheelchairs etc
- Capture any stories, there is a lot of emotion!
