London Marathon

One of the more tricky aspects of digital photography to get right (and, indeed, any photography) is time.  Finding the time to shoot and then edit the photographs that you are happy with.  Mixing this in with a career and life (girlfriend, friends, family etc) can be quite a demanding task.  I have only just got around to editing some of the pictures I took two weekends ago at the London Marathon. 

The first is a picture of the eventual winner.  We were stood in Westminster, just outside Big Ben when these two came hurtling past us.  With only 1 mile to go their pace was impressive in a way that you don't really get a sense of on TV.  At the time they were at a World Record Breaking pace (finished up a couple of minutes off at 2:06 hours) and getting a picture was remarkably difficult in the short time frame available.  If I could reshoot I would have used less of a zoom lens and allowed myself a bit more of a cropping choice but it is all part of the learning process.
The second image was simply a shot of some of the runners who weren't competing at top international level and the pain and anguish on their faces and bodies are clear to see!  I also wanted to frame them against a London landmark, so the London Eye gets another mention.

The third and final image is from the end of the race where the runners have all left their clothes and other items and the place is covered in these big plastic Flora bags.  Some are on the floor and some remain on the back of articulated lorries.  The bags are guarded by the tracksuited individuals and I just managed to capture one in a contemplative moment.