National Road Running Championships 2023 – Portraits

These portraits are taken from a reportage made at the 2023 National Road Running Championships. These sample images are a good example of one possible way of ‘seeing’ sporting action. In some cases, the portrait is completely isolated from the background, revealing a particular ‘moment’ experienced by the athlete, such as extreme physical exertion, rest and recovery after the race, or enjoyment of the location. In other cases, a single person is still at the centre of the image, but the surrounding environment completes and enhances the overall meaning of the photograph.

The ability to superimpose different layers of meaning, and to adjust the camera and lens accordingly, is what makes the difference between a ‘mere’ image and a photograph. As it was near midday, the light conditions were challenging and not ideal.

Where possible, shooting positions were used to take advantage of the shadows. In the open air, with nothing to block the light, the lens hood did a pretty good job of limiting the effects of the harsh light. All photos were taken with a Fuji X-T4 and a Fujinon XF 100-400.