Mark Aksoy
August 2026 - Fighting for the Lead
About the Image(s)
This is an image from a 2013 cycling race in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. To shoot these pics you must be at the "railing" and ready when cyclists come flying by! I photographed this image handheld with my Nikon D80 plus Tamron 70-300mm lens at 170mm, f/5.0, 1/1250 sec, ISO 320, and 1 stop under meter reading. In Lightroom, I adjusted exposure, saturation, and burned the margins to emphasize the subject.
6 comments posted
A great action photo Mark with the lead properly exposed and 2nd darker and not as track sharp. I probably would have used a higher ISO but you obviously knew what you were doing and scouted the perfect place to be on the railing. Bike racing is not on my list of attempts and likely won't be in my NH country surroundings. Well Done. Posted: 08/10/2026 02:28:03
Hi Mark,
I agree with Bob. It's a great action shot. I imagine you probably cropped the image which I think is really effective. You really feel the intensity of the athlete.
I also like the repetition of the angles as your eye moves beyond the lead cyclist. Great image. Posted: 08/10/2026 17:19:52
I agree with Bob. It's a great action shot. I imagine you probably cropped the image which I think is really effective. You really feel the intensity of the athlete.
I also like the repetition of the angles as your eye moves beyond the lead cyclist. Great image. Posted: 08/10/2026 17:19:52
I really love this image, Mark. Even though there's some background things to look at, they don't distract -- so great choice of F stop and shutter speed. Great composition and lighting. I can really see the intensity in his face. I wish I had taken this picture !! Posted: 08/15/2026 18:08:19
Hi Mark. You mentioned that in Lightroom you adjusted the exposure and saturation, and darkened the margins to emphasize the main subject. I usually refer to this technique as vignetting, and I use it quite often myself. It's a simple but effective way of guiding the viewer's eye toward the most important part of the image. It works particularly well here, keeping our attention on the leading cyclist. Job well done, Mark! Posted: 08/16/2026 12:02:58
Great capture -- you have a steady hand! The one tiny detail I would change is to darken - or delete - the orange thing on the bicycle handle. Posted: 08/20/2026 16:38:01
Great shot Mark. The composition triangle in your photo is spot on. The leading lines in the curve works great, so you selected the perfect position to shoot from.
The orange(hot) and blue(cold) works well and immediately create an additional focus on the leader in conjunction on your little brighter focus.
Posted: 08/21/2026 17:59:27
The orange(hot) and blue(cold) works well and immediately create an additional focus on the leader in conjunction on your little brighter focus.
Posted: 08/21/2026 17:59:27