Etive River Race 2008

Travelled to Glencoe for the annual Etive River Race. I thought it'd be a good opportunity for action shots, and something a bit different too.

I was kind of fortunate when I travelled to Troon a few days prior to the race, as I came across a group of kiteboarders at the beach and I was able to get some practice shots. They didn't turn out great, but gave me ideas for how I could improve. Also good, if you can call it that, was the stinking weather prior to the race. Relentless rain all week would swell the river and give me a lot more dramatic soaked faces to capture.

Unfortunately, the rain didn't relent on the day of the race either. And if you think Scotland's weather in general is bad, it's nothing compared to the wilds of Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. I got soaked. Absolutely sodden through ~ my clothes felt like they weighed as much as me, and when I bought some lunch later that day, even the money in my wallet was wet to the touch. In retrospect I think I was very lucky not to damage my equipment, and all of a sudden, getting a weather-sealed body seems more important the next time I'm camera shopping. At the very least, the next time I try something like this I'm going to get better quality weatherproofs and some kind of shelter/windbreak to keep my stuff drier.

I was so ravaged by the elements that I quit long before the end of the race, but I still got a few good shots, so I think it was worth it. And I have to take my hat off once more to my trusty 70-200 f/4, which managed to pull out some outstandingly sharp photos under extreme conditions.