Scott Mitchell photography tips

Taking photos at a bike race? Well who better to be your guide than Team Sky's photographer Scott Mitchell.

Improve your shots at the Tour of Britain with help from Team Sky's photographer

To celebrate the Tour of Britain we’re asking fans to send in their pictures, so who better to give out a few photography tips than Team Sky’s man behind the lens – Scott Mitchell. Scott has spent three seasons embedded with the team and during that time he has documented two Tour de France victories along with the highs and lows of professional cycling. Whether he is snapping on top of the Stelvio or in the kitchen with Team Sky’s chef Soren, Scott shows a different side to the sport, so we asked him for some top tips when it comes to capturing a bike race on camera. Over to you Scott!

Be ready to react

People shouldn’t be hung up on trying to get the rider smack in the middle of the frame or trying to compose things too much before the shot comes along. The best thing is to be in a position where, when something happens in front of you, you can react to it, rather than trying to make it happen. When I first started I’d go find a spot, I’d take a frame and I’d go “that looks amazing”. In my head I’d put a cyclist into that backdrop. But then when they come along they are either much closer to you or further away than you expected and it completely messes it up. I’d say just go with it and be prepared to react to whatever happens in front of you.

Move around

The most common thing I see people doing is taking all their pictures from the same place. Because they’ve got a good position they'll stay routed to the spot. I try to walk around a lot and on a climb you often see people stood in the same spot taking the same shot over and over again. They’ll get one really good shot, but I feel what is the point in having 20 really good shots that are all identical? Mix it up. If you’ve got a good spot and you don’t want to move, a good tip to make your photos look different is to hold the camera above you. You’re not even looking at what you’re photographing but it’s quite exciting to do that. The other option is to drop down really low. When you do that you can make the riders look really heroic like giants. You get big wheels in the frame and that always looks really good. Just don’t get too close and obstruct the riders! That’s a nice way to do it but I’d certainly say if you have the freedom to do so then move around.

There’s lots to photograph

Very often people focus all their concentration on photographing the riders. I know they are really cool and that’s what the race is about to an extent – but there are a lot of other things happening. It’s good to look at some of the other people that work on the race. There are so many other interesting people on each team’s staff. Then you’ve got the cars, the bikes, the bus. There’s loads to photograph, and that's before you've even factored in the landscape. So I’d say don’t ignore everything else, especially when you’re waiting there for two or three hours. Why not take some other pictures? Maybe even photograph other fans. Having a camera around my neck gives me confidence to go and speak to people – even complete strangers. People really open up to you and nine times out of 10 they’ll say yes. Ultimately the most interesting thing you can ever photograph is a face because we’re fascinated by ourselves. Don’t be scared to ask a rider. If they’ve got time they’ll stop so just ask if you can take a shot.

Tips and tricks

Another big thing is shutter speed. I know a lot of people are taking pictures on phones, but if you’re using a camera then rack the shutter speed right up. The riders are moving a lot faster than you think they are! It’s okay having a blurry picture but when you’ve got a picture that’s slightly blurry that’s really annoying – because it’s neither one or the other. So get the shutter speed up. I also don’t tend to use flash. That’s just the style I shoot in but you don’t have to use it to make amazing pictures. If I’m on a mountain I will walk around and pick a few spots. A good trick is to think of the picture where you’re standing as a painting and how you want it to look. Obviously things change but it will give you an idea of how it could turn out. Check where the light is. Quite often I shoot with sunlight into the lens. Technically it’s wrong but I quite like doing that. Photography technically is painting with light so it’s an important factor. You can use the natural light to your advantage. Shadows can be really interesting and even trying to silhouette the riders can look cool too.

Good vs great

I’m not a technical photographer and you’re average amateur photographer knows as much as I do. What I’m really interested in is being creative with a camera. What elevates a picture from a nice picture into a great picture is something about it which engages with the audience. It's probably got to have some emotion in it or a way of connecting with people – that conveys something about us, about the race, about what’s happening. It doesn’t have to be a technically great picture. If it says something and it speaks to people then it can be a better picture than a technically great one, for me anyway. The fascinating thing about cycling is what these incredible athletes do. How they push themselves beyond the limits of normal people – so why not try and convey some of that emotion in a photograph.