This is the fifth and final review blog for our 2013 Spirit of Triathlon Photo Contest. As of this time we have 100 entries and I am pleased that we will have a great 20-image gallery for Triathlete.com to post.
There is still time to send in your entries – here are the full Contest Details
Entries can be submitted until midnight Thursday, February 21.
Enter your images here and after you enter tweet your photo with the tag #SpiritofTri
This week I want to show a shot that has been submitted and how with a bit of cropping it can be really improved.
One of the things that I often speak about in my photo class is that we want to show the viewer of the photo something that is different than what can be seen by the spectator. Sometimes this is a high angle or low angle shot, both of which I am fond of; and sometimes this can be as simple as how you crop the image.
This first image was submitted by Jason Falk, and well it captures a critical moment on the run at Kona, with French Pro Cyril Viennot cramping up and kneeling near him French Photographer, Thierry Sourbier. Theirry is a good friend and carries even more gear than I do. The issue with this shot is that a special moment is trapped within a lot of visual noise. Now with some simple cropping we have dramatically increased both the intimacy and intensity of the image. This shot could have been even better if it has been shot at a low angle.
The next image is by Matt Moses. I am so pleased that Matt included a few of his images in our Spirit of Triathlon Contest. Matt is a good friend who lives in Northern Minnesota and while by day he is a software guy, he is a really fine photographer!
I know Matt and I know that he shoots in bursts and as such is able to pick out the individual frame where the bio mechanics are the best and in this case, at the peak of the athlete’s celebration!
Finally, here is a shot by Lee Gruenfeld, sunset on the run at Kona – always a good parting shot!
Although the contest is ending on Thursday night, we are still finalizing the timing of when the images will be published on Triathlete.com. I head off to the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon on Sunday and will be reviewing images while I am gone.
Thank you all for participating in our first Spirit Of Triathlon Photo Contest. I hope our next one is bigger and better!
Paul
Competitive Image 
Eh, eh, great catch for the first one : It’s me at work! The athlete I’m shooting is actually a French pro I knew (Cyril Viennot), I was feeling bad for him as he was cramping hard. I was encouraging him a bit at the same time I was trying to get my shots. Hopefully the cramps went away and he managed a respectable 18th position on the finish line. Good luck to all and Jason Falk in particular with the contest!