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Graham Watson: Cycling Tribe Interview
Q. So, first things first, who fill finish on the podium at this year's Tour?.jpg)
A.Contador, Lance, A.Schleck - in that order...
Q. Let's talk a bit about photography, how old were you when you discovered that you were pretty handy with a camera, and what got you into cycling photography?
A.About 18 years old, I was working in a society photographer's studio in London between 1972-77. I bought a bike as I couldn't afford the train fare, and then got fit enough to join a cycling club and race a bit. I was useless at racing but went to see the Tour finish in Paris in 1977, and got hooked on it, realised I wanted to photograph a sport that was as beautiful as it was athletical...
Q. You cover so many races all over the world, do you have a favourite race that you just love to attend?
A.I love them all really, they are all different, and in different parts of the world and in different conditions and with different cyclists. My favourite one-day race is Paris-Roubaix - a great adventure with guaranteed good photography. My favourite stage-race is probably the Dauphine-Libere - a mini Tour de France with great racing, great scenery, great weather, but without the stress and disruption the Tour brings.
Q. Riders get a chance for that feel good factor- winning a breakaway, a sprint, pulling their team through. What is the major high for you in your job?
A.I get my kicks in many ways with a camera. The high-point is taking a shot that none of my colleagues have seen - it could be a crash, a beautiful scenery shot, a moment in the race when you have captured an attack, or simply just an off-beat moment by a famous cyclist. By and large, photographers are quite primitive and tend to follow each other around in the belief that they'll all get the same great shots. There's nothing that beats the feeling of getting something no-one else has got - it's a rare thing!
Sunflowers, 2000 Tour de France, by Graham Watson
Photo Copyright © Graham Watson
Sunflowers, 2000 Tour de France, by Graham Watson
Photo Copyright © Graham Watson
Q. Of the thousands of images you have taken, do you feel you have captured 'the perfect image' or is it still around the corner?
A.You have to tell yourself each day that you want to find that 'perfect shot', but I feel I came close enough in the 1986 Tour. It was a shot of Hinault and LeMond together on Alpe d'Huez, picture-perfect in every sense - hard to beat it.
Q. When you're out on the course, camera ready, what is it you want to really capture in a photo. How do you help people to see what you see?
A.Firstly, you have to have a passion for your chosen subject, this takes the cycling photographer to a higher level than his non-cycling counterpart who may not understand the sport enough to get decent images.
I want to capture many things in an average day: the beauty is paramount to me, that includes scenery shots and the more cruel beauty of the actual sport. I want to capture the cyclists at their very best, which means getting the right angle on them at the right time, instead of the wrong angle at the wrong time...
I want to capture the best of the action at the crucial moments of the race - this comes with that understanding of the sport, as well as experience. The photographer has to know when to take close-up action images or record the 'bigger' picture - the wondrous landscapes that our races travel through. All this makes for quite an absorbing day, and no two days are ever the same...
Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault on Alpe d'Huez, 1986 Tour de France
Photo Copyright © Graham Watson
Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault on Alpe d'Huez, 1986 Tour de France
Photo Copyright © Graham Watson
Q. Are there ever times when you're standing in the middle of nowhere waiting for the bunch of guys in lycra and you're tired, cold & dirty, wishing you were home in front of the heater with a chardonnay?
A.I never feel like that - I enjoy each and every hour of each and every day I'm working, through all weathers and conditions... Take the good days with the bad, so to speak - and be grateful you've got a job that most people would die for...
Q. Do you ever get to go to a race without the camera and just enjoy the event as a spectator?
A.Not really, I tend to steer clear of cycling when I'm not working, except to ride a bike myself... But I would like to come back and see some races when I one day retire as a photographer, see the Tour in the Alps the Classics on the cobbles, etc..
Q. For all the mum's & dad's out there looking to get the perfect shot of their son/daughter, what are the top 5 tips you could give them to get a photo worth putting on the wall?
A.It can be quite hard to photograph friends and family racing or even riding a bike - you are automatically distracted from your camera by seeing someone you know well! The rules are the same as any other cyclist you are photographing: focus on their heads, as this is the point of the body that moves the less at speed. Arms, legs, shoulders and feet all move a lot; the head does not. Choose between a side-on or head-on shot, a longer lens is required for the head-on shots. Side-on shots are best done on the inside of a corner or bend, when the speed comes down a bit and you can be sure of exactly which line the cyclist will take. Choose a high shutter speed - 1/500th minimum - which will freeze the subject adequately enough, and lessen the risk of camera shake. Then, all you have to hope is that the cyclist looks as well composed as your treasured shot!
Photo Copyright © Graham Watson
Photo Copyright © Graham Watson
Q. We saw you in Adelaide this year for the Tour Down Under, can we expect to see you in Melbourne for the World Championships? And if yes, will you share with us the best places to get the perfect shot!!??
A.I'll be in Melbourne/Geelong, for sure. But you probably know a lot more than I do about the circuit... I hear it is very technical, and there might be a lot of wind at that time of the year... I'd love to see an Aussie win it, someone like Robbie McEwen or Allan Davis if it's a sprint - or Evans if it is a really hard race.
And finally...
Q. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
A.Risotto...because there are so many kinds of that dish!
Graham thanks for chatting with us at CT.
See Grahama's images at his website www.GrahamWatson.com
Graham thanks for chatting with us at CT.
See Grahama's images at his website www.GrahamWatson.com
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