#Warrior4
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS ZOON CRONJE
Dirty little secret
MAY 2014
Established as South Africa’s largest obstacle racing series the Jeep Warrior Race set a new benchmark with the over 32000 warriors that took part in the first four events of 2014. What makes this recipe of mud and larger than life obstacles so successful in this case is the constant innovation by the organisation team behind the event. Each event has new challenges and with that the obstacles only grow bigger and better.
Your obstacles are only as big as you make them!
THE ACTION Dominique D’Oliviera dominating the Truck and Trailer obstacle
THE SHOT The combination of clouds and artificial light makes for dramatic images and getting right in the action and at the same level as the athlete helped give this shot some dynamic elements
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
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Mad about
“ It is a privilege to be the only recognized qualifying obstacle race on the continent and we are excited to be able to afford our Warriors the opportunity to become eligible to compete at the OCR World Championships.�
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mud
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THE ACTION Who knew getting dirty could be so much fun, smiles all round
THE SHOT I had to get right into the mud to get eye level with the girls for this surprise shot after they conquered the Crocodile Pond obstacle
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f16 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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Perilous plunge
“Bennie Benji Nieuwoudt Guys... Awesome awesome event, did my first this past weekend @ harties, most fun I’ve had in ages. Excited and amped for the next one Can’t wait! #BeBrave”
THE ACTION The Tower of Rage is arguably the most feared at the Jeep Warrior Race with a 8m vertical drop into the pool below
THE SHOT I took aim from a low angle in portrait with my wide angle to show off the sheer scale of the obstacle and the rest was all about timing
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle one SB910 flash fired
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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Miles of
“ Carike Roets Paul: What an amazing experience!! Looooved it!”
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muddy smiles THE ACTION The Jeep Warrior Race is all about having fun, overcoming obstacles and challenging yourself
THE SHOT I just had to grab a group of muddy Warriors to show the vibe and just how much participants enjoy this event
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f13 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za Since it’s in inception in February 2013 the immensely popular obstacle course racing phenomenon the Jeep Warrior Race crowned 40 000 participants over 8 events spanning 4 provinces.
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Hang tough “ Adele Neko Horn: stupid amounts of fun. my shins are buggered. but i officially have bigger nads than most of the men i know!!!!!�
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THE ACTION Obstacles that look easy turn into quite a challenge when covered in mud, here another Warrior tackles the Crocodile Pond
THE SHOT I used my zoom lens to stay out of the splash zone
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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Obstacle course of course
“ Sally Struben This guy sure knows how to get you pumped up before your race! Leave no soldier behind!. Really loved how there always seemed to be a helping hand to grab on to during the race and loved being able to help someone else out in return!� THE ACTION Ricardo Gressel otherwise known as Warrior Ric doing what he does best motivating the would be warriors to beat their best
THE SHOT I used the wide angle in portrait to highlight the blue sky and the secondary flash to add a bit of drama to the shot
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f10 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za
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Young at
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heart
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“ Prinsloo Coetzee: Great course and couple of new and exciting obstacles. Complete my first solo commando in 1 hour 12 minutes - it was awesome!! Thanx Warrior Team!”
THE ACTION One of the many older competitors tackles the Danger Swamp, at the Jeep Warrior Race the saying holds true that age is only a number
THE SHOT I had to kneel in the muddy pit to get low enough with my zoom lens to get eye level
THE SPECS 1/640s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.nikon.co.za
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Hanging
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around
“ Adele Rootman: Awesome race,one of the best I have done!.� THE ACTION The vertical limit obstacle challenges athletes to drag themselves up an incline up a rope whilst upside down
THE SHOT To get the shot I had to manoeuvre under the athlete and I used the blue sky to show off the size of the obstacle at hand
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f11 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com The first three events in 2014 were sold out weeks before and already saw just under 33 000 participants over the first 4 events of 2014.
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Such a drag
“ The depth of talent in our elite Black Ops events should prove to be on world standard and we look forward seeing our Jeep Warriors take on the rest of the world.� THE ACTION The truck and trailer obstacle requires athletes to drag a truck tyre up and down a hill over 150 meters
THE SHOT I used the grass in the foreground to frame the shot and my secondary flash to blast the athlete to equally light the foreground and subject while getting the dramatic effect of the cloud and sunrise in the background
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.jeep.co.za
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Skin deep “ Yolandi Brits: What an awesome race we had!!! Thanx warriors!”
THE ACTION
Mud is very much a part of the Jeep Warrior Race
THE SHOT I anticipated the shot where athletes surface after submerging in the muddy waters to assist team mates or look out for a helping hand to overcome the next obstacle
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za
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Age is only
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a number THE ACTION
The Jeep Warrior Race sees young and old compete side by side tackling each challenge as equals
THE SHOT Using two flashes I was able to use the sun as dynamic feature in the shot
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f10 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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HANG IN
“ Andrew Botha: Been there done that feeling the pain!! Love it!�
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THERE
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THE ACTION Fun can be exhausting as is shown by this athlete taking a breath in the Crocodile Pond obstacle
THE SHOT I noticed one athlete helping all his team mates through the obstacle and eventually captured the moment he gathered his energy to get over the obstacle himself
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.advendurance.com
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T RUN/BIKE/RUN THE ULTIMATE OFF-ROAD EXPERIENCE VENUE Heia Safari Ranch, North West Hakahana, Gauteng ARC Roodeplaat, Gauteng TBA.
DATE 26 Jul 23 Aug 06 Sept 25 Oct
DualX.co.za ADVENTURE ENDURANCE EVENTS
advendurance.com @advendurance 086199 0001
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The great trek THE ACTION Oan de Waal gives his all on the Truck and Trailer obstacle
THE SHOT The backlight and cloud cover together with a double blast from my on body and remote flash delivered this dramatic action shot
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 1424mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za
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Safety in
“Melanie Johan Els This one was sooooo much fun” #Warrior4!
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THE ACTION Participants make their way over the SpiderWeb obstacle en mass
THE SHOT You don’t often get to capture the large number of participants in one shot with somewhat 8000 participants taking to the course over the two days
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
numbers
MORE INFO www.momentum.co.za
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Chain reacti
“Denis Dendrinos: This was freakin awesome!�
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ion
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THE ACTION Obstacle racing is not easy and your body has to be prepared for anything, here Greg Avierinos battles to keep his grip
THE SHOT Hard hitting action means nothing if you can’t bring in an element of the obstacle the athlete is tackling, focus is all important here
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens with SB910 flash fired
MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za
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Full frontal
“Karin Badenhorst: Great fun!! I’ll do it again any day!.”
THE ACTION Almost 40% of the field at the Jeep Warrior Race are women and they aren’t afraid to get dirty
THE SHOT Getting low helps emphasise the subject with the use of the rule of thirds
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
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MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za xtremedia.co.za
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Run for it
“ Menzi Mbatha This morning was a killer and the hills were unreal. A victory on the course is worthy of great celebrations. Respect!”
THE ACTION There’s still a fair amount of running in Obstacle Course Racing with the Black Ops elite race covering 22km in total
THE SHOT Shooting with the wide angle and flash from eye level moving at the same speed as the runner helped me get this crisp
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com #Warrior4!
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Safety THE ACTION
A Warrior holds his nose in anticipation of impact exploding from the 40m long and 25m high slide into a muddy pool
THE SHOT Sometimes getting the shot means you need to get right into the danger zone, I anticipated where the athlete would land and set up shot to capture the moment he leaves the slide
THE SPECS 1/640s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za
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THE ACTION The Jeep Warrior Race is all about camaraderie where strangers and team mates alike offer help to fellow Warriors
THE SHOT I clambered up the side of the infamous Mud Monster obstacle to get eye level with athletes as they summit the muddy mounds
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.usn.co.za
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Helping hand
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Obstacle
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overcome THE ACTION
Claudia Richard overcame the obstacles thrown her way and took the win in the Commando race at Jeep Warrior4
THE SHOT I quite enjoy using the sun as a feature in my shots and using two flashes allows you to light the subject while getting enough of the background without only getting a silhouette
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f16 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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10 000 Volt
THE ACTION The hand grenade obstacle requires athletes to focus and guide a conductive pin along a wire carrying 10 000 Volts
THE SHOT I wanted to capture both the concentration on the athlete’s face and the imminent danger of the electricity they are trying to avoid
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired
MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za #Warrior4!
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“Den We w is Dend ante rinos : The d to do it s agai lide was n!� frea
kin a
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maz
ing!
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THE ACTION The 40m long and 25m high slide was one of the highlight obstacles at Jeep #Warrior4
THE SHOT I used my zoom lens to bring the action closer and get some of the expressions as athletes gain some serious speed
THE SPECS 1/320s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za
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Family fun THE ACTION The Jeep Warrior Race not only caters for the young at heart but the Warrior Bratz race is specially designed for youngsters to also enjoy the obstacle racing fun
THE SHOT I noticed a father and very young daughter on the Bratz course and used my wide angle and flash with the sun right behind him for backlighting
THE SPECS #Warrior4!
1/200s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired lightroom dark vignette
MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za xtremedia.co.za
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h t a b d Mu THE ACTION Getting down and dirty and loving it
THE SHOT I used the natural backlighting to the full and my Nikon did the rest of the work
THE SPECS 1/1600s @ f5 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO
www.zooncronje.com
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Eye eye #Warrior4!
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THE ACTION Danger swamp: don’t get caught in the barbed wire
THE SHOT I got down on my knees in the mud and held the zoom lens millimetres above the water to get this perspective
THE SPECS 1/640s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
captain MORE INFO
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At least my teeth are white
THE ACTION About to hit the slippery slide obstacle a muddy warrior shares a smile
THE SHOT I wanted to show just how muddy athletes get and getting in one’s face was the best way of achieving just that
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f16 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle with two SB910 flashes both fired lightroom levels
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Hide and #Warrior4!
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seek
THE ACTION Navigating the muddy slopes of the mud monster is tricky at the best of times
THE SHOT Using my zoom lens at a very low angle along the slope I was able to play with focus blurring both the fore and background
THE SPECS 1/640s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za
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THE ACTION The mud monster claims another victim
THE SHOT I anticipated where the athlete would land and waited for the exact moment to snap the action
THE SPECS 1/640s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.advendurance.com
Making a
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JE RO N NC ZO O OT O: PH
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