Midlands magic
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS ZOON CRONJE
AUGUST 2014
#MTBHilton was the 7th in the series of 8 MTN National MTB Series driven by Nissan events
THE ACTION Some of the top names in international mountain biking descended on the Zulu kingdom ahead of the MTN World Marathon Champs the weekend after causing a couple of surprise entries that upset the pre race favourites
THE SHOT I just loved the depth in this image and the riders strung out clearly applying the pressure made it a no brainer to fire the shot
THE SPECS 1/640 @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.advendurance.com
#MTBHilton
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#MTBHilton
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Forest fun “ #MTBHilton was the 7th in the series of 8 MTN National MTB Series driven by Nissan events�
THE ACTION
Nico Bell the current MTN National MTB Series driven by Nissan series leader in the hunt
THE SHOT I noticed a ray of light on the trail through the trees and used it to light the subject with the darker backdrop of the forest amplified by the vertical lines
THE SPECS 1/320 @ f4.5 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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l l i h p U #MTBHilton
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by n e v i r ies d r e S B d“ MT n i l k a n s t o i i t Na s of e N i T r e M s e est “ Th g r a l e is th n a s s i N
e l t t a b THE ACTION
The top guns battle it out for the King of the Mountains title clearly pushing as hard as they can to apply the pressure on the competition
THE SHOT It is not often that a shot works from behind but this one captured the intensity of the climb and the earnest of the intent to hurt the field turing the pedals in anger
THE SPECS 1/250 @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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Zulu
#MTBHilton
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Kingdom THE ACTION
Riders make their way up one of the many hills in the Midlands area surrounding Hilton looked upon by a grazing cow
THE SHOT In my line of work I don’t often get the chance to set up a shot, it paid off scouting ahead a bit and saw the shot before the riders arrived and just waited for the right moment to get the proportions right
THE SPECS 1/250 @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
xtremedia.co.za
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Vertical horizon
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THE ACTION Max Knox hammers the pedals to put pressure on the lead group shadowed by team mate Kevin Evans waiting to pounce
THE SHOT Showing how steep a climb is requires a bit of a blind rise and a very low angle with a zoom lens
THE SPECS 1/640 @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com #MTBHilton
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Persistance
pays
“ This is the first time in recent memory the overal series title will come to the wire at the final event #MTBCraterCruise� THE ACTION Darren Lill makes his move on the climb to the king of the mountains prime
THE SHOT Expecting some action I raced ahead and waited for the front guys to catch up to me to watch the action unfold
THE SPECS 1/640 @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO
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www.advendurance.com
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Lined up
THE ACTION Max Knox winds his way through the flowing forest trails around Hilton
THE SHOT Plantations lend themselves to wide shots showing off the linear features you just have to time it
THE SPECS 1/60 @ f4 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com #MTBHilton
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THE ACTION The sweet trails took riders through some of the many sugar cane fields in the area
THE SHOT Waiting for the action to happen a look back sometimes tells the best story
THE SPECS 1/250 @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za #MTBHilton
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Sugar rush xtremedia.co.za
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Scorching THE ACTION The sharp end of the race hidden the shadows and the scale of the scorched earth
THE SHOT The stark contrast of the burnt field and evergreen caught my eye and opted for the wide angle to show of the sheer scale versus the diminutive riders in the shadows
THE SPECS 1/640 @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO
www.zooncronje.com
#MTBHilton
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g speed
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Lights, came
THE ACTION Pre race TV interview being conducted with Nico Bell
THE SHOT Finishline shots al seem similar but I could feel the raw emotion through the lens when Darren took the win he worked so hard for
THE SPECS 1/500 @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com #MTBHilton
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era, action
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#MTBHilton
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Elated Lill
THE ACTION An elated Darren Lill crosses the finish line after an impressive effort
THE SHOT Finishline shots al seem similar but I could feel the raw emotion through the lens when Darren took the win he worked so hard for
THE SPECS 1/500 @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
xtremedia.co.za
OT O:
ZO O
NC
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“ The MTN National MTB Series driven by Nissan is the largest series of its kind “
PH
#MTBHilton
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