Nissan #TrailSeeker2 #Hakahana
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS ZOON CRONJE
Midwinter magic
THE ACTION Some 3000 riders too to the trails at the second Nissan TrailSeeker event
THE SHOT The natural lines and the colour variations grabbed my eye
THE SPECS 1/200s @f7.1 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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JULY 2014
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Rocking trails “ The event sold out weeks before and drew 3000 riders in the middle of winter� THE ACTION Nico Bell (Team RE:CM) bombing down the rally track at GeroTek testing facility
THE SHOT Shooting from the helicopter allows you to get up close and personal with the action without interfering with the riders
THE SPECS 1/640s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.advendurance.com
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e n i l e g id
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nd a s e m i yt n a m a n dly r a a h h a i k t a tH tha a s i n t e s ne!” d o o d i d r m l l e e e v h ,w et n i “ I ha m a d g e A s . i ils.. urpr a r s t t e a h h w of t y n a d ize za . n o g c o . c a e s r hub e h t a i v Quincy
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e r u t p ra THE ACTION Riders were spoilt with majestic views over the Magaliesberg region only an hour from major centers in Gauteng
THE SHOT I tried capturing the magnificence of the trails and the views in one shot using my wide angle from a low flying perspective
THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens no flash
MORE INFO www.trailseekerseries.co.za
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Winter
“ Big thumbs up to all that organized this race� Muggins via the hubs.co.za THE ACTION Robyn de Groot surrounded by fantastic winter hues
THE SHOT Using a bit of backlighting from the sun it illuminated the winter colours surrounding the trails I fired the shot slightly into the sun
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
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wonderland
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Much bespoke
THE ACTION The popularity of the Nissan TrailSeeker Series clearly shows after selling out weeks before and some 3 000 riders took to the trails on the day
THE SHOT The combination of a very wide angle lens and a low angle always makes for an interesting image showing the nerves on the start line
THE SPECS 1/100s @ f5 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens SB910 flash fired
MORE INFO www.tailseekerseries.com #TrailSeeker2
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THE ACTION The “shorter” 70km route means the top guns used to ultra marathon racing sprint out the blocks and keep the speed all the way to the finish
THE SHOT Timing is everything when using the sun as backlight for a moving subject
THE SPECS 1/200s @ f16 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens SB910 flash fired
MORE INFO
www.zooncronje.com
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Sunrise surprize “ Must say that this was the best Nissan Marathon I’ve ever done! well done Johan, Hakahana really kick ass!”
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Majestic
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Magalies “ The Nissan TrailSeeker Series is a series of 5 Gauteng based events and sports 15 000 participants� THE ACTION
Reaching the summit means some spectacular single track on the way down
THE SHOT Hovering behind the rise in the helicopter I wanted to capture the exact moment the rider reached the summit showing off the scenery in the background
THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.advendurance.com
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Sublime
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singletrack THE ACTION This was the third time the Nissan TrailSeeker Series returned to Hakahana Trails and were more refined than ever
THE SHOT I just loved the stark contract of the trees in the background and the different shades of grass in the foreground
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO
xtremedia.co.za
www.zooncronje.com
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Spoils to THE ACTION One of the Wahoo fitness podium girls at the start provided some additional incentive to get a podium on the day
THE SHOT Using a zoom lens enables you to capture natural moments where people don’t try and pose for images
THE SPECS 1/250s @ f4 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.trailseekerseries.co.za #TrailSeeker2
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the victor xtremedia.co.za
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“S� for single track THE ACTION The early lead group winding their way through some of the hand built single track Hakahana has become renowned for
THE SHOT Getting the shots while the front group is still compact usually means it has to happen early in the race when light is still bad so getting a sharp shot is a challenge
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
#TrailSeeker2
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Fight to
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“ Very tough and technical trail but a good experience overall. Also some good views from the tops of the climbs.”
the top THE ACTION
The front runners fight it out on one of the many scenic climbs into the Magalies mountains
THE SHOT Anticipating a move from the front group I positioned the helicopter behind the group to make sure I’m in position if anything should go down
THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.advendurance.com
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No luck for Luus THE ACTION Lourens Luus looked impressive in the first bit of the race but suffered a severe slash to the tyre that ended his race prematurely
THE SHOT The Team RE:CM rider navigating some technical rocky single track sections
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO
xtremedia.co.za
www.trailseekerseries.co.za
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THE ACTION Gawie Combrinck bombs down one of the many fast flowing downhill sections
THE SHOT Getting as low as possible with the zoom lens and working with a low depth of field I enhanced the focus effect on the rider by blurring the foreground and background
THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO
www.zooncronje.com
Downhill from here #TrailSeeker2
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Bell rings home with another win
“ Respect to all you guys that did the marathon!!! I only did the half and felt like I had no more to give at the finish. Even so, I thought the race was awesome!! :thumbup� Surprise via thehubsa.co.za
THE ACTION Shortly after making his move Nico Bell crests another climb with the Hartebeespoort dam in the background
THE SHOT Lying flat on my stomach with the zoom lens also flat on the ground it helps enhance the rise showing off the steepness of the climb
THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com
#TrailSeeker2
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Dominating
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De Groot THE ACTION
Robyn de Groot on her way to another dominating win showing her rivals a pair of heals from the gun
THE SHOT Hovering as low as possible and trying to match the speed of the rider to make sure I got the focus sharp shooting a moving target from a moving heli
THE SPECS 1/800s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash
MORE INFO www.advendurance.com
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Roof of
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Gauteng THE ACTION Riders riding on the edge of the Magalies escarpment with Pretoria still covered in early morning smog in the distance
THE SHOT Capturing the trails from the air is not only a privilege but probably the only way to really show off how incredibly lucky we are to take to the trails where the Nissan TrailSeeker Series takes us
THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens no flash
MORE INFO www.trailseekerseries.co.za
xtremedia.co.za
JE RO N NC ZO O OT O: PH
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