XMspread The battle of Ballito #warrior5 2014

Battle of

Ballito

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS ZOON CRONJE

AUGUST 2014

South Africa’s largest obstacle race series with 8 events and more than 50 000 competitors

THE ACTION Some 4000 Warriors tackling one of the many obstacles that form part of the Jeep Warrior Race

THE SHOT I got down on my hands and knees in the mud to get line of sight and use the bouquet effect with my zoom lens focussed on the athlete

THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

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Spectacle

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spectacle Some 4000 new Warriors were crowned in KZN and saw over 2000 spectators in support

THE ACTION Spectators cheer on as warriors work their way through the danger swamp obstacle

THE SHOT I had to wade through the mud and position with my back against the sugar cane to capture the action together with the cheering crowd

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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Call to ar The grand finale sports R100 000 prize money for the first Black Ops male and female

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THE ACTION Close to 4000 Warriors took to the start line at the Ballito leg of the event

THE SHOT The epic cloud cover and the start line tension made this shot a must

THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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Over the edge Ballito was the 5th event in the 2014 Series of 8

THE ACTION The Tower of Rage is a massive mental obstacle to some, here another warrior overcomes

THE SHOT I had to lean off the edge holding on to the scaffolding to get the full visual effect of the nothingness beneath the edge of the 6m drop

THE SPECS 1/160s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za

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Pulling

power Sheldon Riley, “Loved it... Cant wait till the next one. Thanks guys for the event�

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THE ACTION Shannon Fischer otherwise known as “machine� makes light work of the first obstacle faced on the day

THE SHOT Using a wide angle lens allows you to get right into the action and it shows in the image, the trick is to avoid getting caught in or interfering with the action

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f14 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

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Sugar sweet

Alicia Vermaak, “It was awesome�

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THE ACTION The Ballito surrounds are riddled with sugar can fields, here eventual winner Thomas van Tonder makes his way through a trail in one of the many sugar cane fields

THE SHOT Getting shots of the leaders is more of a challenge than most realise, the speed at which they navigate the course is incredible

THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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Sink or s #Warrior5

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Aquanita Viljoen, “I have never had so much fun:-) cant wait for the next ine:-) please consider more than 1 race next year “

swim

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THE ACTION The face says it all as a warrior navigates the murky waters

THE SHOT I managed to get right above the action by clambering onto a deck overlooking the dam athletes had to navigate and was the perfect perch to get the shot

THE SPECS 1/320s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za

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Hang in

there

THE ACTION

The chain reaction obstacle forces you to concentrate on keeping your balance more than it is about strength

THE SHOT I love shooting this obstacle with the various perspectives, facial expressions and depth of field you can play with

THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za #Warrior5

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Tough tutu THE ACTION

At the very core of it the Jeep Warrior Race is all about having fun and nowhere is this more evident than with the later batches in the day

THE SHOT The combination of flash and dark clouds turn any image into an epic canvas for action

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f10 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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Wir

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red THE ACTION

The abominable danger swamp has claimed many a victim, this warrior though makes light work of the barbed mud bath

THE SHOT Getting super low and shooting with a zoom lens into the approaching subject give the image a unique perspective and depth of field

THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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Mud warriors THE ACTION The voice of Warrior otherwise known as Warrior Ric revs up another would be warrior at the startling

THE SHOT Using off camera flash combined with a powerful flash on the body the shot into the sun gives the image a nice dynamic that would otherwise be bland in that environment with not much going on in the background

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f11 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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Miles of muddy

smiles THE ACTION

It never gets too dirty or too hard to crack a smile

THE SHOT Smiles always catch my eye especially when people don’t pose for shots and the sheer enjoyment is evident

THE SPECS 1/160s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens SB910 flash fired

MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za

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Thomas “the thunder” van Tonder THE ACTION Thomas van Tonder otherwise known as “the thunder” powers to another win

THE SHOT I wanted to show off the sheer size of the obstacle and used the wide angle lens low down together with the rule of thirds to emphasise the size of the obstacle

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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Runnin

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ng free THE ACTION

The running component of the Jeep Warrior Race is often underestimated but is still very much a factor in determining the winner

THE SHOT The epic cloud cover and clear horizon dotted with warriors running to their next challenge drew my eye

THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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THE ACTION Dominique D’Oliviera makes light work of the chain reaction obstacle

THE SHOT

Unchained

I got my wide angle right onto the ground and fired the shot upward to show off the epic scale of these obstacles and the guts and determination to

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za

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Off to OCR Wor THE ACTION Jay Jay Deysel who competed with a knee injury managed to do enough to secure his place in the OCR World Champs

THE SHOT Hard hitting action is always better getting into the thick of it with a wide angle lens, key is not to get in the way though

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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rld champs

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Carr

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ry

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on THE ACTION

Hanneke Dannhauser pulled through and also secured her spot at OCR World Champs

THE SHOT

Shooting in cloudy conditions with powerful flash allows you some liberties in making average shots stand out that you would otherwise miss

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f7.8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO

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Helping THE ACTION

hand

The Jeep Warrior Races are all about teamwork and overcoming obstacles where friendships are forged and strangers lend a helping hand

THE SHOT Lying flat on my stomach with my elbows in the mud I anticipated a “helping hand� to come from one of the many warriors navigating the thick muddy mess that was the danger swamp

THE SPECS The spec: 1/250s @ f4 Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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THE ACTION Focus is key in finding your footing on some of the obstacles and the facial expression in this shot says it all

Focus

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THE SHOT The facial expression and the lines of the obstacle made me fire the shot in portrait

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO

www.warrior.co.za

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THE ACTION Thomas van Tonder takes the danger swamp on his stride on his way to the black ops win

THE SHOT I got right onto my hands and knees in the mud to get a low enough angle here

THE SPECS 1/160s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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swamp survivor

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Mission accomplished

THE ACTION The finish line is always a welcome sight where warriors realise their achivements

THE SHOT Portrait wide angle shots allow you to let the action come right at you

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f9 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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Hanging tough #Warrior5

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THE ACTION One of the KZN Warriors hanging tough pushing his physical and mental toughness to the limit

THE SHOT Sometimes a bit of point and shoot with the right settings and a bit of luck delivers a jewel like this

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f11 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za

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THE ACTION The trenches was the first obstacle warriors were faced with

THE SHOT Being so close to the start I had the rare opportunity get close to show just how many athletes take to the course on a day

THE SPECS 1/160s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.warrior.co.za

Tunnel

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Got you THE ACTION Two Black Ops contenders celebrate as they cross the line together

THE SHOT I couldn’t resist knowing the wordplay I could use later with the obvious I got your back and the in your face back in the shot

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f10 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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ur back

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Pretty in pink THE ACTION The Warrior Race is for everyone with the only requirement a will to challenge yourself

THE SHOT I wanted to show the fun and this shot had all the right ingredients

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f8 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO

www.zooncronje.com

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Mass

satisfacti

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ion

THE ACTION The Jeep Warrior Race is not just a solo event and many teams also take to the obstacles to conquer fears and their physical limits in a group environment

THE SHOT It’s not that hard to convince fun loving warriors to do a group photo camera in hand

THE SPECS 1/160s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO

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Jump city THE ACTION Two more warriors make the leap off the tower of rage 6m platform

THE SHOT I had to get onto the platform and lean off while holding onto a marshal behind me to get the action and the race village all in one go

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens two SB910 both fired

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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OT O:

ZO O

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South Africa’s largest obstacle race series with 8 events and more than 50 000 competitors

PH

#Warrior5

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