Photographer Alan Davis At Sea Otter Classic

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Photographer Alan Davis Alan Davis and I have mountain biked together, taken pictures together and worked for each other – me as a freelance photographer and writer when he was editor of the now defunct Mountain Biking magazine; and Alan contributed a pro review for the Lowepro Primus AW camera backpack to this site. We see each other a few times a year at mountain bike races and tradeshows and connect regularly via the magic of the Internet and cell phones. One of our regular meetings is the annual Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. It’s sort of the season-opener for the North America cycling community. It’s also one of the first events of the year where all the cycling photographers get to check in with each other, hang out, compare notes, and talk some sh**. This year I asked Alan if he’d like to share some of the reality of covering an event like the Sea Otter Classic. My mini-interview with photographer Alan Davis follows…

Who are you?
My name is Alan Davis. I worked the Sea Otter Classic on contract for Bike magazine’s website. Since then I have been hired by Decline magazine as their Senior Photographer.

Photographer Alan Davis in action at the 2009 Sea Otter Classic
What brought you to the Sea Otter Classic?
I was working for Bike magazine at the Sea Otter Classic, specifically to take photos for their website.

Describe a typical day shooting an event like the Sea Otter Classic.
Shooting the Otter requires a lot of preparation because it’s a big event, but it’s a familiar routine for me as this was my 7th year there. The most challenging issue is coordinating your schedule with the edit staff – everyone wants to be somewhere different than the next person. Figuring out the car situation ahead of time always helps, and being familiar with all the event schedules is mandatory. Luckily I only have to worry about shooting the pro events. Then I have to keep my gear in order for the shoots. Everything needs to be clean with fresh batteries and formatted memory cards. My biggest headachs are just getting there on time, getting from event to event (the last two years I brought a bike to ride around the venue with), and posting the photos in a timely manner. At night it’s usually off to a dinner and a movie premier or, even better, bed. And this routine goes on for four solid days.

Sea Otter Classic Photo by Alan Davis

What camera and gear are you using to shoot Sea Otter?
I shot the Otter with two cameras, the Canon EOS-1D Mark II N for a long lens and the Canon EOS 5D for normal to wide lenses. For lenses I used the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS on the EOS-1D and a mix of the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L on the EOS 5D. I also have a Canon Speedlite 550EX flash for use as an on or off-camera strobe. Another very important piece of my kit is a 13-inch Mac Book laptop with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Photoshop.

Where can we see your Sea Otter photos?
My Sea Otter photos from this year are on www.bikemag.com or on my Flickr gallery.

Related Content:
Sports Photography Forum
www.alandavisphoto.net
Sea Otter Classic Coverage
Alan’s Lowepro Primus AW camera backpack pro review

Sea Otter Classic Photo by Alan Davis

About the author: Photo-John

Photo-John, a.k.a. John Shafer, is the managing editor of PhotographyREVIEW.com and has been since the site launched back in 1999. He's an avid outdoor enthusiast and spends as much time as possible on his mountain bike, hiking or skiing in the mountains. He's been taking pictures for ever and ever, and never goes anywhere without a camera.


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