Dave Lawrance Cycle Racing Photographs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Are you a professional photographer?
No, I am an amateur photographer; I have been taking photos for over 20 years, and cycling photos for about 10. (I first visited the Tour de France in 1991, the year of Indurain's first win). I am also interested in landscape photography.
What type of equipment / film do you use?
Though I have owned several cameras of various formats, most of the cycling photos on this site were taken with my a 20+ year old Olympus OM1n. Most of the shots were taken with this camera and a 50mm standard lens.
I later switched to a a Nikon F100, usually using a 50mm lens. (Though a 28-105 zoom, and a 20mm were occasionally used).
The main reason for switching to the Nikon was to take advantage of the motor wind to get more shots than I could by manually cranking the Olympus. Autofocus is useful in certain situations, though for the action shots, I still focus manually.
As for film, I used to use transparency film, usually Kodak Ektachrome 100, later switched to colour negative film, generally Fuji ISO 200. Negative film is more tolerant of exposure errors, and is easier/cheaper to get prints from.

I now use a Fuji S2 Digital SLR and Nikon lenses, though I have only done a little cycling photography with it.
How do you take your photos?
I visited the Tour de France each year from 1991 to 2001 with Graham Baxter Sporting Tours. These trips concentrate on the mountain stages and time trials, which tend to yield the best photographs.
Each day I will cycle part of the Tour route, before making my way to my chosen location for the day. On a mountain stage this will often be on the final climb or another major climb of the day, and I will usually ride to the top of the climb on the lookout for good locations, before descending to my chosen spot. The tops of the climbs can be very crowded, which can make photography difficult, though this is where the action is, and the riders will be more spread out here.
Why don't you show more photos?
Unfortunately due to the amount of traffic the site gets, and the bandwidth restrictions imposed by my service provider, if I add any more photographs to my site, I run the risk of having my site suspended, especially during July!
Why don't you show bigger photos?
Mainly for the same reason as above (bandwidth restrictions).
However, check out "The BIG Picture" page of my main web site, for a small number of "desktop" sized images (1024x768 resolution).
Why don't you have any finish line photos?
As I don't have any official accreditation as a photographer, there is no chance of me getting near the finish line for a race such as the Tour de France. Podium shots are similarly impossible to obtain by mere mortals.
Can I use your photos on my web site?
Non-commercial, personal sites may use up to 10 photos from this site, subject to the following:

1. Any 10 images from this site may be used, apart from the large (1024x768) "wallaper" images.
2. Any copyright info on the images must remain. The images may be resized, provided the copyright info is still legible.
3. On any page that an image appears, a credit "Photos copyright Dave Lawrance", together with a link to my home page. (https://www.davelawrance.co.uk)
Can I get prints of your photos?
I have a limited selection of images from which prints may be obtained. These are mainly recent images featuring Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, David Millar, etc. E-mail me for details and prices.
Have you got any photos of Merckx / Anquetil, etc?
As I only took up cycling photography in 1991, I do not have any photos prior to that date, and my site only features photos I have taken myself.
How do I get to see the Tour de France?
For organised trips, try Sporting Tours, http://www.sportingtours.co.uk
For advice on visiting the Tour under your own steam, a good place to start is http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/text/faq/usenet/bicycles-faq/part1/faq.html
This is a link to FAQ's of the rec.bicycles newsgroups, and includes some useful info on the Tour de France.

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