2013 NYC Marathon: A view from Brooklyn

Despite having to work later in the day, I decided to get up early and head over to Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn to shoot some photos as the runners in the annual NYC Marathon traveled past. It’s always somewhat overwhelming to see the sheer number of participants filling a six-lane road and realize you’re watching tens of thousands of people running together. It’s a lot of fun to photograph, people get into it and some of the participants even dress up in costumes to run in. I saw everything from a banana to a few superheroes.

I find the marathon is also a good exercise to challenge myself to make interesting images from a fairly routine event. How many ways can you photograph a person or group of people running in a straight line, right? But there’s so much positive energy from the crowd, I often find it’s the people cheering on the runners that can make for good images.

Two runners pass in front of St. Michael’s Church on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn.

Lisa Stublic of Croatia, who would go on to finish 12th, crosses the five-mile mark on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn.

A volunteer hands out cups of water as a wave of runners passes by in the 2013 New York City Marathon.

A member of the crowd cheers on runners as she hold a “Run B*itches” sign at Mile 5 to encourage the participants.

A spectator holds an Irish flag as competitors in the New York City Marathon pass by.

A runner dressed in a “Marathon Man” costume runs along the marathon route in Brooklyn.

A volunteer holds cups of water as runners go by.

One downfall of the size of the event is with so much going on it becomes more difficult to pick out those singular moments that can make good images.

A runner takes a cup from a volunteer while making his way down 4th Avenue in Brooklyn near the Mile 5 marker of the 2013 New York City Marathon.

A runner carries a Chilean flag over his head as he runs in the New York City Marathon.

A runner records video as she runs along the marathon route in Brooklyn.

And just for fun, I decided to play around with some longer exposures. The colors the runners were wearing seemed like it could lead to really interesting results. I wasn’t disappointed.

Runners are a blur as they pass a volunteer handing out Vaseline.

Runners pass by piles of discarded cups along 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, as they cross the Mile 5 marker of the 2013 New York City Marathon.

A runner pauses along 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, to take photos as participants in the 2013 New York City Marathon pass by her.