Thursday Thirteen: The TIR Photo Edition

So, I ran the Texas Independence Relay last weekend with the team "Queens of the Road."  We each had a "Queen" nickname, and I think mine was one of the first to be chosen.  I was the Camera Queen (although my shirt says "Picture Queen" because we ran out of glittery "A" and "C" letters in the pack). I know you're shocked by this. I always have a camera in my hand at races, and am known for forcing my picture-taking ways on people I run into. 98 percent of the time, my philosophy is that if there isn't a photograph to prove it, it didn't happen.

That said, there are a few rare occasions, though, when I am camera-less and even iPhone-less, and am without a way to capture a special moment. Those times, I just pause and take it in mentally, and those frames in my mind sometimes end up being the most special, because I keep them for myself. Other times I consciously choose to go camera-less, because I am actually RACING instead of just participating and enjoying the atmosphere and the camaraderie (aaaand, competitive runners just twitched themselves to death - no, I do not RACE every race I enter, have you NOT met me?!). I'm pretty sure I could cut 5-10 minutes off my race times if I put the camera down and just ran. But where's the fun in that?

The other thing is that my photography is kind of like my running. Despite doing it an awful lot, I'm not all that great at it. I certainly have learned a lot about both, but I am far from excelling at either. I just very much enjoy both. I recently got a very nice Nikon D5100 that I absolutely love for its super fast shutter speed (4 frames per second, yo!) and ridiculously high ISO, two features that make taking a technically sound photograph relatively failproof. But, even the best tool in the world isn't going to produce a good photo if the eye behind the shutter isn't aware of things like composition and framing. And as I've learned, you can frame a group of Frunners perfectly and then when you hand the camera to someone else so you can join the shot, they will inevitably back up two feet before taking the picture. I try not to twitch when they do that, and just take the camera back, thanking them profusely while making a mental note to crop it later.

All that said, there was some spectacular scenery over the two days of TIR that really showcased our great state, and I wanted to highlight my favorite landscape shots in a special entry. Because when your teammates post pictures of you sprawled alongside a country road taking pictures, you have to show the payoff! Otherwise, you just look like a crazy person!! So here you go, my Top Thirteen Favorite TIR Photographs (in chronological order, not ranked):

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