Aaron Puttcamp Talks Raising Shred Girls and Some Photographer Secrets to Taking the Perfect Riding Photos

Aaron Puttcamp—that’s Shred Girls IRL Hannah and Leah’s dad—is an amazing photographer (every aspiring pro cyclists’ best friend!). His photos of his daughters racing and riding are phenomenal—as is the way he’s encouraged all three of his girls to find their own paths and passions in sport (even if it means hitting the BMX track, MTB trails and ski hills all in one weekend…). Here’s his best advice for Shred Girl parents (including some FANTASTIC photo taking advice).

How has cycling helped/changed your girls?

Cycling has given the girls more confidence in themselves.  It has also given them more confidence in the other activities / sports that they do.  It has given them more reason to be outside and in the woods – which we all like.  It has given them a new group of friends that have similar interests.

Has it boosted your relationship with them?

With Hannah we simply get to spend time together.  We travel together to the PICL (NICA) races.  These are usually in locations we have to drive a few hours to get to.  We camp at every venue we can.  I love spending this time with Hannah, riding in the car, camping, getting the bikes ready, doing the pre-race weekend preparation routine.  It is good quality time with Hannah.  I enjoy every min.  Race day is different, she is a 14 year old girl that likes to see all her friends she knows from GRiT camp so she goes off and hangs out with them when she is not racing …. This is good because I am usually taking pictures.  We both like the other riders and parents within the Keystone Composite team so sitting around the campfire and hangin’ with the team is a blast.

Tips for nervous parents at their kids first race?

Well, every parent I know is more nervous than their kids at their first race.  It is exciting and the experience is new and somewhat intimidating.  I think on race day it is a good time to just be encouraging.  The girls really do not know what to think.  I like to say things like: ‘have fun’, focus on what your coaches talked about during the pre-ride.’ ‘you are going to do great!’ …..I like to focus on phrases that tell the riders what TO DO …. And stay away from phrases that tell the girls what NOT to do (this is a coaching tactic).  I remember Hannah’s first race a person came up to her and said “Don’t be nervous” …. Ohhhh my …..  well, these girls did not know how to feel prior to hearing that and to hear someone say those words immediately made them nervous.  I would rather them hear words like: ‘relax, you are going to do great.’  ‘Focus down the path to anticipate your next shift or next obstacle’.   The best thing I think a parent can do on race day is be supportive, love them, and be excited for them – no matter what the outcome is.

Leah’s first race she didn’t want to do it at all because she was scared of the gate …. I held her back and let the gate drop and then let her go ….. In her early races she when someone would get next to her she would slow down and let them go ahead …. I was Ok with this and she practiced and got used to it. I actually rode with her on practice nights and rode right next to her so she could get comfortable with people being close to her. This helped a lot)

OK, you’re an amazing photographer, obviously… do you have a couple of tips for parents trying to get cool action shots of their Shred Girls riding?

Thanks!  I appreciate it!  For cycling sports, I have shot Mountain Biking, BMX, Cyclocross, and Gravel.

The tips I will share are on how to use your phone to get the best cycling pics you can:

Plan your backgrounds – pick your location(s)

Choose your background before the race/event starts – a little planning goes a long way.  Typically 90% of your picture is a background.  Pick something nice: trees, the track, other racers, etc.  Try to avoid having parking lots and porta-potties in the background.  I know this sounds simple but this is often overlooked. Can’t tell you how many good social media pics from high end sites I have seen with a porta potty & cars in the background – it really takes away from an otherwise awesome picture.  For mountain biking and gravel rides I like to walk/ride the course backwards looking for cool backgrounds that way when the rider approaches I see their face and the front of them against the cool background.

Shoot with your phone in the wide direction (sideways)

Shoot with your phone in the wide direction (sideways, landscape).  This is the biggest problem with phone photography.  Get in the habit of starting your camera app and holding your phone in the wide direction.  When you are outside there is always a ‘landscape’ that you want to have as a background of your photo.  When you hold your phone in the up/down position all you are doing taking a picture of more ground and more sky.  Plus, when you use your pics as a desktop photo on your computer or you look at them on your TV then they will ‘fit’ and not have those big black bars on either side.  This is even MORE important if you are videoing with your phone – shoot wide!!!

Get Close (especially with your phone)

For these races you can put yourself in the best spot to get some sweet action shots.  When I shoot soccer or softball I can not be right next to the batter or out in the middle of the soccer field – in these sports my access is limited by the lines on the field … so I need a huge lens to get ‘close’ to the action.  That is NOT the case in cycling – Getting close is the biggest advantage a parent can use in taking sweet pics of their girls kicking butt.  Get as close to the track, course, trail, etc as you can get.   Cameras on phones get great pictures when the subject is 15 ft or closer.   So GET CLOSE to the riders.

Get Low

Getting low makes the riding surface look thin or narrow – this is appealing because the rider looks big and any ground features (ramps, logs, track) pop up and look bigger …. And you also see more of that nice background you looked for earlier.  Ever watched a football game or basketball game on TV?  All the photographers are sitting down or are on their knees …. at field/court level.   You rarely see them standing up and taking pictures. So do what the pros do and get low.  Also, the lower you get the bigger the air your kid gets!

Crop to the Rule of Thirds

The rule of Thirds is used widely in the movie and photography world.  You know that grid that comes up on your phone when you crop?  That is the Rule of Thirds grid.  It divides the picture into 3rds both up and down and side by side.  Where the lines cross is where the viewers attention is drawn to.  I try to get a head, and eye, something on the bike on one of those intersections.  If you want to learn more – simply Google “Rule of Thirds”