Fourteen Per Cent

I have been planning this shot for some time, waiting for the leafy canopy to thicken and for the leaves themselves to get that rich summery green. The plan was to head out very, very earlyone morning wearing a scarlet jersey for contrast and to arrive at the hilltop on this little lane near Fairlight just at sunup, wen the sun’s first rays pop through an opening in the greenery enough to illuminate a cyclist churning up this steep grade. I had the vision, and the ambition, but when it ame to crawling out of bed and being on the road by 3:30am, with the prospect of a long and very hilly ride on darkened lanes to get where I needed to be, I found myself conjurnig up reasons for putting off this particular shoot. Eventually though I summoned the resolve and made the hilly, lamplit trek out here and then put in the effort of doing multiple takes on this fourteen per cent grade. It was definitely a case of suffering for my art, but I was pleased with the results.