Lou Bopp at the The City of New York Museum
Lou has been photographing the NYC Marathon for 9 years now and is part of the newest exhibition at The Museum Of The City Of New York. The MCNY’s exhibit: The New York City Marathon – The Great Race will be up until March 8, 2016. The exhibition features more than 100 images that capture the energy, emotion and spirit of New York City on “marathon Sunday.”
Check out a few images from this past Sunday that Lou captured and if you have time stop on by the exhibition at MCNY. Here is what Lou had to say about photographing the NYC Marathon.
What keeps you coming back to shoot the marathon every year?
To me, the marathon represents the commencement of the holiday season, which usually is on or about Roses birthday, then Thanksgiving, holidays, 2 more family birthdays etc. It’s such a great & exciting event, the vibe is powerful. The range of emotion & people, whether participants or spectators is huge, it’s exciting, I def get amped for it!
I’ve been shooting it for about 8 or 9 years and counting. I don’t shoot a ton of sport these days, however, I actually moved to NYC to accept an internship at Sports Illustrated, then I started shooting commercial work. It’s nice to return to my roots, both in terms of sports/action and a photo journalistic style coverage.
What area of the course do you like best?
The whole course is great, at least form what I have seen. Even the most difficult, I see as great challenges and try to make something out of it. Every year I shoot a different & unique location. The more obscure locations the better, off the beaten path, gritty locations along the course. It’s funny, the start & the finish are the 2 places that are the least attractive to me.
Any thing shock you while photographing the spectators or runners?
Nothing really shocking, but there are always some surprises, such as the guy running this past weekend, I saw him at mile 15 entering the 59th St. Bridge, dressed inside a 10-12 foot Eiffel Tower sculpture. How? Why? Lol! The spectators are always pretty vocal, it’s a part like atmosphere in one parts of town. That’s what makes the NYC the best!
Has shooting the marathon inspired you to run?
To put it bluntly, no, not the Marathon:) I do a little running on the side. On the day of the Marathon I’ll log in about 7-10 miles with about 40 lbs of gear, which includes running, climbing etc. At the end of the day I feel it:)
As a bonus, this is a great guide by Jacky Anderson on marathon training that is packed with practical tips and advice, and is completely free. To view it, click--> here
...and another bonus, checkout >> this beginner’s guide to running your first marathon we cover everything from choosing the right race to training methods. You’ll also learn how to prepare the night before and what gear you’ll need. Click here to continue the read
