The end of September 2022 - I undertake my first sport mandate out of Canada, and take off to Molveno in Northern Italy for the XTERRA World Championships.
With five Canadian XTERRAs under my belt, twenty or so international sporting events, including four world championships, I was pumped to take on such an overseas event.
Pixel 3 XL
Molveno is a municipality of the Trentino region located in the north of Italy. It is famous for its landscape, its lake and its ski resorts.
What Is the XTERRA World Championship?
It is 800 athletes divided into 13 age groups, competing in Cross Triathlon type events. In short, it is a competition consisting of 1.5 km of open water swimming, 12 km of trail running and 32 km of mountain biking. |  Louis charland Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 85MM F/1.4G |
My Place in the Media Team
 Louis charland Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED | As soon as I got there, I had to go to my first meeting with the team. Despite my apprehensions, I was literally given carte blanche! “Come on, have fun!” the content director announces to me! No zone or athlete category restrictions (wow!), it promises to be great! Of course, after the media meeting, my wife and I went for pizza! |
What Do we Carry to the Other Side of the World?
With a carry-on bag limited to 8 kilos, I reluctantly had to leave my legendary 200-400mm of 3 kilos in Quebec. I loaded my bag with my two Nikon Z 9, a 70-200mm f/2.8, a 20mm f/1.8 and my 3 inseparable 14-24, 85, and 105mm f/1.4. Total weight: 7.8 kilos.
Phew, that passed!
Friday, the pre-race preparation
The purpose of my scouting day is to familiarize myself with the course, create possible compositions, test angles and, most importantly, determine how far I will venture into each course.
Quick tip. Whether you're an official event photographer or just an enthusiast, take the time to explore the site and the course beforehand, it's really worth it.
In this photo, I'm using a cyclist to get an idea of the scale of this composition. The worst part is that I realized much later that, in the hustle and bustle of the beginning of the race, I completely forgot to take this picture.
Saturday, day of the event; the pre-race.
This is far from my first championship, but I am literally intimidated by the magnitude of the event. Come what may, it will be a memorable event in my career for sure.
 Louis charland Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S |  Louis charland Nikon Z9 +Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S |
The race is on, and the show must go on
One sure thing about this type of competition is that nothing will go as planned!
Whether it's a lens doing free games, a mistake in the estimation of movements, bad weather or a non-cooperative route, your “planning” is sure to get out of hand!
You know, the unexpected is the beauty of that kind of event!
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
f/9.0 | 1/1250 | ISO 1250
That morning, I screwed up royally! My mistake was to overestimate the intensity of the beginning of the bike race, because although the speed was impressive, the leaders of the lead pack were appearing sitting on their seats. At that very moment, I know I made a bad choice.
Still, I'll bring back a few interesting shots, but none of them will have been worth dropping out of the elite swim start.
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED
f/1.8 | 1/1600 | ISO 1100
Finally, Some Action!
I finally arrived at the beginning of the mountain climb. The problem is that with more than a kilometer to go, I have no time left, so I can't go any further.
At this point, I take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that I'm here, halfway around the world, doing what I love most! Less than a minute later, I'm running as fast as I can because I need to make up for that bad start.
That's what being a sports photographer is all about.
The whole thing gets off to a great start, but don't worry, this isn't my first rodeo. With a little adjustment and a lot of running (literally 5.7 km), the rest of my weekend will literally be magical, what a great event!
Here are some of my favourites captured during these days of competition.
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED
f/1.8 | 1/1250 | ISO 320
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED
f/1.8 | 1/800 | ISO 64
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED
f/1.8 | 1/1600 | ISO 500
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED
f/1.8 | 1/1250 | ISO 140
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED
f/1.8 | 1/1600 | ISO 160
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 +AF-S NIKKOR 20MM F/1.8G ED
f/1.8 | 1/1600 | ISO 160
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 85MM F/1.4G
f/1.4 | 1/2000 | ISO 180
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
f/2.8 | 1/3200 | ISO 320
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 14-24MM F/2.8G ED
f/5.6 | 1/1250 | ISO 250
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8G VR S
f/3.2 | 1/2000 | ISO 320
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
f/3.2 | 1/3200 | ISO 280
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 14-24MM F/2.8G ED
f/2.8 | 1/4000 | ISO 220
I think the hardest part of this exercise was choosing which photos to publish. Over time, it seems that the line between the photo FOR the event and the photo with a capital “P” is blurring more and more for me.
I end my article with MY best photo of this eventful weekend, this one! It perfectly illustrates, in a single shot, the essence of the sport and the pride of an athlete!
Louis charland
Nikon Z9 + AF-S NIKKOR 85MM F/1.4G
f/1.4 | 1/10000 | ISO 1100
 | Louis Charland Event and sports photographer, passionate about the aesthetics of movement, emotion in sports and by the individuals who practice them. |
