In the Pinkston

Lead image :-Nikon D7500 + Sigma 105mm f2.8 lens; taken at f6.3; 1/1000sec; ISO1600

I’ve been lucky to have joined my camera club’s outing to the Pinkston Watersports Park in Glasgow on a evening when avid kayakers were practicing their supreme skills in guiding their crafts through tumbling white water. It was a great opportunity to get close to sports men and women with the camera, certainly better than travelling to the great competitions that take place on more remote venues on rivers in the Scottish highlands.

And having simply been so fortunate to get this chance, I’d like to submit these images to the Lens-Artists challenge #362 on the subjects of Sports and Games – a challenge set by Beth of the Wandering Dawgs blog site.

Here’s some more of the images:-

Above:-Nikon D7500 + Tamron 70-300mm @110mm; f7.1; 1/1000sec; ISO1600

The top athletes in this sport steer their kayaks down this course negotiating the various gates and rapids. Their slalom kayaks are specifically designed for competitive whitewater racing, being flat-bottomed and manoeuvrable in the churning waters. Some of these guys compete in UK wide and international competitions but here it’s practice.

You certainly have to be prepared to get dunked regularly and know what to do about it when it happens. I actually thought they were brilliant to watch. To be a beginner, I’ve read that all you need is to be reasonably fit and able to swim. I think you also must be quick-witted and courageous as well.

Above:-Nikon D7500+Sigma 17-50mm@50mm; f5.6; 1/1000sec; ISO2000

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Pinkston Watersports Centre is situated just outside Glasgow city centre. It’s a tremendous facility built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It’s part of the legacy of those Games comprising not just the section shown here – which is Scotland’s only artificial whitewater course – but also a large basin of still water next to the canal, which is used for flat water canoeing, kayaking, paddleboards and outdoor swimming. And so it combines a training facility for elite kayakers, access for local community groups and is even used for training emergency service personnel in rescue from floods and torrents. It just a brilliant legacy.

Thanks to Beth for setting this challenge. If you’d like to find out more about her challenge, then click on this link to ‘Wandering Dawgs’

If you’re also interested in the Pinkston facility, you find out more here.