When a race starts in several waves or categories, the crew cannot be at the first start and the last at the same time. List every departure group with its start time and the images it needs, decide where the crew spends its hours, and state in the plan which groups receive which coverage. Do not let the first start use up the plan.
Many races start in waves, to reduce crowding or separate categories. The effect on photography is easy to overlook. The first start gets the attention, and the last may arrive when the crew has moved on.
This page belongs to our guide to running, cycling and endurance-event photography.
What are waves and starting categories?
A wave is a group that starts at a set time. A category may be a distance, an age group, a team format or a skill level. Some races use both. A single event can therefore have a dozen departures over several hours.
Each has its own participants, supporters and sponsors. Each expects to be photographed. The plan should treat them as separate parts of the commission, not as variations of one start.
How do we map the departures?
Begin with a table. List each wave or category, its start time, its start location and the number of participants. Add what you expect from each: start images, course images, finish images.
| Wave or category | Start time | Place | Images needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elite or first wave | Earliest | Start line | Start, finish |
| Main wave | Later | Start line | Start, finish |
| Junior or special group | Separate | May differ | As agreed |
The values come from your schedule. The concurrent activity and crew planner shows how overlapping departures affect crew numbers.
Where does the crew spend its hours?
A crew's hours are limited. If the first start takes 30 minutes of attention and the last start is three hours later, the plan must say whether the crew waits, moves to the finish or is replaced.
Decide which starts are photographed and which are skipped. A photograph of the start line is not needed for every wave, but each wave may still need finish images. Our guide on choosing when coverage should start and finish explains the options.
What if waves overlap?
If one wave is finishing while another is starting, a single crew cannot cover both. Rank them, or ask whether an additional photographer is advisable. The guide on what an additional event photographer changes explains the effect on coverage.
A short example
For example, imagine a race with four waves starting 20 minutes apart, plus a children's category starting separately. The organiser wants a start image for each wave and a finish image for every participant.
A plan might place one photographer at the start for all four waves, then moving to the finish, with a second photographer already at the finish. The children's category would get its own short slot. This is a hypothetical plan, not a past job.
Elite leaders and the rest
Some races include elite runners who start first or separately. Keeping them in the plan without crowding out others is a decision of its own. See elite leaders and later finishers in the same commission for how to agree it. For long finish windows, read mass-participation races with widely differing finish times.
Supporters and the start area
Each wave brings its own supporters, and the start area can be crowded and noisy. A wave gathering in the pen, warming up and listening to a briefing is a good source of images that do not depend on the gun.
Ask the organiser whether the pens are open to photographers and who may enter them. Where they are not, we photograph from the permitted side. Agree too how runners who prefer not to be photographed at the start can say so.
Questions to settle before the date
- Do all waves start from the same place, or do some start elsewhere?
- Which waves have sponsors or groups expecting a start photograph?
- Who tells the crew if a wave is delayed or merged with another?
What we confirm in writing
Your quotation lists the waves covered, the hours at each and the deliverables. If the organiser changes the schedule, we update the plan with you in writing. Rates and delivery timing appear in the written quotation.
Checklist
- Send the wave schedule with start times and numbers.
- List categories and any that need priority.
- Mark where each wave starts and finishes.
- Decide how long the crew stays at each start.
- Plan how the finish covers all waves.
- Agree how the gallery is sorted by wave.
- Name a contact who can confirm timing changes.
Send us the wave schedule, the categories and the numbers in each. We will map the departures against the crew's hours and propose coverage for each group.
Map coverage across our race wavesCommon questions
Why would later waves be left out?
Because the crew is occupied with the first start, or the quotation ends before the last wave finishes. The first start is the most visible, so it attracts attention. Writing each wave into the plan stops this happening by default.
Can one crew cover several waves?
Yes, if the waves are far enough apart for the crew to move or reset. If they overlap, one crew cannot cover both. Share the schedule, and we say which waves a given crew size can cover.
Are small categories entitled to the same coverage?
That is for the organiser to decide. A small category, such as juniors or a special group, may matter to families and sponsors. Tell us which categories need priority so the plan reflects it.
How do we tell waves apart in the gallery?
By bib colour, start time or category list. If the gallery is sorted by wave, we need the list. Agree who provides it and how it is protected, and see our page on participant identification.
Map coverage across our race waves
Send us the wave schedule, the categories and the numbers in each. We will map the departures against the crew's hours and propose coverage for each group.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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