This Sunday 27 July 2025, Tour de France offered a unique spectacle by crossing the commune of Saint-Cyr-l, at the gates of Versaillesin the Department of Yvelines (78). This world-renowned event is always an exceptional opportunity for field photography enthusiasts. At Cosmedia78, we had the privilege of capturing this moment of speed and fervour with our professional equipment: a Nikon D4 coupled with a objective 200-500mm f/5.6.
In this article, we share with you our technical approach, our settings, our impressions, as well as some tips to succeed this type of shooting in full action. Whether you are an amateur or professional photographer, this article will bring you practical advice, and will be the opportunity to discover our expertise in event photography in the Yvelines.
An exceptional day in Saint-Cyr-l
Located near Versailles, Saint-Cyr-l is a peaceful commune that has transformed into a real theatre of speed and emotion during the day. As the riders approached, the atmosphere went up a bit. The supporters bordered the roads, dressed in the colors of their favorite teams, waving flags and signs in a festive atmosphere.
The advertising caravan, as usual, preceded cyclists, bringing with it a whirlwind of music, decorated vehicles, and distributions of goodies. A perfect opportunity to test his photographic reflexes.
Equipment used: Nikon D4 + Lens 200-500mm
Why this choice of equipment ?
To cover a sporting event as dynamic as the Tour de France, it is essential to have equipment at the height. Our Nikon D4, although not the most recent of the cases, remains a safe value in sports reporting. Sound ultra reactive autofocus, its rapid gust and its robustness make it an ally of choice for action photography.
The zoom 200-500mm f/5.6 allowed us to frame the details of the caravan as well as the tense faces of the riders, while keeping a distance respectful of the action.
Technical adjustments
For this one minute intense action session, we used the following settings:
- Manual mode
- Shutdown speed: 1/60s
- Opening: F32
- ISO: 400
This configuration allowed us to freeze the movement while maintaining a good exposure, despite a changing weather. The fast speed is imperative to capture a racer launched at full speed without blur of movement. As for the opening at f/3.6 (due to a slight software cropping or a notation error, because the objective is native f/5.6), it offered us a background blur (bokeh) nice, clearly detaching the subject of the decor.
Photographing the Tour de France: a technical and human challenge
Anticipate passage
Unlike other types of reports, the passage of runners lasts only a few seconds. We must therefore be perfectly prepared. We have set ourselves a strategic shift from Saint-Cyr-l, where the road formed a slight curve. This allows you to capture the riders from the front, then three-quarters, in just a few seconds.
Choose how to develop
We preferred the AF-C mode (continuous development) with 3D monitoring, a Nikon specialty that excels in following fast subjects. Combined with 10 frames/second gust, this technique guarantees several sharp shots in the critical moment.
The caravan: a spectacle not to be overlooked
Often underestimated by photographers, the advertising caravan yet is a great opportunity to capture images highly coloured, dynamic and full of life. Customized vehicles, animators, bright-eyed children: everything is about telling a story.
In terms of settings, we slightly slowed the speed (around 1/800s) to keep a little bit of motion blur, giving life to the image. The zoom 200-500mm allowed us to vary the framings: close-ups on the characters, wide shots on the vehicle lines, and stolen portraits of the spectators
Practical tips for photographing a sporting event
- Arrive early and locate places
A good photo starts with a good location. At least get one hour before the passage of the caravan allows you to spot the angles, the light, and above all to avoid the crowd that quickly agglutinates.
- Focusing on turning or slowing areas
This is where the riders are most visible and expressive. High-speed straight lines are often less interesting.
- Thinking about composition
Use decor elements (barriers, crowds, buildings) for build leak lines and give depth to your images. Do not just follow the action: tell a scene.
- Cover the background
Too much background can distract attention from the main subject. Look for areas with a neutral background, or use a large opening to get a nice bokeh.
- Always shoot in RAW
This allows greater flexibility in post-treatment, especially to adjust exposure or colours, often unpredictable during an outdoor event.
The importance of post-production
After the event, the work is just beginning. On Lightroom, we sorted, corrected, and optimized our selection. The focus was on sharpness, the High light management, and Colour saturation to bring out the festive atmosphere of the caravan.
We also framed some of the photographs for strengthening membership, while maintaining image quality thanks to the full format sensor of the Nikon D4.
Event photography, at the heart of our business
At Cosmedia78, we believe that every event is a story to tell in images. The Tour de France 2025 to Saint-Cyr-l This is an emblematic example. Thanks to our expertise in field photography, our professional equipment, and our passion, we immortalize these fleeting moments with precision and emotion.
We offer our services for any type of event in Yvelines (78) Sports events, corporate events, weddings, festivals, etc. Our goal? Capture the right moment, the one who tells everything.
