Stand Out: Portraits of Two Ironman Champions Training Together

Sometimes a text message changes the course of your week. That was definitely the case when a friend asked if I'd like to sit down with not one but two Ironman champions about taking some killer shots while they were in town training for Kona. Not your everyday text.

I jumped at the chance to meet Patrick and Boris and hear what they were thinking, and I stayed up far too late the night before because my brain wouldn't stop working out shots that would be different from the norm. I knew I wanted a simple portrait of each of them, and then something completely different for the bike and run shots, different from what I'd done before and from what was already out there. The key words: stand out.

Why standing out matters

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Cameras are everywhere, and the world is more saturated with photos than it has ever been. That means the only way to get noticed is to stand out: shoot something in a way the person hasn't been shot before.

I picked up a habit from one of my photography idols, Tim Tadder. Before a shoot, search for your subject and look at what images of them already exist. Then go make the image that isn't there.

Finding the missing shot

So I did exactly that for Patrick Lange and Boris Stein. There were plenty of photos of both of them in the aero position on race day or running past crowds at the end of races they'd won, plus a few candids, but nothing I'd call an epic portrait. For the bike and run, there were tons of race shots of pro Ironman athletes and the odd shot of a lone rider on the Queen K or some other desolate stretch of road.

What there wasn't was a shot of multiple Ironman champions training together. As it happened, that was exactly the story Patrick and Boris wanted to tell. It's unusual for two athletes of their caliber to train together through a major block before Kona. Most train with a team under a coach or train alone. Patrick and Boris liked the company on long rides and the challenge of pushing each other day in and day out toward the same goal.

Those were my shots, and that was my story.

The portraits

I put together a shot list, met with the guys, and we set about getting them some great images to use heading into Kona. First up was a series of portraits of the two of them using the same simple setup I've fallen in love with recently, one built to stand out if you searched for either athlete.

We worked their swim gear into the shots and even added water, using a mister right in my living room. The Mamiya picked up those droplets beautifully with its crisp detail. Beyond that, it was about having fun and trying a few different looks. The whole shoot was a blast and a great way to start working with these guys before the faster-paced running and cycling shots later on.

Those photos are a story for another post. But I want to emphasize one more time: stand out. Think through who you're shooting, what your motivation is, what theirs is, and how you can make images that challenge the norm in a world full of photos. Do that, and you're one step closer to succeeding as a professional photographer.

Originally published on the Ruddock Visuals blog, October 2016. Lightly edited in 2026.