Suggestions for shooting motocross

NorthernHorse

I'm trying to update my style this year and was wondering if anyone has some ideas for more exciting shots that customers are looking for in motocross? Like closeups on the rider, shots of them from the back as they go over a jump etc. Any tips are appreciated. I have the corner shots down as they really love the rooster tails.
:barb

rookieshooter

I'd say check out the monster thread on this

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=127923

Erbeman

I've decided that I'm going to start playing with white balance to get some artsy pics. My track has a race this weekend but my shoulder hasn't healed enough from the 6 hour surgery I had a few weeks ago. So maybe in two weeks I'll be good to go. Then I'll post some.

NorthernHorse

Erbeman wrote:

I've decided that I'm going to start playing with white balance to get some artsy pics. My track has a race this weekend but my shoulder hasn't healed enough from the 6 hour surgery I had a few weeks ago. So maybe in two weeks I'll be good to go. Then I'll post some.

I've been processing most of my pictures between 6500-7000 on the white balance that my riders seem to really dig. It makes the dirt just pop and also the colors on their clothes.

NorthernHorse

I did check that thread out already....I'm looking for ideas for new angles and more of what riders are looking for. I don't ride mx, my kids do. I primarily shoot whoops, jumps and corners. Occasionally accidents although usually I'm more concerned about the riders than getting the crash captured.

BCSPhotoguy

NorthernHorse wrote:

I did check that thread out already....I'm looking for ideas for new angles and more of what riders are looking for..

Interesting question. I have asked 10 riders and gotten 10 answers. I dont think you can ever go wrong with someone stuffing it into a corner of a nice sandy berm or just about any jump picture - just include some of the jump to show height. Get as many riders as you can in the frame. As for PP. What you like, the rider may not and what they like, you may not. I tried using plug-ins that add contrast - other photographers hated it! So i stuck with it - cause the riders loved it!:D

Try some things and run them by your kids! Like you said - they ride! They will be brutally honest too - mine were!!! Show us some samples while youre at it.

NorthernHorse

NorthernHorse

NorthernHorse

rmwphoto

Hey Northern Horse
I tweeked your one pic just to see if i could make look a little different.

NorthernHorse

rmwphoto wrote:

Hey Northern Horse
I tweeked your one pic just to see if i could make look a little different.

Thanks that looks great! I'm just trying to figure out if I should really make the pictures pop and highlights be damned, or if I should shoot tighter on the rider and not try to include the rooster tail so much.

amadeus

NorthernHorse wrote:

I'm trying to update my style this year and was wondering if anyone has some ideas for more exciting shots that customers are looking for in motocross? Like closeups on the rider, shots of them from the back as they go over a jump etc. Any tips are appreciated. I have the corner shots down as they really love the rooster tails.

thats a good question. I'm not a big fan of jump shots, though they obviously are great and high on the list. maybe not a big fan isn't the best way to put it, jump shots are cool, but freestyle seems to have diminished their image.

anyway what I like is that magic moment of a rider and bike being on the gas and coming hard. not necessarily a corner shot, it can be a dead straight line, or somewhat of a curve, but when the bike and rider are squared up and coming hard to me that is where the best stuff can be found.

from 2 weeks ago.

rmwphoto

Here's a highspeed shoot coming at me.

torags

Your skies are blown, no CP?

Nwestrnr

This is a tough question to fill in.. What one rider likes the others may not ~ Just as it is for one photographer to the next, liking or disliking your images or style if you will,I feel we all have our own style in beded into us waiting to come out at some point in the game of learning .

My advise in shooting moto and thats all it is !

Look for unusual angles
Different vantage points
Try Night moto with flash
Get up close with wide angle not just the 200mm get the 17mm out fun stuff there
Do some HDR on them from time to time
And the one that took me along time to realize ! Don't forget about candid shots around the pits those at least for me get a ton of sales.

Regards Ed

NorthernHorse

torags wrote:

Your skies are blown, no CP?

If you are referring to me, there is no sky because in the background there is wildfire smoke. We live and race in Alaska, where there is usually half the summer tied up with wildfires and living with smoke.

What is CP?

Erbeman

NorthernHorse wrote:

If you are referring to me, there is no sky because in the background there is wildfire smoke. We live and race in Alaska, where there is usually half the summer tied up with wildfires and living with smoke.

What is CP?

Something that you should always have on your lens if you are shooting outdoors in the sunlight.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/B+W-77mm-MRC-Circular-Polarizer-Filter-Review.aspx

mercphoto

Nwestrnr wrote:

Look for unusual angles...Different vantage points...Try Night moto with flash

Towards the end of my "career" as an MX photographer I started carrying a small ladder. Got me only about 4' off the ground, but it was enough. I would place it inside a tight turn and shoot down on the riders. It was an interesting and different vantage point. While shooting karts I started shooting low. Really low. Like laid out on my belly with the camera on the ground low. Got some very striking shots that way, but never tried it in MX. And night shots are killer, but there is a lot of technique in capture, lots of work in post production. Its worth it in the end though, and the parents will never get those shots on their own. The other problem with night shots is, unlike day, the equipment can make your day. I shot night with a 1-series, a 24-70/2.8 Canon, and a 580EX with an external battery pack. The 20D I used to use could not focus fast enough or accurate enough at night.

This one was bought as a 20x30 pic and came out great.

NorthernHorse

Erbeman wrote:

Something that you should always have on your lens if you are shooting outdoors in the sunlight.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/B+W-77mm-MRC-Circular-Polarizer-Filter-Review.aspx

Thanks for the explanation, I do have that filter.

NorthernHorse

Nwestrnr wrote:

This is a tough question to fill in.. What one rider likes the others may not ~ Just as it is for one photographer to the next, liking or disliking your images or style if you will,I feel we all have our own style in beded into us waiting to come out at some point in the game of learning .

My advise in shooting moto and thats all it is !

Look for unusual angles
Different vantage points
Try Night moto with flash
Get up close with wide angle not just the 200mm get the 17mm out fun stuff there
Do some HDR on them from time to time
And the one that took me along time to realize ! Don't forget about candid shots around the pits those at least for me get a ton of sales.

Regards Ed

Thanks for the suggestions, these are great! Except here in Alaska....there is no night riding.

Nwestrnr

NorthernHorse wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions, these are great! Except here in Alaska....there is no night riding.

There just suggestions , We don't have much night racing here in Idaho either But when we do I'm sure to do my best with it for that reason

NorthernHorse

Nwestrnr wrote:

There just suggestions , We don't have much night racing here in Idaho either But when we do I'm sure to do my best with it for that reason

The only night riding we have is in September at Supercross which is indoors. The rest of the year is outdoors in daylight because of the long amount of sunlight we have in the summertime. At the state racing in July here in Fairbanks, they were still going at 8pm in full sunlight. D