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shooting MX 2010 style
well the new season is here in the northeast. I shot my first local race last weekend and am truly amazed at the settings I was shooting at and results I was getting. after a trip west in march to attend a vintage MX event I came back with a few tips from a west coast photog who really opened my eyes about ISO. Heck I thought 200 was fine in good light. Coupled with some higher ISO's I was using apertures that I never would have even considered last year so...clarity and focus have improved, and along with the flash now being a standard weapon of choice, I'm thinking this will be a year that I'm going to give some of these riders the best memories ever.
getting roosted doesn't have to be a bad experience.... :wink
my 2010 MX thread.
comments, your shots, etc etc welcome and appreciated.
getting roosted doesn't have to be a bad experience.... :wink
my 2010 MX thread.
comments, your shots, etc etc welcome and appreciated.
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I like the flash shots. It looks like you are shooting in the shade with a hot-shoe mounted flash at max-sync speed (ie, no FP/HSS) ? Or are you getting in close with FP/HSS?
I'd love to see a discussion of how people use flash techniques in MX... Not easy to do well. Good work!
ISO 200 IS fine in good light.
I don't understand why you think having such small apertures and high ISO's were an eye opener?
It's quite simple to understand. The smaller the aperture, the more depth of field you have and vice versa. The smaller the aperture, the slower the shutter speed, thus the higher ISO compensates for that with a faster "film" speed.
Smaller apertures usually offer greater focus ability and clarity. You have more room for error.
Larger apertures offer more light and slightly less clarity, depending on the quality of the lens. Some are just as good wide open as stopped down. You have less room for error as far as missing the focus point goes.
With all that said, I think these are your best shots to date. Congrats.
Flash is great to use indoors/outdoors. Def. adds some pop on outdoor shots. Use high speed synch on mine for outdoors, both on indoors.
good question but to me it was uncharted waters. this past weekend I was shooting apertures from 13 up to 20 and before I'd been shooting 13 and below, usually under 10. I just kind of figured sunny days = 200 and the times I did try higher ISO's the results weren't good. I'm still thinking this lens, the Nikon 18-200 isn't a good action/sports lens and going to the much higher apertures has been unbelievable as in, I knew these results were possible but just didn't know how to get them.
thanks for the input and compliment.
Btw, I loved your vintage thread. As someone else stated, it was your best work yet.
http://www.knippixels.com
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Someone asked already, but i didnt see an answer. Thats not HSS flash right? Were you shooing in manual? As for the lens - save the pennies, get a 70-200 2.8 VR or a 80-200 2.8 (used) and you will be even happier with your results!
Nikon D3 & D3s
2xSB-900 Speedlights
Tokina 12-24 f4, Nikon 50 f1.8, 28-70 f2.8,70-200 f2.8 VR, 1.7x TC , 200-400 f4 vrII
...more to come!
I plan on going to a race on May 15th. I am going to try out the flash technique that amadeus posted above. I've tried it a little before and had good results but nothing half as good as the first photo posted.
On camera flash for fill is fine.
Bring a small folding step stool to get over peoples heads in certain spots and to get over the trackside banners if you plan on getting close to the fence/action, etc.
www.lesliebrownphotography.smugmug.com
www.lesliebrownphotography.smugmug.com
www.lesliebrownphotography.smugmug.com
www.lesliebrownphotography.smugmug.com
I haven't raced MX in over 6 years. My dad used to race MX with me and now he does occasional harescrambles. He asked me if I wanted to tag along and race a harescramble with him since he was riding a friends electric start KLX 450 instead of our shared KX250F. I end up saying yes I'll go racing. Boy, was I in for a treat.
It turns out it's been raining on and off for three days and rained the morning of the race too. This particular hare scramble is through coulees that are filled with trees (thank god for the bark busters!). The track is pure mud and I get about 1/4 way through my first lap of slipping and sliding (and crashing) before I start thinking this is really gonna suck! I continue to lay the bike over from not having any traction on the greasy trail. Oh did I mention my bike has decided whenever I slow down and pull the clutch in, it dies? I suppose I should mention that.
So after crashing multiple times (looking like a goon at the same time!) and having to kick start my bike multiple times, I am about dead and cannot think straight. I have finally made it about halfway around this 9 mile course when I approach a very muddy hill with a washout halfway up. I put it in second and gas it and I get to the wash out and I feel the back end start sliding over to the wash out and just think to myself "this isn't gonna be good". The bike loops out and I roll down the hill about ten feet.
My KXF finally decides it's had enough and doesn't want to start. After sitting at the bottom of the hill for about fifteen minutes and watching multiple people do the same thing I did, my dad comes around on his second lap. We try diagnose whats going on with the bike and after about fifteen more minutes we find out that the hot start lever is hitting the killswitch screw and isn't opening all the way. Once we figure that out we get the bike started and get up the hill. We both decided that we would just take our DNFs and ride back to the pits because it was well past the hour mark (we were both racing the 1-hour enduro) and we were both too tired to ride another 4.5 miles of trees and mud.
One of the sweepers (the guys who help guys like me!) tells my dad and I to follow the guy on the KTM and he'll bring us back to the pits. Well this guy on the KTM has one hell of an Australian accent and is none other than Shane Watts! After riding about 3-4 miles with him (which was very very cool!) we finally get back to the pits and scorers table and take our DNFs. And then we hung out and watched our friends get ready for their two hour harescrambles and I took the photos below (this explains why they are boring haha). Talk about an experience I'll never forget.
Family Friend
Just a shot of the entrance/exit gate for the scoring table.
Shane Watts
Nothing too fancy as you can see.
Nice pix too.
And the Winner is
I've been remiss in posting here, sorry about that.
How did I light it? Pure luck!
I saw they were nailing this corner pretty good and had the flash with me and even though the corner was well shaded, I caught it just right. I knew I had to use the flash, but had been most of the day anyway. I really am tickled with the shot. Bad news, the rider holds a pro license and rides some of the east coast nationals, or would have, assuming he made the mains, which he is capable of.
he was running sprints a week ago and tore a ligament in the knee. out for 8 months.
and he did it training!
were you watching me???
and thanks.
I know, I really do try, and still too often don't follow through.
And thanks. the vintage event in Norcal was a real hoot with Lackey hosting it.
Sadly Maggoo was there and a few weeks later he passed. :cry
So..my D300 will be replaced by a D700 very soon, its only money and Best Buy seems to be ready to replace rather then repair so who am I to argue?
Here are some I took.
Canon XSI
18-55 AF IS
55-250 AF IS
Canon 430 EXII Flash
Congrats on the new camera. Looking forward to some new MX shots!