motorsport newbie

[luigi1991]

hi all,great forum enjoyed reading through the useful stuff,
here is a few shots of bikes i took that i would like some advice and comments one please
http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxfotos1
thanks alot

lewis

[Alex Rechetov]

I'd say that my biggest critique would be that the shots are (for the most part) a bit static. In motorsports, I think one of the keys is to master the panning technique, and to use it to your advantage to convey a sense of speed. For instance, the shot called "side car" - it looks very crisp, well exposed, and in that respect very well executed. But despite the fact that there's smoke coming out of the tire, the bike just looks like it's standing still undramatically. Just my honest opinion, but I hope that helps! Oh and definitely post here and in the motorsports section and ask for opinions. This place is a fantastic tool to help you learn quickly!

[luigi1991]

thanks alot
i did honestly think they looked static but it was about my third time out with the eos350d
how would i go about getting a better sence of speed?

[Alex Rechetov]

I don't know if it was deliberate or not, but the idea is to strive for something like you have achieved in "IMG_1204", with the crispness and clarity of some of your more "static" shots. The technique is called "panning", and it's basically increasing the exposure time and following the subject while the shutter is open. This captures a bit of motion blur in the background, and in the wheels to convey the sense of speed, but ideally the motion blur doesn't carry over to the subject. Try doing a search in the motorsports section for "panning" and I'm sure you can find much more concrete advise as to what sort of shutter speeds to use, etc.