Freestyle MX

It's closer to gymnastics than it is to transportation, so I put it in this forum. Freestyle MX from the Republic of Texas Biker Rally this past weekend in Austin TX. You can find the entire set of ROT Rally pics here (some NSFW):
http://www.flickr.com …o/sets/72157630​015496395/

Shot with a 7D and the 100-300 DO lens and a CPL on most.

Kool.
Have not seen MX from ROT before.

Maybe the wrong forum??? Very interesting. Now, won't it be better if you were shooting where the sun is facing the rider???

TooManyShots wrote in post #14569700
Maybe the wrong forum??? Very interesting. Now, won't it be better if you were shooting where the sun is facing the rider???

Those that set up the course don't think that way. It would have certainly been better with the course reversed. If I had moved with the sun at my back I'd have lots of butt shots.

These are great close ups but they look weird, there is nothing to put the jump in perspective.

24alpha wrote in post #14570179
These are great close ups but they look weird, there is nothing to put the jump in perspective.

If you ever watch or follow FMX they usually always jump around the same height. The closeups are nice because you see how technical the tricks are.

Great pics!

Bsmotil... They look great to me... Talk about challenging light shooting up into the sky. Love #2 stunt.

rich9cinti wrote in post #14575105
Bsmotil... They look great to me... Talk about challenging light shooting up into the sky. Love #2 stunt.

Thank you.

Transportation????? Doesn't look like a daily commute to me.

You did awesome with these. NICE!

great captures of them, i think they're nuts to do that.

nice captures, but they do do a whole lot for me with no context at all. They're just floating.
Are they 2 feet off the ground? 20'?

They could work well as part of a set, with other angles that show the context. But as is, aren't very effective in portraying the sport and the jump.

With jump shots, as a viewer, I want to see where he/she came from, what he/she is doing in the air, and where he/she is going.

Sklar wrote in post #14591584
nice captures, but they do do a whole lot for me with no context at all. They're just floating.
Are they 2 feet off the ground? 20'?

People. The point is not how high off the ground they are. The point is the difficulty in the actual trick. It's a given they are 20+ feet in the air. Just like if you photogrraphed someone sky diving, would you want the ground in the shot too?

Since they have to jump high enough to do the trick, if you included the ground you don't see the detail of the rider (unless the picture is huuuuge.

B Koo wrote in post #14595032
People. The point is not how high off the ground they are. The point is the difficulty in the actual trick. It's a given they are 20+ feet in the air. Just like if you photogrraphed someone sky diving, would you want the ground in the shot too?

Since they have to jump high enough to do the trick, if you included the ground you don't see the detail of the rider (unless the picture is huuuuge.

I'm going to disagree with you there.
Sure, it shows the trick, but does it show the sport of freestyle mx? IMO, no.

Take your skydiving example, show nearly anyone a photo of a skydiver, and they will know it's a skydiver. If you show someone who doesn't know motorcycles, other than the harleys driving by them on the highway, the photos above, and they'll be confused. What are they doing? Obviously, they are off the ground, how did they get there? How high up are they?

Yet, in action sports, I think there is a time and place for shooting tight, and the same for shooting wide

I shoot a lot of action sports (including FMX). IF youre looking for C+C, the standout would be #6. The rest would need cropping and PP (mainly highlights/shadows). Most FMX are performed during mid day outdoors and sometimes in dark arenas in the evenings. So lighting is always an issue. I agree that it would be great to show perspective with a wide shot (including sequential shot) to add variety to your set. But this is also dependent on the 'scene', in this case, it does not look very interesting (dull warehouses but need to see how crowded the scene is). I would have done the same but shoot tighter and at different angles (some tricks are awesome taken from side, while some are best viewed from the front and even shooting up). I also agree that for the average viewer, they can't tell whether its 2ft or 20ft., but you surely need 20ft+ clearance for these type of tricks. Good Job and keep shooting.

Thanks for the feedback.