2nd Attempt at MotoX

Had another opportunity to visit my local MotoX track over the weekend for some more practice. Trying out some new angles as advised.

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not bad, but if you focus on the fast guys (literally) you get better pix!

wp.

Nice Did you use a polarizer ?

barP wrote in post #2941605
not bad, but if you focus on the fast guys (literally) you get better pix!

wp.

Hi BarP,
Not exactly sure what you mean these guys were all fast and high flyers. Can you explain more..

Palladium wrote in post #2942576
Nice Did you use a polarizer ?

No...it was just one of those usual nice English days, I did however have the sun to my back. Very little PS done just sharpened a bit nothing more.

not to be negative about those guys, but you can tell a lot about a rider's overall skill level by what they're doing in pictures. the odds of catching a lousy rider doing it correctly exactly when you happen to be taking your shot are worse than winning the lottery! point being, if they look good in pix, then they are probably doing it right most of the rest of the time.

from the pix you took, i would say none of these riders are beyond intermediate level, at least not here in texas. the exception may be the dude doing (starting to do?) the nac nac. if he went ahead and threw that one completely sideways, then he's got ALL my respect. number 72 needs to work on his technique (the "body whip" in #2 is a dead giveaway! ), and any c-rider can jump as well as the honda guy in red gear. obviously, there's no guarantee, but that's what the shots communicate to me. having said that, reality is that jumping shots are usually the worst for showing a lot of skill, unless the rider is throwing a big whip, of course! corners are where you really see it.

check out some moto mags and this may make more sense, then next time at the track, watch and see the difference in what the fastest and slowest guys are doing. there are also several shooters on here worth looking at - squid31, browndogwilson, and several others for sure.

that's my perspective from being a rider for 20 years and a shooter for half of that as well. but, at the end of the day, what's the objective? if you want shots of all riders to sell back to them, then you take what you get. but, if you're looking for a few great shots that show the beauty and grace of motocross, then you have to focus on the great riders!

hope that helps. keep shooting and posting - there are quite a few of us here that love moto shots!

wp.

Thanks for the feedback..I should have mentioned that I'm new to MotoX but I'm having lots of fun shooting and learning about the sport..why oh why didn't I get into it earlier I keep asking myself. You may well be correct in you your assessment of the riders abilities as this is a practice track so I'm not expecting to get the top MX rider there...however it is perfect for learning the do's and don'ts. I saw your last post about using different angles and I will try to out that into practice on my next visit to the track.

I intend going to an actual MX race real soon, which I'm sure will be fun and hopeful with what I have learnt thus far will be able to take some good shots.

The thing I like about this forum is that you get honest feedback (good or bad) which is what I expect in order to improve my photography. So be brutal.

right on, and hey, i also think moto is one of the most difficult things there is to shoot well. the action happens fast!

wp.

barP,
I shoot quite a few different sporting events, i.e. soccer, in-line hockey, golf, etc so the speed of MotoX is fine but the one thing I have learnt is that you need to understand the sport in order to anticipate what is going to happen next..not an exact science I know but it helps. I think you would agree one should also know the good from the bad. Practice makes perfect so they say.....

absolutely! i've heard people say it's "predicting the peak action moment", but whatever it's called, you're right!

wp.

Some nice shots there. I've only shot MotoX/Freestyle once and got some great shots. It helps to have a fast camera - I put my 20D in continuous shooting mode and would have taken more if only I hadn't run out of flash memory...

Freestyle stunts

Here's a sample:

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What is up with the background??

Just a question. How important is it that you try to get some ground in the shots - to convey the actual height the riders are reaching?

The bikes appear to be floating in the middle of nowhere - so I can't get an appreciation of the size of the jumps.

Having not ever shot MotoX myself I'm wondering how often the jumping shots show the ground as a reference. I have seen a lot of shots that show the lip of a jump, or berm, under the rider to give an idea of the height achieved.

What's the 'normal' way to shoot jumpers? (by 'normal' I mean the most commonly used technique). Ground or no ground?

Thanks,

Cliff

klippe wrote in post #2970016
Just a question. How important is it that you try to get some ground in the shots - to convey the actual height the riders are reaching?
Thanks,

Cliff

I'd say that depends entirely on the shot. You'll notice alot of cover shots for mags like RacerX and TransworldMX etc always have a close cropped shot of just the bike and rider (but as BarP says, they're usually always throwing a crazy fat whip). There are no "rules"- ground or no ground each work for different reasons at different times.

that's a good answer. to the undeducated, it may only be about the size of the jump, but to riders at least, it's about what the guy (or girl) is actually doing in the air. it's all about skill and style!

wp.