C&C challenge.

[EIngerson]

Come on, OP.
Let's have your thoughts on why it isn't better and how you would get there.

I was typing, chill.

 

[EIngerson]

Here's a quick and dirty edit to remove background distractions.

I really like the lighting and the shot itself.

Nice Rotanimod! That's impressive. Thanks for the compliment too.

 

[The_Traveler]

OP, look at the picture as you have it.
How would you finish it to make it more effective?

 

[EIngerson]

OP, look at the picture as you have it.
How would you finish it to make it more effective?

I already posted. It's the last post of page 1.

 

[SCraig]

I think it's a good shot. It does say "Practice Day" since there is only one rider on the track. I also find the background distracting, but that's one of the things that can be overlooked to a certain extent when shooting motorsports. You can't always pick the angle at which you want to shoot. I've shot a couple of motorcycle roadraces and regardless of how simple it sounds to "Just pick a different angle" it doesn't always work out that way.

That said, I think it would have been improved with a slower shutter speed. The action is frozen and as such doesn't have the same impact as if everything else was blurred from the motion. As a guess that was probably about 1/500 second (just a guess though) and I usually shoot 1/160 or 1/250 at roadraces. Pan with the rider and it helps blur out the background even more. The spokes will be blurred giving more of an impression of motion. I freely admit that roadraces can be easier in some respects, even though the bikes are normally going a LOT faster. I haven't shot any MX so you may know the best way to do it. During a roadrace I know which way the rider is going to lean, I know when he's going to do it, and unless he is in a pack of bikes I know he's going to stay that way for a couple of seconds.

 

[sm4him]

I really like how you were able to capture the motion and the detail in the dirt flying behind the wheel.
I would also agree with the others with the people in the background being a little distracting but to really much you can do there. I think one way that would have been avoided is if the stands were full of people and that could have made a difference.
The last thing is that his bike is too orange like seriously it ruins the photo

Having just wrapped up 15 hours of work today, I'm way too tired tonight to even attempt coherent comments about the photo, and I refuse to just say, "I like it."

However, I did HAVE to address this last statement. As a UT-Knoxville Volunteer fan, there is NO SUCH THING as too much orange!!!

 

[ishootmuscles]

Nice and sharp image. Vivid colors!

 

[EIngerson]

I think it's a good shot. It does say "Practice Day" since there is only one rider on the track. I also find the background distracting, but that's one of the things that can be overlooked to a certain extent when shooting motorsports. You can't always pick the angle at which you want to shoot. I've shot a couple of motorcycle roadraces and regardless of how simple it sounds to "Just pick a different angle" it doesn't always work out that way.

That said, I think it would have been improved with a slower shutter speed. The action is frozen and as such doesn't have the same impact as if everything else was blurred from the motion. As a guess that was probably about 1/500 second (just a guess though) and I usually shoot 1/160 or 1/250 at roadraces. Pan with the rider and it helps blur out the background even more. The spokes will be blurred giving more of an impression of motion. I freely admit that roadraces can be easier in some respects, even though the bikes are normally going a LOT faster. I haven't shot any MX so you may know the best way to do it. During a roadrace I know which way the rider is going to lean, I know when he's going to do it, and unless he is in a pack of bikes I know he's going to stay that way for a couple of seconds.

I was actually waiting for this thought to be posted. Thanks.

This is a huge debate in MX photography. You'll find that people who aren't the "exclusive" MX photographer, suggest the wheel blur. I learned from guys that shoot for the major MX magazines (I'm not going to be a dousche and name drop) They weened me off of that frame of mind. Bottom line, it is a personal preference of mine to try and freeze the knobbies. Honestly, the only reason my shutter speed was as slow as it was is the overcast.

Thanks for the responce. I appreciate it.

 

[EIngerson]

I really like how you were able to capture the motion and the detail in the dirt flying behind the wheel.
I would also agree with the others with the people in the background being a little distracting but to really much you can do there. I think one way that would have been avoided is if the stands were full of people and that could have made a difference.
The last thing is that his bike is too orange like seriously it ruins the photo

Having just wrapped up 15 hours of work today, I'm way too tired tonight to even attempt coherent comments about the photo, and I refuse to just say, "I like it."

However, I did HAVE to address this last statement. As a UT-Knoxville Volunteer fan, there is NO SUCH THING as too much orange!!!

I can see your point of view. "GO VOL'S!"

 

[The_Traveler]

OP, look at the picture as you have it.
How would you finish it to make it more effective?

I already posted. It's the last post of page 1.

I don't know what you mean by that.

As I see it, this picture isn't as effective as it could be because the rider is surrounded by areas that are as bright as he is.
The ground is light, the hills are light. there are bright areas all other that pull the eye.
Even the rider himself has bright areas that pull my eye away from his torso and upper half to his arm and his foot.

By creating more contrast in the background, the sprayed dirt becomes more apparent and gives more energy to the picture.
By darkening at least some of the brighter areas, the viewer's eye could settle on the rider first.

Once you have a picture, you know what you want the viewer to look at.
Maximize the impact of that and minimize the things that pull the eye away or let it wander.

Look at great motorcycle shots and see that the center of interest is clear and stands out from what isn't interesting or important.
Here is a link to a friend of mine who shoots mostly track racing. His shots are simple, clean and the subject is well-defined and stands out.

Make your rider stand out.

 

[SCraig]

I was actually waiting for this thought to be posted. Thanks.

This is a huge debate in MX photography. You'll find that people who aren't the "exclusive" MX photographer, suggest the wheel blur. I learned from guys that shoot for the major MX magazines (I'm not going to be a dousche and name drop) They weened me off of that frame of mind. Bottom line, it is a personal preference of mine to try and freeze the knobbies. Honestly, the only reason my shutter speed was as slow as it was is the overcast.

Thanks for the responce. I appreciate it.

Works for me. I figured there was probably a reason but thought I'd point it out anyway.

Not having shot MX is a handicap for me, and one that I'll have to try and rectify this season. The track that the roadraces ran on has closed so I have to find some kind of bikes to shoot and BMX ain't gonna cut it

 

[EIngerson]

OP, look at the picture as you have it.
How would you finish it to make it more effective?

I already posted. It's the last post of page 1.

I don't know what you mean by that.

As I see it, this picture isn't as effective as it could be because the rider is surrounded by areas that are as bright as he is.
The ground is light, the hills are light. there are bright areas all other that pull the eye.
Even the rider himself has bright areas that pull my eye away from his torso and upper half to his arm and his foot.

By creating more contrast in the background, the sprayed dirt becomes more apparent and gives more energy to the picture.
By darkening at least some of the brighter areas, the viewer's eye could settle on the rider first.

Once you have a picture, you know what you want the viewer to look at.
Maximize the impact of that and minimize the things that pull the eye away or let it wander.

Look at great motorcycle shots and see that the center of interest is clear and stands out from what isn't interesting or important.
Here is a link to a friend of mine who shoots mostly track racing. His shots are simple, clean and the subject is well-defined and stands out.

Make your rider stand out.

Thanks a ton Traveler,

That's really something to think about. I just went to Lightroom and gave it a test run. Nothing to the level I'd post yet, but I can see the subject pop more and draw viewer focus. I appreciate that, and yes I grasp what you're talking about. That said, it's a tool and would only apply to a small percentage of my photos. I enjoy the background in MX photography. I look for tell tale signs in them and see if I can identify the track and if I have been to it.

Thanks again though, I enjoy all the knowledge I can get.

 

[EIngerson]

I was actually waiting for this thought to be posted. Thanks.

This is a huge debate in MX photography. You'll find that people who aren't the "exclusive" MX photographer, suggest the wheel blur. I learned from guys that shoot for the major MX magazines (I'm not going to be a dousche and name drop) They weened me off of that frame of mind. Bottom line, it is a personal preference of mine to try and freeze the knobbies. Honestly, the only reason my shutter speed was as slow as it was is the overcast.

Thanks for the responce. I appreciate it.

Works for me. I figured there was probably a reason but thought I'd point it out anyway.

Not having shot MX is a handicap for me, and one that I'll have to try and rectify this season. The track that the roadraces ran on has closed so I have to find some kind of bikes to shoot and BMX ain't gonna cut it

I'm a little biased, but I challenge anyone to go shoot MX and not have a blast. It's high in action, colorful and VERY predictable when you have an idea of where the good shots are. If you don't know where the best shots are, ask the subjects you'll be shooting, they'll tell you.

 

[EIngerson]

I think it's a decent shot but there are elements in it that keep it from being better as it is.
How do you think it could be improved starting from what you have here?

The 1st thing I wish I could improve is the time of day and type of weather we had. Scattered overcast, so I was chasing exposure all day. this one the sun popped out while I was looking through the view finder. Thats what made (his) right side blow out. I can see the background issue that's been mentioned. As a rider myself, it just says "practice day". Very seldom is a background in a motocross photo (at a public facility) going to have an empty background. It's usually full of powerlines, sheds, people, vehicles, water trucks, porta johns and as you see here, bleachers. Quite frankly, I don't have the talent to edit them out and have a believeable end product.

So, as pointed out above, to me the background is the biggest thing I would change.

Thanks for posting. Can you explain what you mean by "elements in it that keep it from being better "?

This is what I meant though. ^^^^^^^ Not sure if you saw this one.

 

[EIngerson]

Thanks to everyone that posted. My biggest point for this was to provoke people to give C&C when people ask for it.

If you're a pro and you're sick of OP's trying to explain away everything you tell them, post anyway. People like me still read and learn from it. I know it get's redundant, but it holds value for a lot of people. Thanks in advance for sharing.

If you're a noob, post your thoughts. At worst, you'll learn what you were doing wrong or have your thought process corrected. That's what you're here for.

My personal advice to EVERYONE is stop listening to HOW things are said and pay attention to WHAT is being said. Sarcasm and context don't always come across in type, remember that.

Regards
Eric