Learning to ride a bike

adamhiram

No longer a newbie, moving up!
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I had 2 goals for my son this summer, learning how to swim, and riding a bike without training wheels. Goal #2 accomplished! (Not pictured: goal #1 also accomplished)

I wanted to use a telephoto lens with a wide aperture to create some nice background separation. While the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 lens is meant to be more of a portrait lens, I was surprised how well it was able to keep up with a moving subject. I would have liked a little more reach, so this is a bit of a crop.

This was also a good exercise in playing around with AF tracking modes. Auto-area with face tracking was hit-or-miss once you consider the subject wore a helmet and was often facing away from the camera. Subject tracking worked well to track the bike, but at f/1.8, that meant the subject's face wasn't necessarily in sharp focus. Dynamic area AF actually worked pretty well here. Ultimately, I went back to eye/face detection and waited for him to get closer and be facing me for better results.

Nikon Z 6II + FTZ + Sigma 135mm f/1.8
135mm, f/1.8, 1/800s, ISO 100


20210912-DSC_4174a by adamhiram, on Flickr
 
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Seems to be success all round. Love the concentration on his face and there's just enough motion blur on the tyres to give the impression of movement. Very well done.
 
Great shot, great memory!
 

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