A few motorcycle shots

[Ryan Smith]

At the time these were shot I was using a 1st gen digital rebel that doesn't have Servo AI. (75-300 non usm canon lense). I guess some people depend on that now and others probably just use manual focus. I'm not good enough for that yet.

]http://www.sromagazine.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/afm02.jpg

http://www.sromagazine.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/afm08.jpg

http://www.sromagazine.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_ryansbest02.jpg

[Ryan Smith]

Any thoughts on these? Should I shoot angles like this or change my pov? Really appreciate any input.

[Jeff Kapic]

I think they are all nice. The second would be better with out the orange pylon in the background. My biggest issue with all of them, is that they are all very similar, in that, they are all very centered in the frame and they all take up about the same amount of space in the frame. Try changing your composition to get different perspectives. And to answer your question about shooting angles or a different pov. Yes to both. They may not always work but it's nice to have variety. Good pictures though...got any more?

[Todd Corzett]

Shooting without AI servo is a real hindrance (which is why I'd take my D30 over a DRebel). You can make the most of it by constantly re-pressing the button or pre-focusing, but it's a battle.

The first shot is a little "ho-hum" just because the bike isn't leaning. Not to say that you shouldn't take any photos of bikes on the straights... just that some may not fund it as interesting. Personally, I really like the straight shots as you can see the rider in a tuck and it offers a great change for slow shutter speed panning. Just try to pick a background that shows motion more (walls don't tend to show much motion).

The angle on the 2nd and 3rd shots is a little awkward because the bike is covering the rider. It is best, IMO, if possible, to shoot from the inside of the corner... as you'll pull the rider into the image rather than hide him/her behind the bike. The second shots shows great motion (I always had a problem with the single-swing arm bikes and the wheels being too static. If possible, and at Sears Point it's not really possible, try to get on the inside of the track.

Overall, I like the shots. The motion in them is FAR better than something static. The third shot is a little softer than I'd like, but it's not too bad. The second shot is my favorite, just wish the cone wasn't there... but that doesn't look like it would be too hard to clone out in post. Keep it up!

-Todd...

[Ryan Smith]

Thank you for your input, it's greatly appreciated.
Shots 2 and 3 were at turn 7 at Infineon.

Todd, I think we talked before on automotivephoto.com . I finally made it to Altamont and took some pictures of the dirt bikers.

This time I have some better equipment, Canon 20D and Canon 70-200L series lens. Some were shot with a 1.7 doubler. I was never very happy with the contrast. Everything seemed to bright everytime I'd go there and shoot. Do you think too much motion blur on 2 and 3? (no photoshop on these at all)

http://www.vehiclephotography.com/gallery/files/1/IMG_9498.JPG

http://www.vehiclephotography.com/gallery/files/1/IMG_9157.JPG

http://www.vehiclephotography.com/gallery/files/1/IMG_9023.JPG

[Jeff Boerio]

Hey Ryan,

I think the pictures are pretty good. What the others have said would be my thoughts to. It might be better to see the other side of the drivers. The dirt bikes are too motion-blurred. I would also like to have some perspective of how high off the ground the bikes are, too. The top one comes closest to indicating that, with the mountains/trees in the background. The other two show the dirt track underneath them.

- Jeff

[Todd Corzett]

Too much blur on the X stuff? Nah... but I don't think that much is needed (so you could use a faster speed and get a higher success rate if you wanted without sacrificing too much from a photographic standpoint). Like Jeff said, you often like to see sky and stuff in the background to get the sense of "high", but still keep something in the frame (like the jump) for reference to the height (not just the bike flyn' around). It's kinda funny... with all the motion blur in the second shot it almost looks like the bike was "cut-out" of a shot with lots of sky and pasted onto a shot with the dirt. I know that wasn't the case, but it's just not the normal thing you see... a jumping bike with lots of dirt behind it rather than sky... I like it.

I'd say, in general, with moto-X you can get away with faster shutter speeds than the street bikes (I don't really know, I've shot very little of it). People are use to seeing the knobbie tires and stuff. If you can't see the spokes on the wheels, the shutter speeds should be more than slow enough. Try to get lower to the ground so you can get some sky involved. Also, getting the bikes in the corners kicking-up dirt is really cool (and high shutter speeds are OK there, IMO). Nice stuff.

-Todd...

[Brian Falvey]

Those taken at club Moto? Nice...