Critique Downhill mountain biking, my best yet!

nessiemac

nessiemac

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Dave
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I prefer the ones with a sense of movement, number 2 is the pick of the bunch. Not sure what's going on with the trees in the background in 1, looks like an odd aura emanating from them. The ones with flash (presumably) where the movement is frozen are missing that sense of urgency, almost as though they've been posed (4 & 6).

Definitely 2 followed closely by 3 as favourites and overall a great set. :)
 
Strappy said:
I prefer the ones with a sense of movement, number 2 is the pick of the bunch. Not sure what's going on with the trees in the background in 1, looks like an odd aura emanating from them. The ones with flash (presumably) where the movement is frozen are missing that sense of urgency, almost as though they've been posed (4 & 6).

Definitely 2 followed closely by 3 as favourites and overall a great set. :)
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Cheers guys.

No 4 and 6 were indeed flash balanced with ambient and i can see what you mean as to they look staged but very difficult to get a good balance between sense of movement and a sharp photo.

No 2 is something i have been practising with but my success rate to get a shot like this is very low at the moment (1 in 50!!) and really needs good light and a non messy background which is rare in my sport!!

Oh and No 1 is just my dodgy processing i think, pushing the shadows a bit too much.
 
Dutch angles definitely aren't my thing, neither are mtb photos overly dependent on a flash so 1, 4, 6 and 7 aren't really doing it for me.

I'd also say that the crop is a bit too tight, but thats just me.

Straighten 1 and 7 I think they'd be really good, big fan of 3 as well.

Definitely can't argue with the clarity though, great sharpness in all of them!

*edit - reading your post about panning, I usually go for 1/30th or less (down to ~1/6th), its tricky and results vary a lot so not worth it if you're looking for consistent shots but it removes the need for a clear background and the end results can be amazing
 
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SamJT said:
Dutch angles definitely aren't my thing, neither are mtb photos overly dependent on a flash so 1, 4, 6 and 7 aren't really doing it for me.

I'd also say that the crop is a bit too tight, but thats just me.

Straighten 1 and 7 I think they'd be really good, big fan of 3 as well.

Definitely can't argue with the clarity though, great sharpness in all of them!

*edit - reading your post about panning, I usually go for 1/30th or less (down to ~1/6th), its tricky and results vary a lot so not worth it if you're looking for consistent shots but it removes the need for a clear background and the end results can be amazing
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Thanks Sam. Had to google what a Dutch angle was!!! Personally I think it adds a bit more sense of action to certain shots but I can see it looks odd with the trees not vertical.

Shots 1 and 7 are natural light only, no flash at all. Shot with 85mm F1.8.

Shots 4 was in the shadows and 6 was in very dark woods where flash is essential although I do try to balance the flash with the ambient as best I can.

As to the panning, I was trying 1/40th to 1/80th with very not much success! I followed around 50 or so riders through that berm and managed only about 3 or 4 good shots. I love no 2 but I just couldn't get consistent results at all.

Thank you for taking the time to go through the photos, much appreciated.
 
Sorry I meant 1 and 7 aren't doing it for me because of the dutch angles and 4 and 6 because of the flash, poor wording on my part!

Panning wise it's probably because you're quite zoomed in or close to the rider so it's a hell of a lot harder! Shooting a bit wider makes everything a lot easier and makes for more dramatic results :)
 
Ah, ok Sam cheers. Yep I was quite close in the panning ones and the results were definitely very frustrating!!!

This was another panning one I was very happy with but the next one in the sequence was just a blurry mess!

More practice needed I think!

Thanks again. View attachment 35252
 
Yeah it's tricky close up, I always find myself being overly picky about how much needs to be sharp haha. If you've got a wider lens I'd definitely say have a go with slower shutter speeds, with a fisheye you get some great effects as well like the one below.

I found myself ignoring the blur and embracing it in the end really, I think it adds to the impression of speed and makes for a more interesting shot, I think this is around 1/8th

Wharny25_02.jpg
 
No matter how much you practice panning you will not get better than these.The only reason you will get a better pan shot is if all the factors are right by chance when the shutter is pressed,the problem is that there is movement in all directions so it just is not possible to get a totally clear photo of the rider and bike.They are good though I like No.3.What size lens was used ? the exif says 50mm but that is clearly incorrect?
 
shapeshifter said:
No matter how much you practice panning you will not get better than these.The only reason you will get a better pan shot is if all the factors are right by chance when the shutter is pressed,the problem is that there is movement in all directions so it just is not possible to get a totally clear photo of the rider and bike.They are good though I like No.3.What size lens was used ? the exif says 50mm but that is clearly incorrect?
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Wow, thanks for the kind words shapeshifter!

No 3, the black and white one was with the Canon 85mm F1.8. Is that the one you mean?

No 4, 5 and 6 were with my Samyang 8mm fisheye which i just love!
 
I like No.4. With it being a Samyan 8mm that is why it is showing as 50mm on your exif, that explains it. With an 8mm you must have been very close to some of those bikes!
 
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shapeshifter said:
I like No.4. With it being a Samyan 8mm that is why it is showing as 50mm on your exif, that explains it. With an 8mm you must have been very close to some of those bikes!
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Thanks again. Yep, pretty close at times!!
 
As a mountain biker I love the sharpness and intensity of the images without movement - first and last especially really reach out and grab me. *Personally* arty blur is all about the blur and being arty, rather than depicting the amazing in a frozen moment of time (and I didn't use the arty-b*****ks engine. ;) ). 1, 3 and 7 are all fantastic.

If I were to crit, the fringing in 1 has been mentioned already, and that's probably from pushing the image in post to get that super-vibrant quality. 4 & 5 don't have that brilliant frozen quality, but they also aren't blurred enough to convey movement well - they just come over as not very sharp *compared to the others* and the composition isn't as strong. 6 has missed focus on the rider & got the front edge of the tyre instead.

Nice work though.
 
ancient_mariner said:
As a mountain biker I love the sharpness and intensity of the images without movement - first and last especially really reach out and grab me. *Personally* arty blur is all about the blur and being arty, rather than depicting the amazing in a frozen moment of time (and I didn't use the arty-b*****ks engine. ;) ). 1, 3 and 7 are all fantastic.

If I were to crit, the fringing in 1 has been mentioned already, and that's probably from pushing the image in post to get that super-vibrant quality. 4 & 5 don't have that brilliant frozen quality, but they also aren't blurred enough to convey movement well - they just come over as not very sharp *compared to the others* and the composition isn't as strong. 6 has missed focus on the rider & got the front edge of the tyre instead.

Nice work though.
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Thanks Toni.

It just goes to show how different we all are as I love 1,3 and 7 as well for the sharpness and for capturing that exact moment. Whereas others like ones with a sense of movement. I think, as a biker as well, the frozen ones capture a moment that you can place yourself in, railing a berm, jumping etc.

No 4 and 5 I tried to get the rider sharp with a sense of movement in the background but I can see that it might work better totally frozen or a greater sense of movement.

No 6, beardy enduro guy is perfectly sharp on the Mac for me.

I don't normally have time to try for the arty shots at the races as I want to get shots that are sharp that the rider can tell its them but I'm definitely going to get out and practice more blurry arty ones like the superb one that Sam posted above.

Thanks again.
 
Nice set Dave must admit panning can be pain to get right , there are some nice crisp shots there.

Steve
 
Some of the colours are a bit whacky, lol, but, that doesn't really detract from what is a great set of images.
Great movement and action, superb really!
cheers
Tony
 
I like the set, it's so tough to get every factor right as the sun will find it's own way through the forest rather than where you want it to be. Love number two out of them all.
 
Thanks all. Got a few new ones from the weekend that I am happy with as well. Will post them in a new thread.
 
Brilliant set apart from 4 and 5 which do nothing for me.
The rest however are exceptional.
 
Man how many sets you got? I just commented on the previous two haha! This set is much better than the previous two!! 3 and 7 are excellent IMO.
 
A great set of images, and showing varying techniques, well applied eg panning, fill flash etc.

Hard to pick a favourite, they all capture something different and show off different skills. I agree about panning, loads of shots to get a few 'keepers', I think it just goes with the technique. I've been playing with flash and low wide angle but again, loads of shots for a few keepers.

12631294_691033641036786_8670655881717002132_n.jpg
 
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