Moto cross

DRicherby

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29 Mar 2012 - 12:32 PM

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Welcome to the critique gallery!

The blur has certainly made for an exciting shot but I think you can do better. Let's go back to the start. I assume you picked this photo because you felt it had potential and I agree with that choice -- the bike is well positioned, with plenty of space to move into and it's dramatically 'posed' with one of the wheels (maybe even both) off the ground. But there must have been something missing or you probably wouldn't have felt the need to edit it much.

You edited it to give the feeling of speed and I think that's exactly what was missing in the original. Shooting at 1/800s has completely frozen the motion of the bike and I imagine that the original shot looked very, very static. Editing after the fact is one way to fix that but the bike itself still looks pretty static, with no evidence that the wheels are turning, for example. You could try to fix that with more Photoshop but I'd recommend trying to capture the speed with the camera.

To do that, you need a much slower shutter speed and you need to pan with the bike as it moves. That way, the bike itself will be still, the background will blur from the movement of the camera and the wheels will blur because they're turning. What shutter speed to use is a matter of experience. I'm going to guess at something in the range of 1/60s to 1/30s but somebody who knows more about this specific kind of photography might be able to give a better guide. Put the camera in shutter priority (Tv) mode and select the shutter speed you want. If your lens has IS, turn that off, or set it to 'mode 2' if it doesn't auto-detect panning. Set continuous shooting mode and use AI autofocus to track the bike.

Beware that this is difficult and requires a lot of practise. Don't be surprised if you end up with a memory card that contains 90% garbage the first time you try this. Start off at the faster end of the shutter speed range to make your life easier while you learn. As you start to get a higher proportion of good shots, slow the shutter if you want more blur. The good news is that the same technique works with any moving object; you just need to adjust the shutter speed according to the speed of movement and the degree of blur you want.

Dave.

Jestertheclown

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29 Mar 2012 - 2:18 PM

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Hi Mike,

I think that Dave has probably summed it up with his assumption above.
However, your use of added blur here has, I think, worked well. The bike does look a little static and that could be addressed, if you felt like it but overall, you've achieved what you set out to do.
It's my guess that the bike's completely off of the ground and the dark patch beneath it is its shadow.
I think that the slanting horizon looks good (although, no doubt, someone will be along in a minute and tell you that you can't do it) and in this instance, I don't think that you need a bright blue sky either.
I rather like it!
Hope this helps.

Bren.