{"id":4550,"date":"2015-06-03T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=4550"},"modified":"2018-11-11T22:01:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T06:01:15","slug":"photography-tips-shooting-mountain-biking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/photography-tips-shooting-mountain-biking","title":{"rendered":"Photography Tips: Shooting Mountain Biking"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our last photo tutorial, we covered tips and tricks for shooting skiing and snowboarding<\/a>. In this installment, we\u2019re covering tips and tricks that apply to mountain biking photography. A lot of the advice I give here can apply to any sport you want to shoot, so be sure to check out our previous posts to get those tips too.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

As with athletes in most action sports, bikers are traveling incredibly quickly, so set your shutter speed accordingly. If you want to freeze your subject, I\u2019d advise a shutter speed of 1\/1000th<\/sup> or faster. However, mountain biking is one of those sports that shoots well with speed blur. This technique of shooting a slow shutter speed while panning creates a really cool look. Try dialing your shutter speed down to around 1\/100th<\/sup> of a second and pan with your subject as they ride past you. Your subject will stay sharp, while the background is blurred.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll have to practice to get good at panning at the right speed, but you\u2019ll get it in time. (You may want to vary that shutter speed up or down by two-thirds of a stop depending on how fast your friends ride).<\/p>\n

With mountain biking, it\u2019s easy to get hung up shooting only the action. Those fast-paced moments are where all the fun is. But don\u2019t forget to take notice of the day in-between the action peaks. Remember the uphill climb, waiting to drop in, getting ready, tailgaiting\u2014you name it. It\u2019s these shots that will often bring back the greatest memories when you look at them later.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

And while you\u2019re at it, don\u2019t get stuck taking only close-up shots of your friends. Or similarly, only shooting wide, scenic, \u201cwhere\u2019s Waldo\u201d shots. Make sure to take a mix of both, with details, too. Shots of a tire, tracks in the mud, your friend\u2019s dusty hands, whatever it might be. Having variety in your photo\u2019s focal lengths will help to tell the story of your day\u2019s adventure while also making it a lot more interesting to look at.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

Communicate with your athletes. This is important with every sport you\u2019ll shoot. Tell your subject what you\u2019re looking for, where you want them on the trail or where you want that peak moment to occur. If your athlete knows what you\u2019re looking for, they\u2019ll be more likely to hit that mark. And remember your two-way radios. Yelling uphill to communicate is not only inefficient, it\u2019s annoying to others that aren\u2019t in your group.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

To shoot cornering photos, try to get low. Placing your camera on the ground and looking up at a corner provides a unique angle. You\u2019ll see the detail in the tires grabbing onto the dirt, plus it will give you an interesting view of the athlete.<\/p>\n

Take note of the clothing and helmets your friends are wearing. Bright colors stand out in photos and draw your attention. Dark or neutral colors look muddy and make it more difficult to see your athlete in frame.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

Additionally, take a look at your athlete\u2019s helmet. If it has a visor, consider raising it to its highest setting or coach the rider to look up slightly when you\u2019re shooting. If you can\u2019t see the eyes of your athlete, the photo of him or her will appear less engaging.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get bogged down carrying too much gear. I\u2019m guilty of ignoring this advice and I almost always regret that decision on the climb. While carrying all your gear lets you choose any lens you own, you\u2019ll also feel weighted down all day. Often you\u2019ll be the slowest on climbs and you\u2019ll have to avoid certain technical sections because of the added weight and resulting shift in balance. Pack light. If you have a camera with one lens that can cover a wide variety of focal lengths (18mm\u2013300mm), you\u2019ll save yourself a ton of hassle.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

Pre-focus your camera. Choose where you want your athlete to be at the peak moment of action. Place a pebble or leaf as a marker, or have someone stand in for a moment, then set your focus and lock it. If you try to focus on your rider as he or she approaches, chances are, you\u2019ll miss focus, especially if they\u2019re coming straight at you. Looking for a compromise? I still advise pre-focusing, but instead of physically locking your focus, just hold down the auto-focus lock (AF-L) button. Shoot with the lock button depressed until your athlete moves beyond the focus point, then release and try track focusing as they move.<\/p>\n

Mountain biking photography often takes you into dark forests, so know in advance how to compensate for this. A lot of my favorite trails are located deep in the mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest. These locations are lush, beautiful and often times, very dark. Trying to shoot at fast shutter speeds in low light isn\u2019t easy. Consider investing in \u201cfast\u201d lenses, or lenses with large apertures (f\/2.8 or better), that will allow a maximum amount of light to reach your sensor even at fast shutter speeds.<\/p>\n

Additionally, know how your camera shoots at high ISO values. Depending on the make and model of your camera, you\u2019ll find that your camera will shoot \u201cnoisy\u201d files the higher you go up the ISO scale. Find out in advance what ISO values your camera can withstand and avoid going above those values when shooting. Ignore this advice and you\u2019ll come out with photos that are pixilated and blurry. (A side note: If you\u2019re going to be shooting a lot of biking photos in the forest, you may want to look into noise reduction software and Photoshop filters to help eliminate noise in your photos; but that\u2019s an entirely different topic that\u2019s too large to dive into here.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re finding that even with fast lenses and a high ISO you\u2019re not able to shoot at fast enough shutter speeds, then consider packing along some additional light in the form of speedlights or strobes.<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

Avoid shooting midday. When the sun is directly overhead, it creates harsh, unflattering light. This light is incredibly contrast heavy (with very dark tones and very bright tones) and most cameras don\u2019t have the dynamic range to capture this. Instead of lamenting the woes of the limitations of modern-day cameras, instead try shooting in the mornings and evenings when the ambient light is tempered and the resulting contrast isn\u2019t as strong.<\/p>\n

Carrying your gear. When you, the photographer, are participating in the same sport you\u2019re shooting, your gear is at risk of getting trashed. Invest in a solid photo pack that can protect your gear while allowing quick access to your camera. Additionally, look into packs that have a built-in rain shield. Getting caught in a quick-moving rainsquall can ruin your gear if you\u2019re not prepared for it.<\/p>\n

Remember the basic photo techniques<\/a> (proper exposure, rule of thirds, interesting vantage points, etc.) before you go out and shoot. See our previous lesson if you need a little refresher.<\/p>\n

Have fun!<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our last photo tutorial, we covered tips and tricks for shooting skiing and snowboarding. In this installment, we\u2019re covering tips and tricks that apply to mountain biking photography. A lot of the advice I give here can apply to any sport you want to shoot, so be sure to check out our previous posts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[25,333,110,53,66],"internal-tag":[1675],"class_list":["post-4550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-cycle","tag-ian-coble","tag-mountain-biking","tag-photography","tag-tips","internal-tag-pre-redirect-cycle"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/photography-tips-shooting-mountain-biking","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Photography Tips: Shooting Mountain Biking","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/photography-tips-shooting-mountain-biking","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/photography-tips-shooting-mountain-biking"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/06\/031115-Leavenworth-Bike-69.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/06\/031115-Leavenworth-Bike-69.jpg?fit=1500%2C844"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["cycle","ian coble","mountain biking","photography","tips"],"dateCreated":"2015-06-03T15:00:34Z","datePublished":"2015-06-03T15:00:34Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T06:01:15Z"},"rendered":"