Picture of downhilling what do you think?

[downhilldude]

This is my first attempt at taking downhill images with my new camera what do you's think and do you have any tips or technics.. Any help appricated thanks Jonathan.

[AndyL]

Honest opinion?

It is noisy, out of focus/blurred and you need to apply some flash exposure compensation to avoid blowing out the rider and having no background detail.

On the plus side, the framing is pretty good, and I like the angle you took the shot from.

Not a bad start, room for improvement, but if you get serious about your photography, you'll want a DSLR soon (see your other thread!)

[trailfox]

ditto what andy said and you also might want ot check your quality settings in your camera there seems to be alot of JPEG artifact in the picture (the subtle kind of block colour shapes screwing up the quality of your image). Make sure its set to fine/super fine/highest/max or whatever the best quality is called. Oh and try and take the shot so you can see the riders eyes/face a little better, his arm's coming up and blocking it in this.

My advice is have a look at other peoples work for now, Dan Barham (http://www.danbarham.com/portfolio/lifestyle/) is a pretty good mtb shooter. see what angles/compositions work. Look up a few photography tutorials on composition, light etc. but then we hit the barrier of auto mode in a compact camera.

Just dont stick the subject (what your taking a picture of) smack bang in the middle of the photo. Try and frame it so that it sits in one of the corners of the image (see this (http://www.danbarham.com/portfolio/freeride/)shot for a very good example) - the technique is called the rule of thirds (read this (http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds)a few times and drill it into your head)
Oh and take your pictures when youve got a decent amount of light (mornings and evenings work best because the sun is low in the sky- gives you nice shadows.)

keep it up though! read, learn and practise!

[NiallC771]

Nicely done bro, try using a dolly, if you dont know what that is there are some really good videos on youtube that show you how to make them and use them.

[downhilldude]

It was nearly dark when i took this photo.. My Camera is a fujifilm finepix s8000fd. I find on moveing images it blurs very easy. Where as my dad has a we fujifilm J12 and it takes really good fast moving images Why is this. And what is the fujifilm s8000fd like.. Thanks for the help lads it's much appreciated.

[chucky]

Im no photography expert, i point and shoot.

But, my phone would take a better shot than that one.

[trailfox]

Nicely done bro, try using a dolly, if you dont know what that is there are some really good videos on youtube that show you how to make them and use them.

:confused: aren't dollys used in videography?

http://www.iov.co.uk/iov_media/News_Stream/0063ProKit_WallyDolly.jpg

A dolly would do nothing for you if all your doing is taking a still image..

[sxtrailrider95]

don't worry jonny ill will give you some lessons next weekend ok

[downhilldude]

Im no photography expert, i point and shoot.

But, my phone would take a better shot than that one.


you must have some phone then !!!! you said so yourself your no photography expert and also this was in the dark..

[downhilldude]

don't worry jonny ill will give you some lessons next weekend ok


I got it sorted now it was on a slow shoot mode and low mgp.. I will post a good pic tonight....cheers

[trailfox]

I find on moveing images it blurs very easy. Where as my dad has a we fujifilm J12 and it takes really good fast moving images Why is this.
Its not because your dad's camera is better, its prob because his camera can run a higher shutter speed (http://digital-photography-school.com/shutter-speed) - either by using a greater apeture (http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture)or higher iso (http://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings). Now your problem is is that you bought a compact camera and they are pretty awkward for manually controlling those three variables of exposure (how much light gets through to the sensor in your camera to make a picture) so like we've said before if you really want to take your picture taking seriously you should get a DSLR.. or at least read up the instructions on your camera on manual controls/manual exposure. Using your camera in any of the auto modes (full auto, sport, potrait, night-time, snow etc etc) will not give you half enough control over how the picture is taken to get a good photograph but I think for now you should just concentrate on getting your composition and content looking good. Then when your confidence builds up in taking a well composed picture you should find yourself wanting greater control and then you can move into learning the tech side of taking a picture.


And what is the fujifilm s8000fd like..
well its a cheap compact, its lense isnt great from the cropped pictures in the reviews but you cant expect wonders from it anyway. Just read through this (http://digital-photography-school.com/13-lessons-to-teach-your-child-about-digital-photography) and the links on that page (ignore the child thing, its really for any beginner learning the basics) go out and take pictures, not just of bikes but of anything, action shots can be frustrating to start off photography with so try your best to take some good pictures of people/objects/landscapes. Take lots (40+) and then pick 3 or 4 of your best ones and stick them up here. :)

EDIT:

you must have some phone then !!!! you said so yourself your no photography expert and also this was in the dark..
now now... the camera only records an image, your the one who thinks up the idea and makes it a photograph.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8963/dsc00108o.jpg
not a great picture but that was taken straight off my phone there now, no photoshop work done at all.

[downhilldude]

thanks trailfox i will take some pics and stick em up.. cheers

[downhilldude]

Here they are. Pretty rubbish..just pics of friends and family and pets..

[trailfox]

you took these there now?!
Just read the link i gave you, learn it and go out and take pictures.

No1 is good, youve zoomed in/got close and its not bang smack in the center, maybe if it was even more off center it would help buy an alright picture none the less. The lighting's nice too with the sunlight coming accross the face/legs/back of the dog.

No2 youre zoomed right out so im seeing way more of a picture than i need to, the picture is about the boy hitting the ball so i dont need to see an orange fence or the rest of the estate. Pay attention to your background aswell, the subject (the boy) dont really stand out from the background because its also dark (his tshirt blends right in) and theres alot going on which is kind of distracting, look at No1- just a simple background allowing the dog to be the main focus.

No 3 is also good, you have a good depth in this picture with 4 layers altogether
the first girl
the boy running after her
the other boy hoking about in the picnic basket
the long grass and water in the background
this kind of depth is very useful in leading your eye through the picture
although again all three people are generally near the center of the image so maybe zoom out a little and place them more to the left so you can see more water would make it alot more interesting to the eye

No4 a good capture but again the subject is bang in the middle and your maybe a bit too far away/zoomed out (remember the rule of thirds if you havent already read that link)

with a crop and darken:
http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/2120/8173722282a10650201308l.jpg

you can see now that the distracting rock is almost gone (should have cropped a little more to get rid of it but you get the idea), the subject has moved outside of the dead center of the image and on to one of the lines, your general rule of thumb is to get your subject on were the third lines meet, or there abouts.
Ive drawn a few lines over it as an example, see how the main interest (the blue bit) has moved onto the left hand side third line?
http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/2843/8173722282a10650201308lj.jpg

another one to remember is to watch your horizon, i straightened it there but try and make sure its level in any picture for now and try to keep it away from the dead center (i.e. try and put it on one of the third lines)

Theres alot of talk there but take what you will from it.. learning photography can be tricky to get your head around at first but with practise you'll be doing it without thinking.
Keep it up though! A great improvement on your last upload! just remember to take loads and select few.

[penguinni]

Im always impressed by the lengths guys go to on here to be helpful.

[trailfox]

:-) beats AS ICT coursework

no wait, that deadline's tomorrow!:eek:
*goes away to unplug internet cable*

[downhilldude]

Thank-you trailfox i really appricate you going to all this trouble to help me i really do. Thanks alot Jonathan

[trailfox]

happy to help, although practise and experimenting with what you've learnt is were the main work is :-)

When you start progressing with your pictures you should get yourself a flickr account, it'll keep the non-mtb pictures of the mtb gallery ;-)

[sxtrailrider95]

http://file048b.bebo.com/7/original/2009/04/21/18/3416717112a10658304642o.jpg
i picture i took of jonny at money scalp no photoshop are nothing what yous think

[TrixR4kidz]

I think you have a camera. #_winky/smiley thing_#

[sxtrailrider95]

very funny trix no scriously tho is it good

[sxtrailrider95]

http://file048b.bebo.com/21/original/2009/04/21/19/3416717112a10658590223o.jpg

better one looks far nicer

[AndyL]

Sx, its not bad at all, but here's a few pointers.

Read the link above about the rule of thirds, then crop out the trail behind the rider. It'll give him space to ride into (sorta).

if you panned with the rider, he stays sharp and the background blurs a little, giving a sense of movement. Shutter speed is very quick which has helped keep the shot crisp, but it takes away the sense of speed.

Like this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3187895691_f5d097b866_o.jpg

Great light, but has someone punched him in the eye?

[TrixR4kidz]

[diplomatic mode activated] hard to tell, my monitor is very small and the sun is shining on it, and I haven't got my specs on.... [diplomatic mode deactivated]

If you and the Dude like it then it's good.

[sxtrailrider95]

oh he was not going that fast any way like

[trailfox]

Do you think its good?
Even though the main weight of the picture (rider then trail) is on the LHS the subject (rider's face and bike) is in the center, highlights are also a tad blown out (too bright), actual quality of image isnt great but it shows jonathan riding his bike down a trail so its served its purpose in showing people whats going on.
Its not bad but there is always room for improvement :-)


EDIT: Try and not stick the blurring in manually, it doesnt help it alot.
Oh and andys tip would be alot easier to carry out if you's had SLRs ;-) 'sport' mode on a compact looks for fast shutter speeds which wont help you get that motion blur. Ninja2 had a great run through of that type of shooting but that was a long time ago :-/ Ive it wrote down somewere in my film camera bag...

No wait hold on... whats the EXIF on that pic andy? He must have been pinned :-)

[keyserni]

I think it's good as a start and taken with a cheap compact, action shots are very hard to do so as trailfox says start by shooting stills. Photoshop can only enhance a good picture it can't make a bad picture good so start by concentrating on the composition.

[sxtrailrider95]

http://file048b.bebo.com/0/original/2009/03/22/21/3416717112a10406307285o.jpg

i think this is a good picture i took

[sxtrailrider95]

mikethebike thats who it is

[AndyL]

best so far, just a pity you didn't get the ground in for a reference

EDIT, that looks like the lip, so ignore that!

[sxtrailrider95]

i thought i was very good with no flash like

[trailfox]

Getting better, rider isnt in the center which is good but like i said before your looking to get him at least onto one of the third lines or ideally onto a point at which the lines cross. Blown out highlights are up again but that isnt necessarily your fault.
A quick edit:
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2900/3416717112a10406307285o.jpg
got rid of the tree too as it was distracting.

Think of it this way in these kind of drop/step-down shots..
- Were in the image is the rider (in this case it should be top left to put some space beneath him to show the scale of the jump)
- Were in the image is the rider heading (roughly the bottom right)

so with that in mind you want to keep the rider at the top left and allow the open space to be were he is heading, like andy said- give him something to move into.
That rule can be applied to loads of things to give a sense of movement, kids running, cars or anything moving at speed.. couple this with a bit of motion blur and it can make quite a nice image if you do your part right!


EDIT: my clonings a bit rubbish on that so ignore the repeated patterns :rolleyes:

[downhilldude]

oh my sxtr great stuff

[Craig]

hey thats my bro!

[downhilldude]

Right craig it's jonathan seen you and you'r brother micheal up a cavehill..

[downhilldude]

My latest picture. This was taken with my phone so its bad quality

[Junior DH]

http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=31615&pagenum=1

[downhilldude]

I thought this was a good picture ?

[trailfox]

[quick post]
as far as composition goes, yep! You've shifted the main focus (the foreground of the path) onto the bottom right third, this path then leads you off through the rest of the image.
bad side is that your distant background/sky is completely blown out (white), this isnt entirely your fault and shouldnt be one of your biggest worries at the moment so just concentrate on your rule of thirds and the other tips mentioned before and youll get better!

[downhilldude]

[quick post]
as far as composition goes, yep! You've shifted the main focus (the foreground of the path) onto the bottom right third, this path then leads you off through the rest of the image.
bad side is that your distant background/sky is completely blown out (white), this isnt entirely your fault and shouldnt be one of your biggest worries at the moment so just concentrate on your rule of thirds and the other tips mentioned before and youll get better!

Thanks again mate.

[nathan-stp-0]

nice pics!

[downhilldude]

nice pics!

Thanks man..

[Craig]

:banghead:How do i post pictures?!

[Craig]

4866Here is one i snapped of my brother, give us your views....