I have been taken couple of years pictures in some national competions for our club only. But I have started to wonder what is good trial picture and why.

Here are some examples:

http://hameenmoottor...13/DSC_3074.JPG :This migh be ok but I was testing the auto setting for the focus area with bad results as you can see. Never use focus area auto setting but only central focus area!!

http://hameenmoottor...13/DSC_3096.JPG : is the attitude or dynamic what there should be in the picture?

http://hameenmoottor...13/DSC_3280.JPG : Is it necessary to make the situation look dangerous?

http://hameenmoottor...13/DSC_3333.JPG http://hameenmoottor...13/DSC_3570.JPG http://hameenmoottor...al/DSC_2051.JPG : Should the situation look like impossible?

http://hameenmoottor...13/DSC_3680.JPG : Or when photographer scears to get hurt and start to think escape?

To me these pictures look ok but usually trial pictures what I have see in the magazines are different. They are often presenting driver as in portrait and only part of bike. is this because the text is about the driver not about driving?

What is your opinion what makes good trial picture?

You need to set your camera to a higher shutter speed on some of your photos to prevent blurry subject and sharp background. Really good sports photographers use expensive lenses that blur out the background so your eye focuses on the subject.

You need to set your camera to a higher shutter speed on some of your photos to prevent blurry subject and sharp background. Really good sports photographers use expensive lenses that blur out the background so your eye focuses on the subject.

Thats nothing to do with an expensive lens, its just depth of field and focus.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60537897@N02/sets/72157635240201211/

here's a few I took of the Manx 2 day trial

A good photograph tells a story. So the question you need to ask is: what story am I trying to tell. Speed? Danger? Concentration? They are all good.

Shutter speed and f-stop can make a huge difference in the photo. Fast speed with stop action, slow speed allows some blurring to convey speed or motion. High number f-stop will give a lot of depth of focus, small f-stop gives shallow depth of focus. Shallow depth will make the subject clear and the background fuzzy. This can really bring the eye to the subject.

Play around with different settings on your cam and see the results. Nice thing is you can see what speed and f-stop was used, in the meta data for the pic.

Probably the single thing I would suggest at this point is to look more at the background BEFORE you take the pic. Sometimes a little different angle will remove clutter or make a more dramatic pic. Most importantly, have fun!

The best pic is the one that puts me there, many of yours do that, good job

Sometimes being in too close spoils the pic as I can't see what it took the rider to get where he is

And add more girls

Ask yourself what makes each pic especially interesting. If you have a great background - go wide and include it. If the terrain is really gnarly, include it- if boring - omit it. If the riders emotions are what you want to convey - get close enough to show them. I tend to prefer to show the riders face in many of the pics I take- so I dont shoot from behind that much unless its a really interesting line - like catching the roost off the wheel or showing the size of the hit. It really depends on what YOU like and how you develop a personal style.

One thing I do believe helps with trials is to get close with a wide angle lens on hits so as to minimize how you compress the field. Using the wide angle field distortion can help get the extreme angles back into the shot. Long focal lengths can leave you with flat shots.

And add more girls

Sorry, my post has no value whatsoever. I just have this "8th Grade Level" juvenile humor gene that becomes dominant when I read a funny comment like that......

My wife is actually the photographer in our family. I had planned on showing her this thread for (what I feel is) the helpful advice, but not certain I can do that now.....

But to expand some on what Laser1 said: I can recall a photo, taken from very much behind the rider, showiing his roost, and the HUGE rock he was attempting to go up, with his minder waiting up there, & etc.. This was really cool angle that almost put you on the bike, and it was easy to visualize what the rider had to do, and how difficult it was. Nicely done photo that I wish I could recall where it was seen.....

Jimmie

Edited August 26, 201313 yr by mr neutron

Sorry, my post has no value whatsoever. I just have this "8th Grade Level" juvenile humor gene that becomes dominant when I read a funny comment like that......

My wife is actually the photographer in our family.

You post has significant value, the only thing that would make it better would be pictures of your wife.....

And I apologize everyone I have offended with this post

"The story " might describe the best what trial picture should be. When one try to take pictures of every competitor in non-championship competition where sections are easy, it is very diffcult to make picture to underline the story or impress. I think the story or perspective need to somehow reflect the challenge of section from driver point of view especially when taking pictures for drivers and their home team. But how?

One challenge is to chose where to take picture. This comes very difficult if one try to cover several neighbour sections from one spot. I think the shooting position is as challenging as planning how to ride on section. How do you chose the shooting position and do you usually go inside the section?

On the other hand non-trial folks seems to valuate only pictures which are shocking, don't they. For them story seems not to means anything.

the first photo, you / the camera missed focus, the rider/bike is not in focus but everything else is. on the others the cars in the background ruin the shot find different angles. the headless rider not good would have been if either the rider had a head or you cropped in farther to highlight a part of the bike or something.

also if the subject is moving the camera should be moving to follow it, it's called panning it will help show motion combined with proper shutter speed.

trials is a very difficult sport to photograph the bike and rider is going in lots of different directions and sometimes quick sometimes slow so shutter speeds changes almost instantly.

rob

I think every ones mind sees a great picture they would like to capture. If you have a really good understanding of how your camera and lens work together to capture that image then you would understand how to set up your camera, and the best places to stand or just have a fun day out rely on the camera working it all out for you and being lucky.

Autofocus has really changed the game digital has made it even more fun

BR

Nice photos Solit Freewheel

Don't pay to much notice on the quality (simple camera) but I like the composition

Any picture with my feet up is a good picture!!

I find using flash will greatly help freeze the movement, such as shown in the link provided and can give the image greater saturation.

http://bytcafoto.yolasite.com/trial.php