How To Take eXtreme Action Dirt Bike Photos - Part 2
Fast Shutter Speed and Working With Low Light
This is the double-whammy of photographic challenges. Overcomming either one sucessfuly can be tricky, but having to deal with fast shutter speed and low light simultaneously ... well, it sucks :-)
Using Higher ISO Settings
One way to get faster shutter speeds is to increase the ISO setting (similar to using fast film in a film camera). However with high ISO settings there is generally a trade-off between faster shooting speed and the resulting digital image noise (similar to film grain for the older film SLRs).
One of the things I have consistently noticed with past reviews of Digital SLR cameras retailing for under $3,000, is that the two highest offered ISO speeds (for a given camera model) are so noisy that they can generally be ignored. Though this trend seems to be changing, the highest setting is still generally only usable as a last resort.
So for example ... if a camera offers the range: ISO 60, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200, then the 1600 and 3200 will probably not provide an image quality worthy of professional printing, particularly for enlargement to 8" x 10" (roughly A4) or larger.
Using Larger Aperture Settings (smaller F-Stop number)
Another way to get higher speed shots is to have the aperture wide open (small or smallest F-Stop number). This allows more light to enter the camera in a shorter period of time. Although it may give you the speed to cleanly capture movement, it will almost certainly do so with a severely diminished Depth of Field (DOF).
Depth of Field determines the region of the photograph that will remain in sharp focus. The smaller the DOF, the faster and more accurate your focussing will need to be to get a crisp image of your subject.
Setting Up the Shooting Zone
A narrow Depth of Field approach will work best if you set up your focus range in advance and select manual focus so that your camera doesn't waste a good deal of it's time "seeking" for focus. You then wait for your subject to come within the designated Shooting Zone.
When shooting with a narrow Depth of Field, electing to
rely on either last second manual focusing or the camera's auto-focus, will almost certainly result
in a lot of near misses.
Getting Where The Action Is
As any real-estate agent will tell you, it's all about "location, location, location!" Having the coolest camera gear won't do you much good if you are not where the action is. So, how do you select a good vantage point to set up your shoot?
Obviously you'd like to catch some drama. Good vantage points may be near a jump, a steep hill, a mud slide or perhaps a rocky creek crossing. And if you happen to catch the occasional spill ... complete with flailing arms and airborne bike, that's a bonus. Just try to make sure you won't be under the things that fall from "on-high".
When chosing a shoot location, consider lighting and whether this will change dramitcally during the course of a photo session. If you are shooting at a rally for example, it may take an hour or more for the entire field to pass by your location. The patch where you set up, that started off in broad sunlight, might easily be in total shade before the last rider is through.
It can be useful to find a bottle-neck. A location where your subjects (in this case our dirt bike heroes) will all have to come through a relatively narrow section of track or trail. This will allow you to set up your Shooting Zone for maximum success without constantly having to make adjustments (i.e. re-focusing and adjusting your lens angle or zoom).
Corners are great too, just remember that having mud flicked all over your lens by passing bikes will really cramp your style (and will potentially damage your camera gear). This is where a good telephoto lens comes into its own. You can zoom in to get close up to the action, without physically becoming a part of it.
Staying Focussed and Thinking Ahead
Having your high-end camera gear all set up and ready to rock'n'roll, won't do you much good unless you're paying attention. Many a great shot has been missed because of a sideways glance at the wrong moment. With action photography, the good stuff can be over in fractions of a second ... you either caught it ... or not.
Also worth remembering, is your own reaction time. It takes roughly three tenths of a second for what you see to register in your conciousness. So as far as Action Photography is concerned, by the time you conciously "see" it, you have already effectively missed it.
In essence, you need to employ a predictive shooting strategy. Once again, this is where a camera with a fast frame rate will be of immense help. It will allow you to shoot a continuous sequence of images, which just may include an exciting moment or two.
Panning or Tracking Your Target
You've probably seen those really cool shots of a GP bike cranked over in a corner. The background is just a blur of colour while the bike seems to be in sharp focus. These shots are achieved by following the subject as it moves past you (panning), and essentially matching your subjects motion. The more precisely you can match the speed of your subject, the better the result is likely to be.
Though you can get such shots "hand-held", they will generally be easier to achieve with a good tripod (meaning one that allows a smooth panning motion) and a cable release or remote electronic shutter control.
Once again, fast frame rates and moderately high shutter speeds will be useful. In this case however, you may not want to shoot at the highest shutter speeds as this may reduced the background blurring, which in this case is what gives the image that sense of "speed".
Accurate focusing and a restricted depth of field (the latter being relatively easy to achieve with a telephoto zoom lens) will enhance the effect by further softening the background.
In practice ... the longer sweeping bends, where your subject is travelling at a consistant speed, will yield the most predictable results for panned shots. However tight corners, where braking and acceleration may be unpredictable, may be better suited for catching those dramatic spills.
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