Freestyle Supercross with the 50d

[Dray]

The son, grandsons and myself took our annual venture to the Monster Trucks. This year we missed the main show and races so went to the freestyle show which included some supercross jumps. Only four riders, these two were on our side of the venue.

Here are a few of those with the 50d and 135 f/2. Shot in Av, AI Servo, centerpoint focus, wide open at f/2, ISO 1250, and the speed was usually at 1/1000 and 1/1250 sec., cropped and processed, used both raw and jpeg.

Danny

 

[Jaims]

and thanks for sharing

 

[V8KO]

THose are some very good pics. THese are tough shots to capture and youve done a great job. If I nitpick Id say the pics dont "grab" me I cant even put my finger on it lol. Anyways Id be darn happy to get shots like those.
--

Do something nice for someone today. Its the only way the world will be a better place : )

My Pics...check them out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v8ko/

 

[Olga Johnson]

Those are great captures, Danny!

Olga

 

[birdshot]

The son, grandsons and myself took our annual venture to the Monster
Trucks. This year we missed the main show and races so went to the
freestyle show which included some supercross jumps. Only four
riders, these two were on our side of the venue.

Here are a few of those with the 50d and 135 f/2. Shot in Av, AI
Servo, centerpoint focus, wide open at f/2, ISO 1250, and the speed
was usually at 1/1000 and 1/1250 sec., cropped and processed, used
both raw and jpeg.

Danny

Very cool. love the action and capture.

Question, did you ask before hand about bringing a "professional" camera? I've had hit and miss luck taking my camera places. Generally I check the website as to the policy, but I know people who just take theirs with an "easier to get forgiveness than permission" approach.

thanks

 

[V8KO]

Very cool. love the action and capture.

Question, did you ask before hand about bringing a "professional"
camera? I've had hit and miss luck taking my camera places.
Generally I check the website as to the policy, but I know people who
just take theirs with an "easier to get forgiveness than permission"
approach.

thanks

Sounds to me like it was a small event...only four riders in that competition. In a bigger venue its tougher sometimes to get a camera in...then again I know our little events center can be real PITAS even for small events.
--

Do something nice for someone today. Its the only way the world will be a better place : )

My Pics...check them out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v8ko/

 

[Dray]

V8KO wrote:
If I nitpick Id say the pics dont "grab" me I cant even put my finger on it lol.

I hear ya, they really don't GRAB me either. I really posted mainly to show that the 50d can do a fine job indoors in AI Servo and a fairly high ISO. I had very good success with sharpness also and was pleased with the overall performance of the 50d.

I'll tell you why these don't grab me, it's the compostion. Ideally you want to be below the action, ground level preferred. Our seating position was only slightly lower than when they topped their jump. Another thing is that it's better to have the ground in the shot so to give the viewer the feeling of WOW, that's amazing.

But in these types of stadiums one needs to crop heavier because of the busy backgrounds. The bike and rider blend in too much on those backgrounds if much distance is included, so you have to bring the subject closer to isolate from that crowd. IMHO anyway...Thanks for looking and the nice comments.

Danny

 

[Dray]

Actually, this was Reliant Stadium in Houston, home the the Houston Texans. They allow still cameras, no video for this event. I carried in a medium bag with the 50d and 17-55 IS attached and a 85 1.8, used for the trucks, and the 135 2.0 used for the bikes. Even though the event was smaller since it was just a freestyle display, the stadium was packed. There were 4 bikes, 8 trucks, along with some extra stuff. I believe I could have brought in 1d series with a 70-200 2.8 if wanted, but nothing was said when they checked my bag.

Danny

 

[Dray]

n/t

 

[Zeee]

Great captures. That must take a lot of nerve to do that. How would you even start to practice those kinds of moves.
--
I have made my decision. Don't confuse me with the facts.

 

[V8KO]

V8KO wrote:
If I nitpick Id say the pics dont "grab" me I cant even put my finger on it lol.

I hear ya, they really don't GRAB me either. I really posted mainly
to show that the 50d can do a fine job indoors in AI Servo and a
fairly high ISO. I had very good success with sharpness also and was
pleased with the overall performance of the 50d.

I'll tell you why these don't grab me, it's the compostion. Ideally
you want to be below the action, ground level preferred. Our seating
position was only slightly lower than when they topped their jump.
Another thing is that it's better to have the ground in the shot so
to give the viewer the feeling of WOW, that's amazing.

But in these types of stadiums one needs to crop heavier because of
the busy backgrounds. The bike and rider blend in too much on those
backgrounds if much distance is included, so you have to bring the
subject closer to isolate from that crowd. IMHO anyway...Thanks for
looking and the nice comments.

Danny

Thanks for the explaination Danny! I was thinking the composition could be different but couldnt figure it out. Im sure you guys had a blast!

Great captures. That must take a lot of nerve to do that. How would
you even start to practice those kinds of moves.
--

Those guys are a bit twisted in the brain lol. I actually put up my bike riding days a few years back...the furthest I ever jumped was 80 ft and I could never talk myself into even letting go of the bars with both hands.

Now days most of those guys practice jumping into foam pits. Basically a very large box with foam squares in it and a small crane off to the side to haul your bike out after the jump.

If you EVER have an opportunity to attend a freestyle show I highly suggest doing so no matter your age there are very exciting to watch.

--

Do something nice for someone today. Its the only way the world will be a better place : )

My Pics...check them out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v8ko/

 

[Andreas_F]

The shallow DOF of this lens and the lighting (bright sunjects, dark background) help to focus attention on the main subject. Nicely done given the situation. I presume you used manual metering and white balance?
Andreas

 

[Zeee]

That makes sense. You gotta wonder what happens when they mess up and and have 200 lbs of metal coming at them. They ate talented and a pleasure to watch.

--
I have made my decision. Don't confuse me with the facts.

 

[Dray]

Andreas wrote:
I presume you used manual metering and white balance?

Thanks Andreas, and actually I used evaluative metering and auto WB. I did have to make some slight adjustments for the metering but the wb was spot on.

Danny

 

[mountaingirl]

I love that lens, but sometimes it doesn't get close enough.

With the 50D the cropping availability is sufficient to give great results.

good job

I'll be glad when I get the confidence to post here . . .

not yet

 

[Dray]

mountaingirl wrote:
I'll be glad when I get the confidence to post here . . .

I understand that, no matter how good your results are some posters can be brutal. I've been here too long and am too old for it to bother me, just reply with kindness, they hate that. I look forward to seeing some of your work. Thanks for looking and commenting, and yes the 135 is a sweet lens.

Danny