Low Budget Action Photography - Mountain Bike Photo

[Photo-John]

I was out riding yesterday with a minimal camera kit - just the Canon EOS T4i / 650D and 18-135mm IS STM kit lens. My ride partner Thane, wanted a photo in a section with speckled shadows - something I would normally shoot in different light or with off-camera flash. However, going back to ancient technique I was able to get a pretty damn nice photo in what are normally considered pretty crappy conditions. I'm sharing the photo, gear and technique just to show that you don't have to have a $5000 camera and a bunch of fancy lighting gear to get a good outdoor action photo. In fact, this technique will even work with a point-and-shoot camera.



So how did I do it? I used the T4i's pop-up flash and manual exposure mode. The flash was critical for this photo because it allowed me to balance the overall exposure and hold highlight details. With the speckled shadows and bright sky I would have had to choose between blown-out highlights or blocked up shadows. The pop-up flash allowed my bring down my exposure and use the extra light to both freeze some of the action and make my subject pop out of the dark background. I also chose to pan with a slow shutter speed to add more of a sense of motion. My exposure settings were:

1/60th second
f/7.1
ISO 100
manual exposure mode (M)

This is an old technique for me and one I don't use much anymore. These days I might make a similar photo but I'd do it with off-camera flash to get more controlled, dramatic lighting. However, Thane and I weren't in a position to come back when the light was more even - and I'm not sure it's ever totally even in this spot. Regardless, Thane is a bike rep and lives on the road so it was now or never if we wanted the shot. I did do a fair amount of post-processing to squeeze what I wanted out of the RAW file. However, it came out of the camera looking pretty solid.

You can get great action photos with your entry-level DSLR and kit lens. You just need to know and use the proper technique

[mattb]

Nice shot!
I do a similar technique but with an external flash mounted on the camera for a little extra power and control. If I'm shooting a race and moving around a lot I often don't want to have to set up and take down my off-camera flash over and over. So I put my relatively inexpensive Sigma flash on the camera in FP (same as HSS) mode and shoot away, keeping an eye on shutter speed depending on if I'm trying to freeze or blur motion.

[mattbikeboy]

Sweet shot, I love trying stuff like that. Now, if we only had trees and shade around here!

mbb

[Photo-John]

Sweet shot, I love trying stuff like that. Now, if we only had trees and shade around here!

You could use this technique in a casino, Matt ;-p

[Old Timer]

Thanks for the explanation of the shot. We don't do that nearly enough, it can be a great help to those that are getting started and are on a budget.

[Darius Andie]

This is consider as a simple methods for making a photography. Actually I am looking this kind of services so that I can apply it in my own process. This time I am pretty sure that if I am going to use this process I would say my photography is consider as one of the best photography.

[g4ptek]

nice panning

[Whiteevil]

I really liked your dynamic photos. It's clear that it was filmed by a professional. I am just beginning to master the art of photography and am learning here how to photograph nature to create a masterpiece. My next step is to master dinamic photography. I received a portion of inspiration from your photo masterpieces for this.