Anyone got any photo question?

Paul Buckley 9/27/2011 5:06pm
9/27/2011 5:06pm
whyderp168 wrote:
Hey Paul, is a 70-200 good enough zoom or am I better off looking into a 100-300? Thanks for the help
The 70-200 should be fine, might even be a tad faster than the 100-300
Paul Buckley 9/27/2011 5:08pm
9/27/2011 5:08pm
bj277 wrote:
Hi paul I am into shooting motocross along with other action sports like snowboarding etc. I have a Nikon d7000 with 50mm 1.8 and nikkor 70-200...
Hi paul
I am into shooting motocross along with other action sports like snowboarding etc. I have a Nikon d7000 with 50mm 1.8 and nikkor 70-200 2.8 What is your suggestion for a good quality wide angle lens.
Any adive is good.
Cheers Ben
Something like a 24-70 or a 28-70 would work in a lot of MX situations, I've used my Canon 28-70 for years.
Paul Buckley 9/27/2011 5:14pm
9/27/2011 5:14pm
ricko wrote:
I got 1 question, got a EOS 7D, 70-200mm f/2.8, and 24-70 f/2.8, recently purchased a 580ex II flash, looking for tips on how to set...
I got 1 question, got a EOS 7D, 70-200mm f/2.8, and 24-70 f/2.8, recently purchased a 580ex II flash, looking for tips on how to set up the flash or what mode to shoot on for mx, I know theres no magic number but looking for a place to start and work and play around with it from there. I'm capable with the camera and lens itself, the flash is all new to me. Looking on how to set it up for mx, indoor use and still photos ill try and do on my own.
The settings depend on what you're trying to accomplish. A candid portrait I'd run high speed synch and minus 1 stop exposure compensation. That's not a bad setting to tame harsh noon time light out on the track either although it's hard on the flash so don't be blasting away or you'll start burning up 100. flash tubes.

Shooting a backlit rider against a bright sky I might dial in +2 stops of exposure comp.

For a streaky background find a shady spot on the track, turn the ISO down to 100, the shutter to a 30th or a 60th and then under expose the ambient light by a stop. Run the flash on ETTL and adjust the EC to your liking.

The Shop

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ZLubinski
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ZLubinski 12/9/2011 5:08pm
12/9/2011 5:08pm






Thanks Paul! Keep up the awesome photos and service! (probably notice that these pictures are from MX101, Crow Hill, and Winchester)
lappedrider
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lappedrider 2/9/2012 7:08pm
2/9/2012 7:08pm
Most informative thread ever, thanks Paul. Think I have it now, I am concerned that I may be over saturating though.





Paul Buckley 2/9/2012 7:44pm
2/9/2012 7:44pm
They don't look too saturated to me, you still have detail in the plastic and that's a good sign. When fenders start to look like blobs of color then you've gone too far. These will be fine to print as photos or to post anywhere online.
FoxRacer454
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FoxRacer454 5/27/2012 5:39pm
5/27/2012 5:39pm
Mr. Buckley
I just started shooting photography and wanted to know what you think of the gallery I have my wife runs a photography business but I have no idea about editing and settings for my camera I've just played around with settings please le me know what you think? Thanks
http://firestormphotography.zenfolio.com/four-stroke-photography
rockatonadar 6/19/2012 4:01pm
6/19/2012 4:01pm
Hey hey I really like the look of your site and you guys have some great stuff posted up there.
hammer#123 8/20/2012 5:55am
8/20/2012 5:55am
i have been wanting to get in to photography for a while now, im only 16. finally commited last week to get a dslr camera. i went with the entry level canon 1100d. Tried to take some pics on the weekend but didnt get many because i was racing aswell, and had limited access to the track, found a bit up the back of the track with no fencing so i got close to the track there. The pics are here

Also here is my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/twotwosiximages

Please tell me what you think, This was the first time i have done photography
Judge52
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Judge52 10/19/2012 4:10am
10/19/2012 4:10am
Hey there Paul.

First things first, thanks for setting up this thread, really nice effort and very appretiated.
After going through all the pages I came to realize I was over editing most of my pictures, specially giving them a cold look with the curves adjustments, hopefully these are better.
Also not sure about the size, hope they're ok.






Camera & Lens: Canon Rebel t2i with Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 IS HSM
Trying to raise the funds for some f/2.8 fixed apperture lens...

Thanks again!
MxRewind
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MxRewind 10/23/2012 3:34pm
10/23/2012 3:34pm
Hey Paul its Zach Nobrega from the track. What is your take on the Canon Rebel t1i with 18-55mm lens? I am looking to get a better camera for film and photo.
Paul Buckley 12/21/2012 5:42pm
12/21/2012 5:42pm
Zach, to be honest I'm not sure, I haven't used a T1i but it's probably not too bad, just remember that there's no sport that's harder on cameras than MX and the less expensive bodies will save you some $ up front they might cost you more in the long run.
Paul Buckley 12/21/2012 5:44pm
12/21/2012 5:44pm
Wow I just noticed the view count for this thread, closing in on 25,000 that's really cool
Truckdriver
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Truckdriver 1/4/2013 2:18pm
1/4/2013 2:18pm
Hey I took a sequence of shots and want to merge them all together into one photo. I have CS3, and looked a a dozen youtubes, but not one of them show how to get all the photos together. They just show what to do after you have them all together. I really stuck. Any tips on a tutorial. Or can you walk me thru it?
Paul Buckley 1/27/2013 5:19pm
1/27/2013 5:19pm
To assemble a sequence into one shot here's the drill, I hope you used a tripod.

1. Open all the photos and find the first one in the sequence and move it to one side of the screen.

2. Find the 2nd shot and with the Move tool shift drag it to the first photo. Now close the second shot. Find the third shot and shift drag that into the first shot, close the third photo and repeat these steps until all the photos are in the first file.

3. Turn off all the layers except the background and layer 1. Add a layer mask to layer 1 and paint out anything that's covering the rider in the background layer.

4. Turn on layer 2, add a layer mask and paint out the background.

5. Repeat until you've done all the layers, save as a PSD file with all the layers and masks.

6. Flatten the image and save as a jpeg.

Pit Row

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jaderzz16
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jaderzz16 7/27/2013 5:48pm
7/27/2013 5:48pm
Hello Paul Buckley,

I would just like an opinion on a few of my photos. Of course I ask my family, but usually what they say... doesn't help me too much. My dad is a rider, so he has a better idea of what riders would like out of a photo. Although, I would really like a professional opinion.

Thanks,
Jade Hengel





MOTO120
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MOTO120 8/1/2013 8:40am
8/1/2013 8:40am
Paul,
A couple questions that hopefully you won't mind giving me some input on. I recently finished a bike build and am wanting to take some photos of it (rather than with just my phone). I have a Canon T4i with the kit lens which I believe is a 18-55mm. Could you give me any suggestions on where to start with my camera settings? I plan to take some pictures in my garage (good lighting) and outdoors (will be in the evening hours). I also plan to use a tripod.

Your thoughts?

Thanks!
Paul Buckley 8/7/2013 4:54pm
8/7/2013 4:54pm
jaderzz16 wrote:
Hello Paul Buckley, I would just like an opinion on a few of my photos. Of course I ask my family, but usually what they say...
Hello Paul Buckley,

I would just like an opinion on a few of my photos. Of course I ask my family, but usually what they say... doesn't help me too much. My dad is a rider, so he has a better idea of what riders would like out of a photo. Although, I would really like a professional opinion.

Thanks,
Jade Hengel





Jade those are pretty clean shots, maybe with a little more contrast or at least a truer black somewhere in the pics they'd be better. Nice angles.
Paul Buckley 8/7/2013 4:59pm
8/7/2013 4:59pm
MOTO120 wrote:
Paul, A couple questions that hopefully you won't mind giving me some input on. I recently finished a bike build and am wanting to take some...
Paul,
A couple questions that hopefully you won't mind giving me some input on. I recently finished a bike build and am wanting to take some photos of it (rather than with just my phone). I have a Canon T4i with the kit lens which I believe is a 18-55mm. Could you give me any suggestions on where to start with my camera settings? I plan to take some pictures in my garage (good lighting) and outdoors (will be in the evening hours). I also plan to use a tripod.

Your thoughts?

Thanks!
Sounds like you have it figured out pretty well so far. I'd use manual mode for both situations and start out at 200 ISO and at f11 then adjust the shutter until you see something you like. Try cloudy white balance for the evening shoot and auto for the garage if you're mixing daylight and overhead fluorescent tubes.
jasimierz 11/7/2013 4:05am
11/7/2013 4:05am
Hi guys,

I read whole topic (at work, it took me few days ;] ) and finally I decieded to show my photos. I shoot with Canon T3i (for euros 600d) with 18-200 Canon lens on manual mode. Unfortunetly I realized I made a lot of things wrong like aperture adjustment.

I have next photo shooting at 11 Nov (Polish Independence Race Day) so I hope I could use all of your tips to take better photos.

I bought DSLR month ago and this is my second shooting with it. I'm waiting for all kinds of advice.

Sorry for my english. I'm not a native speaker;] I would like also improve my lagnuage skills apart from taking photos.








dkg
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dkg 1/14/2014 5:56pm
1/14/2014 5:56pm
Thank you for this thread. I am just really getting started here, so, I hope you won't mind another series of beginners question. I probably have made some mistakes in what I am trying to do, but here goes.

I have really only played with photography in the past. Any really fine pcs I produced were undoubtedly the result of luck more than any skill. I started looking on the internet and wanted to go to a full format camera as opposed to my DX size that I have been playing with. Video was not an issue for me as that isn't something I really wanted to mess with right now. My other consideration was cost as I am getting tired of throwing a ton of money at something they I may or may not get serious about.

With these considerations, I picked up an excellent condition D2Xs camera to start learning and that is about where I am now. I am looking at lenses and now realizing that this is probably where I should be focusing my efforts. I understand that some of the lenses that I have used with the DX cameras will still work, but, will only function in DX crop mode. With that said, I am going to try out/rent some lenses to decide what to purchase next. The main ones I am considering are the Nikkor 80-200 f2.8 and the more expensive 70-200 f2.8 with VRII. Can you give me any suggestions on lenses to use for shooting motosports? The latter lense is about the max of what I am willing to spend and will probably pick it up used.

With all this said, I am wondering if I screwed myself up by going to an older camera as opposed to spending the extra couple grand for a newer one such as the D800? Am I correct in the assumption that lenses are the primary limiting factor as opposed to the number of megapixels since I will not be blowing anything up to the size of a house?

Along related issues, I am somewhat familiar with photoshop and can generally fix many of my problems there. However, I am not sure I have a real appreciation for the benefits of RAW over jpg and am a little hazy on the best color profile to use. Can you give me some tips in this area?

I've learned a lot just reading this thread and am wondering if you have any suggestions for the best starting point for settings with the camera that I have now purchased.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my questions, any input anyone has is appreciated.
Paul Buckley 1/15/2014 5:32am
1/15/2014 5:32am
dkg, once you have a camera that's 8 megapixels you'll have plenty of data unless you're making giant prints and by giant I mean 48x60". One advantage that the newer cameras have is the smoothness at higher ISO's but unless you shoot a lot of supercrosses or arenacrosses that shouldn't be a factor, outdoors 640 ISO is plenty high enough.

I have IS Canon lenses but only use that feature 50% of the time, rent both versions at different times and compare your results to see if you need the VR to get better photos.

A raw file will let you develop your photo to your liking more than a jpeg will. The color profile depends on where the photos will end up, on the web? Choose sRGB to a magazine? sRGB, printed on your home ink jet? Adobe98 RGB.

If I were going to take your camera to a race I'd set the ISO to 640, the shutter to 1000 to 1600, the mode to M, the WB to cloudy or somewhere between cloudy and daylight, the focus mode to predictive or whatever Nikon calls it (Canon is AI Servo)
dkg
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dkg 1/15/2014 9:10am
1/15/2014 9:10am
Paul Buckley wrote:
dkg, once you have a camera that's 8 megapixels you'll have plenty of data unless you're making giant prints and by giant I mean 48x60". One...
dkg, once you have a camera that's 8 megapixels you'll have plenty of data unless you're making giant prints and by giant I mean 48x60". One advantage that the newer cameras have is the smoothness at higher ISO's but unless you shoot a lot of supercrosses or arenacrosses that shouldn't be a factor, outdoors 640 ISO is plenty high enough.

I have IS Canon lenses but only use that feature 50% of the time, rent both versions at different times and compare your results to see if you need the VR to get better photos.

A raw file will let you develop your photo to your liking more than a jpeg will. The color profile depends on where the photos will end up, on the web? Choose sRGB to a magazine? sRGB, printed on your home ink jet? Adobe98 RGB.

If I were going to take your camera to a race I'd set the ISO to 640, the shutter to 1000 to 1600, the mode to M, the WB to cloudy or somewhere between cloudy and daylight, the focus mode to predictive or whatever Nikon calls it (Canon is AI Servo)
Paul,

Thank you for all the great information. Just two quick follow-up questions. Is there a general aperature range that you try to shoot with or is this mostly dependant on shutter speed and composition? Also, seems I am going to need a noise reduction filter for photoshop, can you recommend a good one?

David
landonosborne16 2/4/2014 1:50pm
2/4/2014 1:50pm
Hey Paul,
Recently I have been noticing that a lot of photos i am seeing in the moto magazines and websites have been taken at fast shutter speeds, like anywhere from 1/1600 and 1/4000. There aren't as many pictures with motion blurred tires and spokes as there was 10 years ago. I was just wondering why that is? Is it because of the improving ISO's on cameras that allow for fast shutter speeds even in dim lit sx stadiums, or if its just the "style" nowadays to have everything frozen and crisp?
Stephon
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Stephon 5/8/2014 7:33am
5/8/2014 7:33am
Great thread!

Thanks Paul and everyone else for the tips, questions and issues.

Out the door to Glen Helen to shoot! ...and hopefully not cringe too much.
Paul Buckley 6/21/2014 4:09am
6/21/2014 4:09am
Dowdie, if you have a specific question post it here and I'll try to answer it. I don't really have time to look through a whole gallery of photos, sorry.

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