Of all the genres of photography, I’d argue that sports photography demands the most from your equipment. Moving subjects and highly variable (and often very poor) lighting conditions really push the auto-focus and low-light capabilities of even top-end cameras and lenses to their limits.
I’ve shot plenty of challenging sports. Indoor basketball (horrible artificial light), surfing (long focal length prime lenses $$$$$), and road cycling (high speeds pushing auto-focus to the limit). Shooting mountain biking is another beast altogether. MTB trails usually have a horrible mix of shade and bright sunlight. Combined with riders moving quite quickly, this is a recipe that demands high shutter speeds and solid AF tracking.
Below I’ll take you through the gear that I typically take on MTB shoots, and some of the techniques I use to get the most out of a shoot with a client.
Have you got any of your own tips for shooting MTB? Jump on over to the post on my Facebook page and leave me your best tips!
Gear
This is an ever-evolving beast. There’s always the temptation to take a full set of camera gear, but that has to be weighed up against the fact that I’m usually going to be riding into the location with the client. This is by no means a perfect kit, but it does the job most of the time.
Camera bag
Lowepro ProTactic BP AW 350. My favourite bag for taking on a MTB shoot. It sits well on my back whilst riding, and is nicely reinforced so that if I take a stupid tumble I won’t destroy all my gear.
Camera body
Canon 5D mark iii. The low-light performance is great, I can happily shoot up to ISO 6400 without too much noise, and the AF tracking is superb. I also carry a Canon 7D as a spare body.
Lenses
Tamron 24-70 f/2.8. I LOVE this lens for MTB photography. Tack sharp and the AF performance is fine for most situations. It is a really useful focal length, going from semi-wide to semi-telephoto. Downside: weight. This thing is a beast.
Canon 70-200 f/4. Yes, the 70-200 f/2.8 is the holy grail of sports photography, but that lens is an absolute monster and I’m simply not willing to carry it on my back whilst riding. The f/4 version is SIGNIFICANTLY lighter, yet it still retains the amazing AF and sharpness of the f/2.8.
Canon 85 f/1.8. A situational lens that I grab when I know I’m going to run into some really poor lighting conditions. It has rock-solid AF performance, and the ability to shoot at f/1.8 if required can really save a shot.
Other gear
Just the usual assortment of spare batteries and memory cards.
Food/water. It’s no fun being hungry or dehydrated.
Speedlight and triggers; only if I know we are going to a particularly bad spot for lighting. I avoid using them whenever possible.
First Aid kit. It is inevitable that someone is going to have a crash whilst shooting. I carry the same kit when I’m going out walking in the bush for a shoot. More about the kit here.
Shooting techniques
Overcome the flattening effect. Get just below the top of the feature so that you’re not having to tilt the camera upwards. Capture the rider coming into the top of the frame, with trail leading away below them. Don’t shoot up towards a rider at too much of an angle, it will make everything look pancake flat.
Shooting corners. Go wide (<30mm). Pick the inside or outside of the corner depending on the background. Get down in line with the pedals to make the corner look big and to make the rider look aggressive.
Shooting down the trail. This is where the 70-200 comes into play. Set up a fair distance down the trail, and shoot directly back up the trail at 200mm to compress the background.
Directing the shoot. Prior to a shoot I meet up with the client to work out what type of photos they’re after, but more importantly what they’re comfortable riding. If they’re not comfortable on the feature, they will look stiff and unnatural.
Standard shooting plan
Don’t turn up and think you’ll get good results by just shooting from the hip on instinct. Having a clear plan is essential to being time-efficient and getting the most out of the shoot for the client.
These are the four basic shots that I always plan to get on a MTB shoot.
a) Telephoto shot with the rider coming down the trail directly towards the camera.
b) A wide shot showing the rider against the natural backdrop.
c) A corner shot.
d) A “riding down a feature” shot.
If you can nail these four shots the client will be walking away with a nice set of photos. Anything else you shoot is a bonus!
Have you got any of your own tips for shooting MTB? Jump on over to the post on my Facebook page and leave me your best tips!