Greg K. clearing this 70ft table top

           Today I took my first trip to the local MX track here in Sierra Vista, Arziona to photograph my buddy Greg on his 125cc Suzuki. It came as no surprise to me that it was going to include a good amount of running around the track trying to beat him to all the good photo opportunities, as well as getting dirty trying to hit good angles.
          I was expecting Greg to be pretty good; but damn that boy can ride. I ended up with a whole bunch of shots with him clearing step-ups, table tops, and tearing up some berms.

Greg K. negotiating a berm

   The trick to this kind of photography is being able to plan so that you are one step ahead of what your subject is going to do. For example, when we arrived at the track, I looked it over to see where some of the more interesting parts of the track were, and some direct routes from one obstacle to the next so I wouldn't lose good shots to bad camera positioning. Low angles help to make big jumps bigger, and sharp berms sharper. If you have the time and the track is not busy, try to plan out a few shots with your subject and experiment with the shots until you get something you both like. if they are willing, have them ride through a specific section multiple times while you try different angles and shots. If you are willing, put yourself right in the middle of an obstacle and get a good close up that can only be taken from a few feet away. Take a chance, but be safe, of course.                             


  In the video above, we we're both confident that Greg could easily make this step-up, and i really wanted a unique shot. So we planned this one out...It took a few tries, and then a few more, but in the end I got the shots i was looking for.

Greg K. stepping over me

click here to add me on Facebook