Most photos on this site are available for commercial stock photography. Many have model releases, while most can be used for editorial purposes.
Fine Art Prints
Most photos on this site are available as fine art prints. These are done in-house on a large format HP printer. Sizes up to 42" wide by 100' length are available, and larger sizes are available on request. All prints are shipped unframed unless requested. Framing services are available.
2006-0409-0085
Nikon D2x, Nikkor 17-55 AF-S, ISO 100, 1/250 F7.1, manual focus, SB800 on-camera pointed to fire at SB-800 clipped to tree limb overhead
2006 was the first year for an AMA National Observed Trials even in Oklahoma in many, many years. This is a top-level event with the best riders in the United States attending. I was really looking forward to photographing this event. Photographing an actual competitive event is a bit different than photographing a "play day". There is a lot at stake for the riders so they do not want to be interrupted by a photographer. You have to be careful where you photograph so you are not in their way or the spectators way. You are also competing with other photographers for the best spots to photograph from.
My goal for the day was to not only capture some of the top riders doing the trickest moves, but also capture the feel of the event, the spectators, local riders, and to get news-style photographs for use in magazines and such.
The two pictures above were at nearly high noon with the shadows on my side. I wanted to fill in the shadows a bit but also wanted some flash above the riders. A tree limb overhung the riding spot the pro's would use, so I used a ball bungee to strap an SB-800 to the tree limb overhead. I then put an SB-800 on camera and pointed it to fire at the one overhead. I had to make sure the sensor on the overhead SB-800 was pointed at me so it could see the flash. I used Nikon's Creative Lighting System to control the flash exposure and used the overhead flash to fill in for th riders.
I wanted to catch some of the intensity in the faces of the younger riders, plus the challenges presented by the obstacles the riders had to tackle. The benefit of observed trials, even in national level competition, is that you can get very, very close to the riders, in some cases just inches away.
2006-0409-0052
Nikon D2x, Nikkor 17-55-F2.8 AF-S, ISO-100, 1/200 F4.5, manual exposure, SB-800 fill flash on camera right
You can see the very difficult terrain the riders had to navigate. The judge holding up the fingers counts one point each time the rider puts down a foot. The rider with the lowest score wins.
2006-0409-0055
Nikon D2x, Nikkor 17-55-F2.8 AF-S, ISO-100, 1/200 F4.5, manual exposure, SB-800 fill flash on camera right
Another "regular" shot just showing the action.
2006-0409-0064
Nikon D2x, Nikkor 17-55-F2.8 AF-S, ISO-100, 1/200 F5, manual exposure, SB-800 fill flash on camera right
Below is one of the more difficult shots I took all day. The trees make it busy, but it was one of the more challenging parts of the course. I was within inches of the riders coming over this rock, and my SB-800 was strapped to the tree at my left. I was crouched down under the riders and one slammed down with 3 inches of my SB-800 and probably 10 inches from my camera. The riders had to slam into this big rock at the left, scale it and then stop with the rear tire still on the rock and the front tire on another nearby rock, balance there, then bunny-hop around and on up the trail. Only the pro's would attempt this, and not all them made it cleanly. Here I used flash to fill in the bottom of the bike.
2006-0409-0080
Nikon D2x, Nikkor 17-55-F2.8 AF-S, ISO-100, 1/250 F7.1, manual exposure, SB-800 fill flash on camera left strapped to tree
The picture below is at the same exact location. Here you can see the rider as they land, with the front tire on one rock and the rear tire on the rock they just rocketed over. The white tape is out of bounds. The riders would freeze here, then bunny-hop the rear of the bike down to the ground and proceed along the course. To add some drama I used the trick of gellling my flash for incandescent light, and setting my white balance to incandescent. This rendered the background a deeper blue, which you can clearly see the difference from the photo above.
2006-0409-0082
Nikon D2x, Nikkor 17-55-F2.8 AF-S, ISO-100, 1/250 F7.1, manual exposure, SB-800 fill flash on camera left strapped to tree, gelled incandescent and camera white balance set to incandescent
My next shot would make a great cover photo - lots of room at the top for a masthead and a very clean photograph. Any takers?
I wanted to capture some of the riders waiting on their turn at the section. I used my Nikon 10.5 fisheye to get really close and capture this "fisheye" look of some young riders waiting their turn.
