VT: Thursday Night Churn and Burn

[markbvt]

Maybe I'll even get some advice on how to take better photos before the next session.

Well, the bitch of it was that the light was already pretty dim by the time we got up to the Gap. Shoot at ISO 1600 and use a fast lens... and switch it to manual-focus and pre-focus on the spot the bike will be at when you hit the shutter release. That way the camera doesn't waste time trying to focus in dim light.

--mark

[catamount]

Didn't he have a P&S? I knew I should've packed my DSLR. Maybe next time.

[Trouble]

It was a DLSR, but set on auto everything. I didn't feel like I was going to have time to dial it in when I set up, and as it turns out I would have. I'm not quick enough with the settings to feel confident.

[markbvt]

Did he? I thought he was packing a DSLR. Or maybe I just jumped to conclusions.

Edit: The trick is to do a test shot or two before the action begins, get the exposure and focus settings, then leave everything alone as you shoot. Also, use the highest shutter speed you can and just try to get each motorcycle the same distance away from you so it's in focus.

--mark

[kbroderick]

Did he? I thought he was packing a DSLR. Or maybe I just jumped to conclusions.

Edit: The trick is to do a test shot or two before the action begins, get the exposure and focus settings, then leave everything alone as you shoot. Also, use the highest shutter speed you can and just try to get each motorcycle the same distance away from you so it's in focus.

--mark

Alternatively, panning with the bike and a lower shutter speed (1/speed in MPH is a good rule of thumb to start at) can work. It works especially well if you have the exposure set a bit below ambient and use a flash to stop the action (although a built-in one ain't gonna cut it). I haven't done it with motorcycles, but I have with mountain bikes and with rally cars (e.g. , which was ISO 400, f/5.6 and 1/40 of a sec). I think the light was pretty similar.

Edit: just looked at the EXIF data on the action shot you did post--ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/40. That would be about the same amount of light (my rally shot is somewhat underexposed for the ambient), so you'd definitely have been hard pressed to stop action--at ISO 1600 and f/2.8 you'd only have three more stops of light or 1/320th, which would probably be borderline for motorcycles and you'd have to nail the focus (f/2.8 gives virtually no depth of field and ISO 1600 tends to look a bit soft due to noise issues to begin with).

I think you'd have been hard pressed to get good stop-action shots with the light in the Gap at that point, even at ISO 1600. I know that occurred to me as I was riding over on my way to the Mobil--the light was already gone on the east side of the Gap and was nice in the well-lit places on the west side.

Oh, and for future reference, Sandisk Rescue Pro or a similar utility is great to have around for rescuing shots if you realize after you deleted them that you want 'em (so long as you haven't re-written on the card). It can also recover stuff from a corrupted card (well, has twice for me). Personally, I don't delete anything except shots where I hadn't yet removed the lens cap and hit the shutter by accident.

[MotoFreak]

Ok...so Doc wants to crash the Tuner Car Night in Essex (and I do too)...but where we gonna go for a ride?

Personally I want to hit up lower 17 and River Rd in Bristol a couple times through...meet in Hinesburg at 6:30 (Ill try to be on time, no promises though)...unless someone has a better idea/

[Trouble]

So what's the scoop tonight? Are we going to look at tricked cars or go riding?

[Slyder]

So what's the scoop tonight? Are we going to look at kidde cars or go riding?

man you might want to dissconnect the hamster in the wheel before you show up. You have any idea how much crap you'd get if you show with hammy the hamster ?

the rice kiddies are fun tho. had a meat head in a neon with a 10 inch wide fart can want to race me when I had my WRX. light turned green and we were side by side, I bet he thought that was the best thing ever. I bet he was all excited, his puberty buddies in the car with him musta been cheering him on....imagine how crushed they all must have been when the boost came up in the WRX

[Doc]

I am willin to go riding and stop in to the import tuners around 8pm (as it is getting dark)

[Trouble]

Not to ditch on a fun filled evening of meat headed kids trying to race liter bikes through Essex, but I think I'm going to preserve my tires for tomorrow. The forecast looks incredible and there should be a great group of riders heading over.

[MotoFreak]

Not to ditch on a fun filled evening of meat headed kids trying to race liter bikes through Essex, but I think I'm going to preserve my tires for tomorrow. The forecast looks incredible and there should be a great group of riders heading over.

I'm with Trouble...saving it all for tomorrow...


(thats code for Bill has to go food shopping, BAD, which is a better excuse than..."Sorry guys, I can't go to NY with you cause I am working on my race bike"...LAME!)

[kbroderick]

I'm with Trouble...saving it all for tomorrow...


(thats code for Bill has to go food shopping, BAD, which is a better excuse than..."Sorry guys, I can't go to NY with you cause I am working on my race bike"...LAME!)

Y'know, the saddlebags on my Ninjette may look dorky as hell, but I can fit about a basket's worth of groceries in them.

[Doc]

I'm with Trouble...saving it all for tomorrow...


(thats code for Bill has to go food shopping, BAD, which is a better excuse than..."Sorry guys, I can't go to NY with you cause I am working on my race bike"...LAME!)

Groceries... or Race bike...

Which is the better excuse? I need to make a poll.


Maybe I will got to the baseball game... oh ta heck with it...

I'll be at Land Air at 6pm meet me there if you wanna go over the notch, thru Stowe and back into Essex.

[contrldsub]

im there. ill be at land air around 6ish. see you there. ill be breaking off to continue south at stowe but it will be fun ive never been over the notch to stowe.

[kbroderick]

I'm game. Just gotta finish up a couple of things and wash the damn dirt and grease off.

[markbvt]

I'll probably be there. Land Air at 6. Check.

--mark

[tsanterre]

I'm in.

Doc - which way are you planning to get up to the Notch...some of the roads from Fairfax > Cambridge > Jeff are pretty beat.

[Doc]

Gonna go up through Underhill, Jeffersonville over the Notch and into Stowe then down the road into Richmond, Essex.

Can you tell i am bad with routes...

[kbroderick]

There's no way I'm gonna be at LandAir by 6. However, I'm still gonna try to catch up on 108...I'll just head that way instead of towards Essex.

[Doc]

PM'd you my cell

[Trouble]

Rt 108. Now is that Underhill, Richmond, or Stowe? We gotta get Doc a map

[MotoFreak]

108...as you all know now...is THE Notch Road from Jeff to Stowe...and if you took Pleasant Valley Rd to Jeff, you passed my parents house...big deal, I know!

How was crashing the Tuner Night?

Did Doc get owned by a Neon?

[Doc]

Where on Pleasant Valley Rd? My In Laws live there.


We decided to not "Crash" the Tuner night. Only had 4 bikes, wouldn't have been much of a "crashing"

[markbvt]

Great ride last night, lots of fun.

We're going to need a whole lot of bikes to crash the tuner night -- we rode past it, and they must have had at least 50 people there.

--mark

[tsanterre]

Great ride last night, lots of fun.

We're going to need a whole lot of bikes to crash the tuner night -- we rode past it, and they must have had at least 50 people there.

--mark

+1

Let's try to get the word out a bit and show up with 25+ bikes...