We all love taking outdoor action shots that really capture the moment, so below we've compiled a short 5 step guide to help you snap outdoor action in a really exciting way!
Keep a low angle..
Use a medium to long telephoto lens to compress perspective and fill the frame with the action. You can then shoot from a safe distance and still be head-on to the action. Also, try shooting from a really low angle -lie on the ground - as the foreground will lead the eye into the action.
Try going wide..
Alternatively, you could use a super wide-angle lens. Getting in this close to the action gives your images another increase in the level of impact. Try to use a low camera angle on jumps to emphasise height and action and then a flashgun for fill-in flash to create motion blur, again enhancing speed.
Stop the action..
The minimum speed for achieving biting sharpness is l/500th of a second. In low light or under the shade of trees push the ISO speed up a little - 200 ISO is fine, with no loss in quality but ISO 400 can start to get a bit more noisy so a 'fast' but pricey f/2.8 telephoto lens will help here.
Add a splash of colour..
Colour can make all the difference. Dress your riders in bright tops. Red, orange, yellow, bright greens and blues create eye-catching splashes of movement. Choose complementary or sympathetic colours. Colourful bikes help too -a lot of single track is under dark, drab trees.
Master that exposure..
With wide lenses, meter for the highlights and leave the shadows. With full-frame telephoto images, meter for the rider or a mid-tone on the ground - washed-out backgrounds can be a useful contrast to action. Red or blue fleeces are often mid-tone so meter from them if needs be.
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