Would this bother anyone?

I’ve just gone and bought a flash and trigger and fancy getting some practice. But I suspect that it might be like dogs, what doesn’t bother 95% of people might really wind up some ‘disgruntled of Tumbrige Wells’ fun police type.

Now that I’ve got my disparaging remark in first, would random photographers flashing you fom the bushes at Swinley bother you?

It did when that bloke at Octoberfest kept leaning out of the inside of a tight corner with his flashy camera…

get yourself to a DH/Enduro race. new rider every 30s.

only the shit ones complain about flashes.

stick them up on roots&rain afterwards and you might even make some money.

Nah, wouldn’t bother me at all

I noticed a lot of photogs before an Enduro and wondered if it would bother me. Come the race I didn’t even notice.

Skip forward to 14.30 in this video, there were about 200 people here taking pics. You jut didn’t notice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3_qAqRzL7I

Not me in the vid btw.

I would quite like some decent trail photos of myself; I’d happily be a test subject in exchange for some free images. That’s just me though.

All good with me. Always give it a bit extra when there’s a photographer about 🙂

only the shit ones complain about flashes.

So only the good riders have eyesight that doesn’t get blinded by flashlight, and are happy to compromise their lines on slippery rock to avoid a photographer for some kind of semi-gnar photo they may buy later?

How vain…

FWIW it was more the leaning into my path than the flash that bothered me.

Been snapped lots of times, only once it bothered me – Passports last year, there was a little section that snaked down some loose wet rocks, nothing life changing but it needed a lot of attention – it was pretty dark in there too – just as you got to the bottom and looked up for the exit – BOSCH, big arse tripod mounted flash thing in the face went off.

But usually I don’t notice them.

As above, set up at a race. But keep the flashes out of rider’s eye-line.

Just imagine yourself riding the trail and think about where you’d be looking.

Make sure that people know you’re going to do it, rather than just jump out in front of them and surprise them….

If you do off-camera (remote) flash, light the rider from the side to prevent flattening the scene. This also has the benefit of not blinding the rider.

yes it would bother me. I get the idea that photographers at races are either there for publicity shots or to make some cash off of the vain but a random bloke hiding in the undergrowth taking photographs of other randoms on a public trail and potentially distracting them with a flash gun sounds somewhere between weird and annoying.

from experience, when I used to take photos at DH races, the people who would grumble and moan were way down the results sheet and looking for an excuse.

Nah, I’m that fast, I’ll be out of shot by the time it triggers. 😆

Never bothered me; even overnight – but then I’m not leading the pack or aiming to break records.

It is nice though to be forewarned a bit; sometimes it’s obvious as you can see camera kit strewn around and an umbrella on a stand. But other times when it’s just a bloke in a camo jacket with a wireless flash hidden in a bush it can be a bit surprising.

If I was intending to do it, I think I’d have a sign a little way up the trail saying ‘flash camera in XX metres’ just to be polite.

I would have no problem at races where you expect this sort of thing, but at Swinley I would be wondering why a random fella was taking photographs af a shit rider on some shit trails.

And how do you make sure you’re not taking pictures of kids or vulnerable adults? – might lead to some unpleasentness if you’re not careful.

Alternatively, get some mates out on a ride to session a section for you. Lure them with cakes.

As mentioned above, if you do it by remote up or side lighting, (notice that’s what the professional photographers do!) it isn’t a problem.
Facing head on to a rider so he gets the blast in the face is fekin annoying and particularly hazardous in a dark forest.

So long as the flas isn’t directly in line of sight I doubt if it would be too distracting. A massive burst of light directly into my eyes might result in a bit of flash blindness/ anger

If I was intending to do it, I think I’d have a sign a little way up the trail saying ‘flash camera in XX metres’ just to be polite.

yea, thought that, couple of laminated A4 signs, one at the start of the section, one “flash arround next corner”, and a 3rd one at the exit “e-mail ………..@yahoo for photos”.

Might e-mail Gorrick and see what they say, they do have a photographer linked from their website, don’t know if he’s paid something to be there.

At a race, no.
On a normal trail, yes it would bother me.

Totally agree with light it from the side, there is nothing worse than straight in your face, it can make you unsighted, and won’t make you popular. You might want to clear it with the event organiser as well.

You might want to clear it with the event organiser as well.

Still time to read the OP and edit that…

Wouldn’t bother me, had it happen before actually, but I can see some people getting funny about it.

As above it’s about where the flash is relative to the rider – if it was pointing at me front on then yes it is annoying and can be dangerous – side on, from the rear etc is not a big deal.

Still time to read the OP and edit that…

Already read it, and I stand my comment, just in case the OP is taking at an organised event. I maybe didn’t use enough words to explain myself clearly, if you notice the OP has made a later post mentioning Gorrick events.

Sorry sir, did you want me to do extra homework 🙄

And how do you make sure you’re not taking pictures of kids or vulnerable adults? – might lead to some unpleasentness if you’re not careful.

I checked the legalities, AFAIK in a public place, including private property with public access then it’s OK, unless it’s either is or could be ilegal subject matter or the person would expect a right to privacy (photographs through windows, swimming pools, toilets etc). the querry was in relation to rule 1 of everything, chiefly, ‘don’t be a dick’. I’ve een people before and it didn’t bothe rme, just wondered about others.

At a race a few years ago, in a dark tricky, rooty foresty section; some idiot pops out from behind a tree and FLASH! Full-on massive pro flashgun directly at me, just a couple of yards away. Temporarily blinded for a few moments, had to brake sharply as I couldn’t see the trail in front of me. Swore at the idiot, then later reported it to race organisers. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who’d complained, and at least one person had crashed as a result. Photographer wasn’t an official one and had disappeared. What a dick.

As above, that’s about being a dick, not about the photography itelf. The brighness/positioning of the flash is something I could think through beforehand and is almost incidental. I was assuming that the photography itself may/maynot rile people just as much.

FWIW the few people I saw yesterday stopped for a chat and promised to go through faster next time.

Already read it, and I stand my comment

I know what you meant, maybe Njee20 missed the intevening post about Gorrick.

There’s always option B, wear a high vis jacket and become almost invisible anywhere.

Is the trigger for remote flash or camera shutter?

Ian Linton’s thermonuclear flash setup, at a night enduro race (or maybe it was a night dh, not sure). You could see it coming because of all the kit but still, jesus, all the photons almost stopped me dead

As long as you’re not actually getting in the way or doing something similiarly antisocial I can’t see why anyone would have a problem with it… And if they do, they can stop and tell you and you can delete the pic. Unless they’re on a strava run in which case, **** em

from experience, when I used to take photos at DH races, the people who would grumble and moan were way down the results sheet and looking for an excuse.

Maybe you shouldn’t judge everyone based on your experience Jambo. But when you have 18″ of singletrack approaching a blind bend, are tired and its raining and then and arse with a massive camera suddenly pops out from behind a tree in crouching position and leans across half of it, its not very nice.

As above it’s about where the flash is relative to the rider – if it was pointing at me front on then yes it is annoying and can be dangerous

During that particular incident the flash was the other side of the corner – the outside – going of at the same time, so it was aim for the middle of the trail and cross my fingers.

Racing for some is about racing, not slowing down or risking an off for a pretty picture as far as the photographer is concerned.

Is the trigger for remote flash or camera shutter?

trigger for the remote flash, i.e. a little black box on the cameras hot shoe, not some trail side laser beam that trips the camera each time a rider passes, that’d be a boring day out for me (although potentialy lucrative I suppose if you just setup a load of cameras and sync’d to roots and rain).

arse with a massive camera suddenly pops out from behind a tree in crouching position and leans across half of it, its not very nice.

Not quite 6 of one half a dozen of the other, but clearly the photographers an arse being on the track, just like mountainbikers the 2 aren’t mutualy exclusive. But equaly, why would he jump out, more likely you just didn’t look up and see him, he’s probably been sat there patiently focusing on a tree/rock waiting for you to appear in his viewfinder.

No worries for me, if you could photoshop me an extra 2′ of air that would be brilliant 🙂

I have no problem as long as I have rights to the pictures & it’s written in the model release form you’ll ask me to sign

😉

Ah, thought it was the laser type.

How about flashing the rider from behind? The illumination can highlight flying mud/water or falling rain and give a really nice halo effect if done well (google wedding pics). Again helps with this dazzling problem. Or try high ISO without flash, or tracking with the rider to blur the background and give the effect of extra speed. A lot of riders need that 😉

How about flashing the rider from behind? The illumination can highlight flying mud/water or falling rain and give a really nice halo effect if done well (google wedding pics). Again helps with this dazzling problem. Or try high ISO without flash, or tracking with the rider to blur the background and give the effect of extra speed. A lot of riders need that

I’ve been playing about without flash for a while, it’s quite hard to do even in the open without overexposing the sky, in the woods it’s near impossible to get the rider, trail, sky and other stuff exposed correclty. Took very carefull picking of locations to find features that happend to catch the sunlight.

Wierdly I was expecting a lot of the results to look rubbish with riders bimbling allong, but actualy most people looked faster in the pics than they were.

I have no problem as long as I have rights to the pictures & it’s written in the model release form you’ll ask me to sign

Not required unless I sell the photo to someone other than you for purposes other than news reporting. Sorry to dissapoint but Vogue aren’t interested in this seasong #enduro fluro clobber and your mug :-p

No worries for me, if you could photoshop me an extra 2′ of air that would be brilliant

Ask Mrs Toast, I think she can add rainbows too. :-p

Or try high ISO without flash, or tracking with the rider to blur the background and give the effect of extra speed. A lot of riders need that

This often looks better anyway.

I did some photography at an uplift day at Hopton once for my photography evening class. I got in touch with the organisers a week or so before who said it was fine. I asked them if anyone would kill me but they said that it’s fairly common and as long as I was sensible I’d be fine.

I wasn’t really happy with my results generally, but for my first attempt at off-camera flash it was kind of ok..

jam bo – Member
get yourself to a DH/Enduro race. new rider every 30s.

only the shit ones complain about flashes.

stick them up on roots&rain afterwards and you might even make some money.And the really shit riders won’t even realise there was a photographer there because they just close their eyes and hope for the best.

Apparently.

Done a few uplift days and also some “mates races” and there are often photographers and I’ve never heard anyone whinge.

Yeah I really struggle with overexposing sky/underexposing land in the same shot. You could try a grad filter to knock back some of the light in the top part of the frame, or bracket the shot depending on your camera?

I find that my Canon 650d bracket metering isn’t that effective, and I’m better to shoot Raw at a decent exposure and knock back the sky/pull back the shadows in Camera Raw in post.

This often looks better anyway.

It can, but it still relies on the rider and background being arround the same exposure, the sky in that one’s come out white, which you could correct for with a polarised filter, or a flash which would have darkened the background and made the rider stand out more (on top of the already red pjamas and green background).