Skate/BMX photography

I'm sure some of the photographgers on here must have tried shooting something at their local skatepark at some point. Anyone want to share their shots in here for some C&C?

I haven't really tried it much before, but I've ended up doing 2 shoots at 2 different parks (1 indoor and 1 outdoor) with some friends this week.
Any feedback would on these shots would be great. I know there's definitely room for improvement, but I can't put my finger on what I'm doing wrong.

Here are a few sample images:

There are some more on my flickr here and here

Nice shots, what kinda kit you using?
I just traded my 15mm in against a camera for my girlfriend, was going to get rid of it anyway because it was too distorted for taking 'proper' pics but now i'm gonna have to shoot all my bmx stuff differently.
There's some of my better (imo) shots on my website here,
http://andephotographic.moonfruit.com/#/cycling/4532366294

Nice shots on your site. I like the smith on the rail.
These were all taken with my canon 20D, and I use all manual M42 glass. These were taken with a zenitar f2.8 16mm fisheye (I quite like the mild distortion on a crop sensor) and a soligor f2 28mm, but I've also been using my chinon CM3 for some film stuff at the park with the same glass, and a chinon f1.4 55mm.

What are you shooting on? and what was the 15mm lens you traded in?

I really only shoot digital for this kind of thing, i started off on film and went thru a couple years of having to wait till i got film back from dev to see if i'd caught barspins and tailwhips at the right time and stuff like that.
My digital body is a Nikon D3.
The lens i traded in was a Sigma 15mm f2.8.
Another part of the reason i got rid of it was that i have a bit of obsessive compulsive disorder and cannot stand dust on my sensor so my 50mm 1.8 has been on the body since i got the sensor cleaned about 3 months ago.
I'v just about bought a 24mm f2.8 off ebay (gotta transfer payment in the morning) and thats probably going to live on my Nikon f75 unless i find i prefer it to the 50mm in which case it'll go on the D3.

maybe NSFW : )

I really want a wider lens, but I like using the 50mm at the moment (equivalent about 80mm on the digididiggital camera)

Here are some shots from riding sesh's last summer, of my mate who hates it when I bring my camera out:

some wobbly as fuck rail at Birmingham uni

Somewhere near Bham uni...

Round the back of the flapper & firkin pub

Bank to rail at a primary school near bham uni... an icepick or toothpick would have looked much better, but we were both too knackered to do anything good... just getting onto the rail was a massive achievement

Same school as above

Any feedback would on these shots would be great. I know there's definitely room for improvement, but I can't put my finger on what I'm doing wrong.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samdoman/4277089039/meta/in/set-72157623217948740

ISO Speed: 100

That, for a start.

Not really done much of this type but here's a few.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USymerubRQQ

This video rocks... literately, amazing tune by http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os82RSWJjWE
.

i mainly film when i get a chance to skate.

But im gonna start shooting some photos soon. RB67 & 37mm fish :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samdoman/4277089039/meta/in/set-72157623217948740

Quote:
ISO Speed: 100

That, for a start.

Don't see what's wrong with shooting at iso100.
Especially when using flash.
Exif data says it was a 20d which won't have very good high iso performance so sticking at 100 ensures clean images which i'd say Sam Doman's are.

Not BMX/Skate but similar shot, my latest attempt:

anyone shoot hassy/fish or mamiya RZ for skating/similar?

Don't see what's wrong with shooting at iso100.
Especially when using flash.

Because at ISO 100, in an artificially-lit skatepark, you're only going to be recording light from the flash. All you can see in the picture is a BMX rider surrounded by blackness. If you actually like that sort of picture, and having 'clean images' is more important to you than taking a decent picture with some detail in it, then fair enough - each to his/her own.

Just for example, here's a picture taken at ISO 1600 (actually it's Fuji Provia 400 pushed to 1600) shot with flash. Especially.

If I'd taken that with ISO 100 film you wouldn't be able to see the bowl Niki's airing out of, you'd just see a bloke randomly floating in a sea of blackness.

But it would be a 'clean image' and that's all that matters, right?

Not really. if, for example, the correct exposure for a shot with a flash was f8, 1/125 @ iso100, shifting the iso up a couple of stops to iso 400 would make the correct exposure 2 stops slower, so it would be f16, 1/125. This means the exposure of the background will be the same, proportionally to the exposure on the flash. However, the DoF will be broader. If a faster iso setting had been used, and the exposure settings left the same, the ambient may be exposed better, but the subject in the light of the flash will be over-exposed.
I chose iso 100 for low noise, as I had sufficient DoF for this shot at this speed.
To increase the levels of ambient light, I should have used a lower shutter speed.
I see where you are coming from though.

Have some more recent shots that I'd like some criticism on, I'll stick them up in a second.

Because at ISO 100, in an artificially-lit skatepark, you're only going to be recording light from the flash. All you can see in the picture is a BMX rider surrounded by blackness. If you actually like that sort of picture, and having 'clean images' is more important to you than taking a decent picture with some detail in it, then fair enough - each to his/her own.

Just for example, here's a picture taken at ISO 1600 (actually it's Fuji Provia 400 pushed to 1600) shot with flash. Especially.

If I'd taken that with ISO 100 film you wouldn't be able to see the bowl Niki's airing out of, you'd just see a bloke randomly floating in a sea of blackness.

But it would be a 'clean image' and that's all that matters, right?

Yeah fair enough, i see what you're saying about exposing for the ambient light of the background more but i actually like Sam Doman's images so much BECAUSE the rider/skater is so dominant.
I think that the images you posted are pretty ordinary snaps whereas Sam's images are different because of the low iso cleanliness and the lack of distracting background.
Gives them more of a professional look IMO.

Not really. if, for example, the correct exposure for a shot with a flash was f8, 1/125 @ iso100, shifting the iso up a couple of stops to iso 400 would make the correct exposure 2 stops slower, so it would be f16, 1/125. This means the exposure of the background will be the same, proportionally to the exposure on the flash. However, the DoF will be broader. If a faster iso setting had been used, and the exposure settings left the same, the ambient may be exposed better, but the subject in the light of the flash will be over-exposed.
I chose iso 100 for low noise, as I had sufficient DoF for this shot at this speed.
To increase the levels of ambient light, I should have used a lower shutter speed.
I see where you are coming from though.

Have some more recent shots that I'd like some criticism on, I'll stick them up in a second.

What kind of flash do you use?
Anything with TTL metering should compensate for the increased iso and not over expose the main subject.
But as i said above, i wouldn't change the way you work.

Ah yeah, I see. I'm using manual lenses, and manual flashes. Everything is fully by hand. It's cool that people have their own style though. I really like your bowl shot. Some of my stuff has a lot more ambient light, and is more composition based. I'll try and find a couple of examples.
I love LaLiLuLeLo's first shot, it's awesome.

quick shot from mile end park last summer -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sampringle/sets/72157623153309785/
Here are some of my latest shots from the last two weekends out riding.
only just getting to grips with flash, so all is pretty basic, just using it to highlight the rider.
Am looking to get another 550ex and a slave trigger soon, to start playing around with flash a bit more.
The Last two of the set are dead old, shot at the start of the summer.
any C+C would be welcome.

Here's one from today:

The shaddow across the face is really annoying though.

I'm just sorting out some more shots, then I'll find the sample I promised earlier.

It's probably easier to just have a look on flickr, instead of filling this thread with pictures. Skate/Bmx stuff is the most frustrating photography I have ever attempted. There's something to ruin every photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samdoman/sets/72157623278145726/detail/

Not really. if, for example, the correct exposure for a shot with a flash was f8, 1/125 @ iso100, shifting the iso up a couple of stops to iso 400 would make the correct exposure 2 stops slower, so it would be f16, 1/125. This means the exposure of the background will be the same, proportionally to the exposure on the flash. However, the DoF will be broader. If a faster iso setting had been used, and the exposure settings left the same, the ambient may be exposed better, but the subject in the light of the flash will be over-exposed.
I chose iso 100 for low noise, as I had sufficient DoF for this shot at this speed.
To increase the levels of ambient light, I should have used a lower shutter speed.
I see where you are coming from though.

Have some more recent shots that I'd like some criticism on, I'll stick them up in a second.
Most canon digital cameras sync at 1/250... or at least 1/200. The 20D you are using syncs at 1/250 sec.

I'm not sure what flash you're using - howeever, all but the cheapest, crappest of manual flashes I've seen have got variable power - down to 1/4 power at the very least, some down to 1/128 power.

Even if your flash only fires on full power, you can move it further away from the subject to reduce the light intensity. Inverse square law and all that. However, that would require you to have the flash off the camera (edit: which it looks like you do anyway). Another alternative is to use neutral density gel(s) - they're cheap as chips.

Yeah fair enough, i see what you're saying about exposing for the ambient light of the background more but i actually like Sam Doman's images so much BECAUSE the rider/skater is so dominant.
I think that the images you posted are pretty ordinary snaps whereas Sam's images are different because of the low iso cleanliness and the lack of distracting background.
Gives them more of a professional look IMO.

Yeah, like I said, each to his/her own, but lol @ 'ordinary snaps' :D

Some fockin rad shots here: http://theskateboardmag.com/articles/fresh-crops-matt-price/

some I'm not that keen on, cant be bothered to go into why but I really like numbers 2, 3, 13 and maybe 14

is it me or do the shadows here look a bit to defined / touched up... they just don't look right

it's so difficult to tell these days with digital camera's