Inshot insight

Probably since the dawn of the digital camera and photoshop, this question regularly comes up. So why have I come up with it? I hear you ask.  I assure you my reasons are genuine. I am also very pleased with the result.

The following shot is a single RAW shot HDR.

SBR Suzuki Promo

My target for the day was to finish with images that could be used in promotional publications for the sponsors. The Team Suzuki image shown earlier is one that was used as it showed the AGV/Nationwide Sponsor well.

The other high profile sponsor that I needed to show was Suzuki. It was a 4 day meeting and within the first hour of being out scouting the track I knew where the shot needed to be. On the opposite side of the back straight there was a Suzuki billboard. It was about 20 metres away and angled away from the track. But I knew with a little patience I could work out the correct angle and speed of pan to line up the unit and billboard. While I was timing my panning speed another photographer, complete with copious amounts of lenses  and monopods hanging from his belt, approached inquiring about what I was up to. After describing my planned outcome he stood for a moment and proclaimed that he couldn’t be bothered going to such lengths just to get the right shot. His answer was what “he did all the time” – two shots and cut out the bit you want and add it to the other. He scoffed at the thought of not using the preset functions and shooting in RAW instead of jpg and left.

Please don’t misunderstand, I am far from being a photo purist or ‘pixel pincher’ but I do believe in the idea of getting it right in camera rather than always relying on photoshop to tidy up or make the image. I enjoy the process of the challenge set, proving to myself that it can be done. Using my equipment and resources to accomplish the desired result. I was even fun during the down times with the race team and pit crew as they listened to me voicing my frustration that I was still about half a wheel length out. Then joning in later with my elation that I got it.

So what am I saying here – yes I know, sorry this has been a long one – to  sum it up I have to use a quote that I first heard on a tfttf  podcast by Chris Marquardt - it goes something like this -

‘Pictures are created through practice not purchase’.

It has taken me a little while to think about this. One month ago, Sunday25th April was Anzac Day. So at 5am my family and I attended the dawn rememberance parade.  Certainly a time for reflection. Army, Navy and Air cadets were on duty as cenotaph guard, standing absolutely still to attention in front of thousands of people there to pay their respects. It was during the quiet reflective moments between speeches that I realised what it was that was bothering me. Camera flashes. I considered it for a moment and decided that you could probably capture quite an emotional image; the young cadet in front of the cenotaph head bowed in respect.  So when was it a shot too far I hear you cry? These were the ones taken by people during the “Last Post”. This is probably the time when emotions are at their highest. I believe there is a right and wrong time to capture a moment. Here is a moment I captured at the Boxing Day Cemetery Circuit races in 2008.

Bryce Meads Cemetery Circuit 08

The unlucky rider is Bryce Meads. On the overbridge corner he hit the hay bales and was catapulted from his bike, hitting the fence on the otherside of the barrier. Racing was delayed for quite some time while Paramedics attended to him. It was during this period that a fellow photographer kept snapping, getting between the ambulance crew to ‘get that shot’. All I could think was ‘what shot?’ The intrusion on the rider’s situation was inexcusable. Am I the only one with this thought?

I am happy (and relieved) to say that Steve was absolutely knocked sideways. A real success. Let me know what you think.

Team Suzuki HDR promotion image

What did I do…… I generated a pseudo HDR image from a single RAW file. Extracted unwanted areas, a bit of obvious beveling, then a little darkening overlay on the background and a touch of highlighting over the bike just to bring it out a bit. Hope you like it. The most difficult part was finding a font to match the Suzuki decals. After a lot of searching I settled on Swiss721.