Seb Rogers: mountain bike photography

Happy 20th birthday, MBUK

Mountain Biking UK, Britain's best-selling bike mag, is 20 years old this month. Happy birthday, MBUK!

If you're not a UK-based rider, it's hard to appreciate just how large the mag looms in the consciousness of just about anyone who's ever taken an interest in riding off-road on this small island of ours. Despite its consistent sales success, it's attracted its fair share of criticism over the years. Giving over page space to minority niches like trials, deliberately supporting young talent and cheerfully going out of its way to challenge preconceptions, MBUK has often been derided as a 'comic', 'for kids', and generally unsuitable for 'serious' riders.

To which I've always replied, well, it's aimed at kids of all ages (cos bikes are great, and allow all of us to relive a little bit of our childhoods every time we ride). And it's also, as far as I know, the only mag anywhere to cover cross-country, downhill, freeride, trials, dirt jumping, street and every variation in between. For all its faults, I think MBUK's great.

It's also been a blast to work for. Although the mag's been around now for longer than I've been riding (I got my first bike muddy in 1990), I'm slightly amazed at the realisation that I've been a contributor for 12 years. Cue this unashamedly nostalgic random trawl through some of my early MBUK images:

Jo Burt, Devils Dyke, South Downs

This picture was actually never published in MBUK, but it was shot for a 'last ride of summer' feature. Jo and I headed out for a blustery trundle over the downs under a sky that was changing every few minutes. We'd stopped here for a rest, and I spotted the shaft of sunlight from behind this cloud. Jo climbed the hill, I snapped off a couple of frames... and the light was gone (the signpost has long since, disappeared, too, replaced by a far less aesthetically pleasing fingerpost).

Brett Tippie, Kamloops, BC

Richie Schley and Brett Tippie, Pemberton, BC

In 1998 the bike media was just beginning to pay attention to the burgeoning freeride scene in British Columbia, but there was scant interest in the UK. So I packed my bags, headed over to Vancouver for a couple of weeks and spent a total of three days shooting with Rocky Mountain's 'Froride team of Richie Schley, Brett Tippie and Wade Simmons. MBUK ran the resulting pics in three separate features, and the 'Froriders went on to become international stars (though the two facts aren't, I suspect, related).

Jo Burt, Shoreham airport

MBUK's cartoonist-in-residence, Jo Burt, needed a new set of suspension forks from Yorkshire-based manufacturer Pace. He also knew someone who knew someone who had access to a small twin-engined plane based at nearby Shoreham airport on the south coast. A couple of phone calls and a slightly singed credit card later, and we were both crammed - with Jo's bike - into a tiny aircraft, on a mission. Less than 9 hours later we were home with a shiny new set of forks...

Solar eclipse, Dartmoor

How d'you shoot a total solar eclipse for a mountain bike mag? Perch a bunch of riders equipped with lights on the edge of a big rock on Dartmoor, ignore the new-age chanting from the neighbouring rock and watch in subdued amazement as daylight turns to dusk in a matter of a couple of minutes. There's no trickery in this shot - it really was this dark. Very strange - shame we couldn't actually see the sun (the camera was pointed in exactly the right direction, but there wasn't much I could do about the thick cloud cover).

MBUK Olympics, private pool, Somerset

The 2000 Olympics gave the mag all the excuse it needed to invent its own version... with added bikes. Cue much classic MBUK silliness and a mad day of shooting. Somehow - I'm still not sure exactly how - we'd managed to persuade the owners of a high-end private health spa to let us use their outdoor pool for a couple of hours. Paying guests looked on in polite bemusement as we held impromptu high-dive and synchronised swimming competitions. Portholes in the pool wall gave me this underwater view - which was just as well, because I hadn't thought to rent a housing for my F5.

Jeff Lenosky and twin towers, NYC

As far as I know, the iconic World Trade Center twin towers have only ever appeared in MBUK once - in this image. Which, in a classically ironic piece of unfortunate timing, hit the newsstands on 12th September 2001. Events beyond our control, and all that...

Josh Bender, Utah

Josh Bender was the maverick rider who, almost out of nowhere, shook up freeride by attempting drops that no-one thought possible. Whilst he received huge publicity and some notoriety as a result, he also attracted an almost unprecedented level of hostility. I was heading out to Vegas in early 2002 anyway, so I gave him a call and asked if I could go for a ride. I found a friendly, surprisingly self-deprecating rider whose smooth, fluid style on his local Utah trails would probably have silenced many of his critics. The resulting pics ran in a interview-style feature in MBUK.

Oli Beckingsale, Cwm Carn

This is still one of my favourite cross-country pics, shot on a section of trail that's since been clear-cut. I remember this shot because I was running out of light, shooting at 1/125sec and f/2.8 on Fuji Provia 100 pushed a stop to ISO 200... and with a single remote flash hidden away behind a tree. Yep, I was shooting remote flash waaaaay before digital.

Thanks for the memories, MBUK. Here's to plenty more...

Cover: What Mountain Bike June '08

So here's the brief: go to the Lake District - one of the UK's most gob-smackingly beautiful areas, chock full of great riding and jaw-dropping vistas - and come back with a cover that sums up both the riding and the scenery. Simple, huh? Well, you'd have thunk so.

Nikon D300, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/250sec f/9 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

Problem number one was that, on the designated day for the shoot, the weather closed in. I mean really closed in. Sixty mile an hour winds and driving hail - the kind of weather that you'd think twice about going out in at all, never mind with a bike and several thousand pounds' worth of camera gear.

So I waited for the worst of the weather to blow over and used the time in the afternoon to brave the elements and do some exploration on foot. Which was when problem number two hove into view - combining a good riding shot and epic scenery in a format that suits a UK magazine cover isn't nearly as easy as you'd think, even when every corner you turn presents another picture postcard panorama. See, there are lots of boxes to tick:

- bike and rider occupying around half the frame, roughly central
- riders' eyes clearly visible
- bike brand (and preferably model) clearly visible
- rider 'doing' something interesting - cornering; climbing or dropping off something steep
- trail visible in both foreground and background
- space above the rider for the masthead; space below and to each side for coverlines

So where does the scenery go? Good question. To one side. And that means finding a trail that's kinda fairly extremely on the edge of something pretty darn steep, with the right kind of view just off to one side. Harder than it sounds.

But after about three hours of trudging around an area that looked promising on the map but which was yielding frustratingly little in the way of both trail and view (though plenty of either on their own), I finally stumbled upon - literally - this nice little rock drop with a great fells-and-lake backdrop. Perfect.

Luckily for me, when we finally got back there two days later, the sun remained obstinately behind the clouds. That would normally irritate me, but since it would've been directly behind the rider's head and a potential source of flare and contrast problems, I was quite happy for it to have the day off - it let me add my own artificial sun. To paraphrase Joe McNally, available light is any old light source I happen to have available at the time...

The end of copyright law as we know it?

Update 12th May 2008: I'm far from the only photographer concerned about this. For an informed view from the perspective of a clued-up north American photographer, go here. It's a long read, but it's well argued and sets out in detail the potential repercussions of the proposed bills as they stand. There are also some well-reasoned counter-arguments at the end of the post, with some informed individuals cautioning that the initial knee-jerk reaction from many photographers is based on incorrect assumptions. I suggest you read it and make up your own mind. However the checks and balances are worked out, the bill still represents a fundamental shift in copyright law which, on the face of it, will do photographers no favours.

The Orphan Works Bill currently making its way through the US Senate is something that's likely to affect every photographer, musician, videographer, writer and artist on the planet... if it's passed into law. That means you. And by 'affect', I don't mean in a good way.

Yeah, I know. Seb's banging on about copyright again, yaddayadda blahblahblah. But this is something you really should pay attention to, because although - as with all legislative bureacracy - it's not exactly light entertainment catching up on the details, the potential consequences could blow a big hole in your world. Not to mention your bank balance.

Here's the gist: if this bill is passed, any image, anywhere in the world, that isn't registered with a US-based commerical copyright registry, is liable to be defined as an 'orphan' (in other words, ownership can't be proved). Under the proposed terms of the bill, such orphans are effectively free for use. Some photographers have called the bill a thieves' charter.

Under exisiting international copyright law you don't have to do a thing to protect your creative works; the copyright is automatically yours. Under the proposed changes you will only have the full protection afforded by copyright if you register with one of the privately-run, US-based copyright registries.

In effect this means that the vast majority of photographic imagery - whether pro or amateur - could be up for grabs, for free, by corporate America.

And yes, that potentially includes all your images on your Flickr account. Heck, it could include the whole of Flickr.

There's more to it than that, and I suggest you follow this link to find out more. Or listen to this podcast:

If this isn't bad enough in its global implications, whatever passes into law in the US is bound to affect the upcoming review of copyright laws in the UK. And, er, did I mention it's not likely to be in a good way?

Photo course 2008: the first batch

Update: booked on the May course? Don't worry - you didn't get the dates wrong! The April course was a late addition to cope with overwhelming demand. The May and October courses will run as usual.

The first 2008 photo course - in which half a dozen willing volunteers are subjected to a weekend of riding, photography, tea, cakes and beer - has been and gone. Despite biblical quantities of rain on the second day, the group came away with some memorable images.

Thanks to Mike Davis of Bikemagic for logistical support, pro elbows and unstinting enthusiasm... and to Alan, Chris, Dave, Gary, Richard and Sheldon for proving that it's possible to ditch the green square and get to grips with histograms, manual focus and panning techniques in just three days.

Canon 5d, 50mm, 1/250sec f/2.8 @ ISO800

Nikon D70, Sigma 10-20mm, 1/100sec f/5.6 @ ISO800, single on-camera flash

In case you're wondering... I'm afraid there are no more places available on the remaining two courses in 2008, and I already have a long reserve list. But if you'd like to add your name for a possible future course, drop me a line.

D3 shoots black cat in coal cellar

Well, almost.

The interweb is clearly lacking in pictures of people's pets shot with their expensive new camera gear *. So when Jasper climbed into the cat igloo we bought him 18 months ago for the first time ever today, there was only one thing for me to do. Grab thousands of pounds' worth of D3 and wide zoom, stick the lens through the small opening in the igloo, and attempt to cajole the sensor into giving me a usable image from the available gloom inside.

There was so little light the meter wasn't working properly, so I hazarded a guess. Here's the result:

Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/20sec f/2.8 @ ISO12800

No that's not a typo - that really is ISO twelve thousand eight hundred. Five stops more sensitive than ISO400.

Yeah, it's kinda noisy in the shadows (of which there are a lot in this picture). I can see a couple of stuck pixels. But hey, it's a usable image in a situation that would've required an exposure of 2 seconds at f/2.8 with ISO400. Blimey, strewth and all that.

Practical applications? I don't know, yet. But it's reassuring to know that I could take pictures of a black cat in a coal cellar at night, if I really wanted to. I think...

* Er, not...

Hello sky, hello ground

Mountain bike photography isn't without its risks - and not always the ones you'd expect. See that guy in the orange jacket falling into the bushes? That's me, that is...

See, it all started with a Manfrotto magic arm attached to the bike, my D40X with fisheye and Pocket Wizard transmitter attached to the magic arm, and me running alongside with an infrared remote and slave flash. It's surprisingly hard to point the remote in roughly the right direction, the flash in exactly the right direction, time the shots to match pedal strokes and still have time to keep half an eye on where your feet are.

Or perhaps not that surprising, after all. Hmm, let's see... what could possibly go wrong with this setup...?

Yep, I got the shots. Eventually.

New screensaver, updated site

I've just completed the biggest update yet to my main portfolio site. There's an excerpt from Singletrack's interview with me last year, dozens of new images and, best of all, the new screensaver has more pictures to inspire you to get out and ride and is now available in higher resolutions to suit bigger monitors.

Check it out!

Tech note: if you have a previous version of the screensaver installed, delete it before you download and install the new version. The new screensaver sometimes doesn't install and run properly if there's an older version still installed.

Cover: MBUK May '08

Nikon D300, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/400sec f/5.6 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

For MBUK's May 2008 issue I shot team GT rider Dave Wardell looking slightly disconcerted as he jumped into a downslope over some particularly gnarly (no, really) roots to illustrate the mag's 'getting the best from your all-mountain rig' feature. Dave's a great rider and wasn't nearly as fazed by this move as he appears.

(Side note: this isn't, actually, my favourite shot from the shoot. Not even close, as it happens - which probably goes to show that photographers should never be allowed to make important layout decisions on their own images. This is one of the earlier shots from the day, and I was still struggling with light placement. That's why the back of the bike isn't as well lit as I'd like (I managed to sort it in the end) and why this shot is in my 'must try harder' bracket. But it clearly works as a cover, and that's all that matters.)

Nikon D300, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/250sec f/7.1 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

One of my favourite shots did make the feature opener. I was trying to lie under the roots to emphasise their, er, gnarliness. Worked well for the feature but not so well for the cover.

Shooting the feature itself was particularly fun. Dave had to keep changing kit and ride his GT Sanction in all kinds of different scenarios from cross-country to dirt jumps and freeride. I don't think his hangover helped much, but he's a total professional and pulled some great moves out of the bag. Here are two of my favourite shots from the day that didn't make the final cut:

Moto double:

Nikon D300, 85mm f/1.4, 1/320sec f/3.5 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

Mossy wall ride:

Nikon D300, 85mm f/1.4, 1/320sec f/2.5 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

Sshhh! D3 at work...

Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/30 sec f/4 @ ISO1600

It's a good idea, when you buy a new piece of kit, to get some idea of how it behaves before you go out and use it in anger. So I've been having a play with the D3 today, trying to get some sense of how useable high ISO is. (You might notice the lack of bikes in these pics - we're fogbound here today, and anyway it's good to shoot other stuff sometimes. Kinda like doing scales on the piano. Keeps my shooting finger supple...)

'Noise' seems a strangely inappropriate word, frankly. It's bloomin' quiet, even at ISO1600. Here's a 100% crop from the image above, processed straight from raw out of Bibble with no noise reduction. None. Nada.

Impressed? I was. There's a hint of chroma noise (that's the ugly coloured blotchy stuff) - just a hint, mind, and barely any luma noise (that's the stuff that makes it look 'grainy') to speak of. It's significantly better than the D2X was at ISO400. A lot better. Wow.

Of course, the flip side to this wonderful lack of ugly noise is that, when you want to get all arty, you have to really crank things up. I shot this at ISO25600 (now there's a figure I never expected to be typing) and converted it to toned mono in Bibble with the noise reduction switched off. Even at this reduced size you should be able to see the 'grain'. Lovely.

Nikon D3, 85mm f/1.4, 1/4000 sec f/11 @ ISO25600

What does this mean in practice? I'm not entirely sure yet, but it'll certainly give me more options shooting action under thick tree cover. Watch this space...

Next up

You might think that the current crop of megapixel dSLR wonders is pretty impressive (I certainly do), but you can bet your bottom dollar there's some even better stuff around the corner:

- In-viewfinder dynamic range indicators
Those rear LCD blinkies - which show the highlight areas that are blown or close to blowing - are useful to help set exposure. Why not have an option to overlay them in the viewfinder, in real time? Video cameras have had a similar feature for years. And while you're at it, can I have a shadow blinky too (with an adjustable threshold - say between 3 and 5 stops below mid grey)?

- Post-Bayer sensors
Unless you currently use a Sigma dSLR (or the new DP1 compact), you'll be shooting with a Bayer sensor. Bayer sensors - which use an array of blue, green and red filters - only record a single colour at each pixel location and rely on demosaicing algorithms to interpolate the missing colour information.

Clever stuff, but what if you could record all the colours at each pixel location, and cut out the computer guesswork? That's what the Sigma sensors do. The principal advantage is that conventional pixel wisdom goes out of the window - Sigma advocates claim sharper, cleaner per-pixel images from sensors containing fewer pixels than their rivals. Put another way, a 10 million pixel non-Bayer sensor should be capable of delivering detail similar to a 30 million pixel Bayer sensor.

The technology used in Sigma's sensors is heavily patented, but you can be certain that the big players are working on alternatives.

- Auto composition mode
We've already got 'face detection' and Nikon's 'scene recognition system', but why stop there? Sophisticated algorithms could compare the scene currently framed in the viewfinder with a database of 'ideal' compositions and make real-time suggestions in the form of voice prompts to improve the outcome. 'Move left so the tree doesn't look like it's growing out of your mother-in-law's head'... that kind of thing.

- HD video
News organisations have been making use of HD video for a couple of years. Multi-platform use (print, web, streaming video) means it sometimes makes more sense to send a videographer to cover an event, then pull individual frames out of the resulting footage to use as stills (the quality sucks and video isn't capable of freezing action in the same way as still cameras can, but there you go - another victory for the bean-counters).

News photographers are already dipping their toes in the HD water. So why not give them cameras that can be used for both hi-res stills and HD video? The 'live view' modes in recent dSLRs and HDMI outputs on new Nikons and Sonys gives a hint of what's likely just around the corner - HD video recording on dSLRs. There are some technical hurdles to be overcome, but I'd put money on the successor to Canon's 1DMk3 having some kind of HD recording mode.

- Live upload
Why record to a puny flash drive in the camera when you could upload to a remote server wirelessly, wherever you are? Built-in wireless is surely just around the corner; add a SIM card and mobile contract and you've got wireless data transfer just about anywhere... with a backup to the card in the camera, if you feel that way inclined.