Sea Otter Classic - 2011

[Prettym1k3]

Finally made it out to shoot some Downhill Racing. I hardly do anything bicycle related anymore, so it felt good.

Once again, the weather was amazing at Sea Otter. I got seriously sun burned.

My favorite shot of the day:

1.

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2.

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3.

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4.

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5.

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6.

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7.

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[darylb]

Cool shots. #3 looks like he might be about to have a problem.

 

[Prettym1k3]

Believe it or not, the guy in #3 totally rode out that almost-over-the-bars landing. But yeah, it looks like he's definitely going down for the count.

 

[AlJohnston]

Wow - he looks like a shoo-in for the "ultra-lightweight face brake" option :biggrin:

Nice shots

 

[gociggie31]

Sea-Otter classic, cool event, cool venue.
What did you shot 5 and 6 with?
All Nice shots!

 

[Jewson]

Nice shots . . #5 is my favourite . .

 

[Aqualung]

nice set, nice variety. #4 is my fave, just crop that rider out from the right edge...what's w/ the line in #2?

 

[Prettym1k3]

Thanks guys. These were quick shots. Shot mostly in jpeg, imported to Lightroom, +5 on the blacks, +2 on the contrast, and then exported and uploaded. Simple as that. If I was trying to get an image into a magazine or something, I'd definitely do some more work to these.

DJ - Those were done with the 24mm end of the 24-70. Needless to say, I was sticking my $4000 worth of equipment (D700/24-70) into a dangerous area. Those shots were taken less than 3 feet from the riders, and in mid-air, there's no stopping a 40+ lb. bike with a 180 lb. rider on it. :biggrin: But I think it was well worth the risk to get those shots.

Chris (Aqualung) - That's the line for the DH course practice. I got there at 8am, and that's what the line looked like. In fact, what you don't see, is that that picture only shows about 1/3 of the line. My guess? There were at least 500+ people in line at 8am. Insanity, for sure. But truly devoted mountain bikers.

 

[Russ_]

Fantastic! Love the WA shots!

 

[cbbr]

Very cool! I miss DH riding down here.

 

[Prettym1k3]

Fantastic! Love the WA shots!

Wish I had a 14-24 or... anything really. A 16-35, or a 17-35 would have been nice, too, so that I could toss a filter onto the front of the lens. I felt like shooting at 24mm was good, but shooting at 20mm or even 22mm would have been so much better.

Thanks guys!

 

[blindman]

good stuff Mike. saw the sea otter title and knew it was your thread right away.

 

[kbutler84]

I really like #4 and #5. Just wish the background in #5 was a little nicer to look at (obviously nothing you could do anything about)

 

[kuzzy]

Nice job Mike. I like #4 best as well, even though you cannot see the riders face you can feel the concentration from his posture. I also think the riders coming up behind him add to the shot nicely.

 

[Prettym1k3]

Thanks guys!

Yeah, I wish you could see the riders' eyes and faces in some of the shots, but with the helmet and the goggles, it's just not always possible. That's why I think I like #1 the best. He's got a full lean into the berm, he's rippin' fast, and you can see the concentration in his eyes. I love it.

Maybe I'll race next year... Who knows? LOL!

 

[Billy_M]

#7 is the best of the set !