A Camera and Mountain Bike: Photo Journal by Matt

In photography it is important to explore- it keeps your skills tuned, and can open your eyes to new and amazing things. Located right in our backyard of Northville, Michigan is Maybury State Park, and it seemed like a good idea to head out in the rain with just a bike and a camera to see what inspiration or unique shots could be found over a couple hours. Below are some of the pictures just using a 50mm on a Canon, and some tips explanation/tips for the photos.

It was muddy, and the rain was not going to stop, but there is something that is kind of boring about a blue-sky sunny day in photography. Whether it is a challenge to yourself, or just breaking the norm, pushing into situations that other people wont will keep your photos new and exciting. Try switching the white balance to “cloudy” and picture style to “landscape” for colorful shots on a dreary day.

Depth and repeating geometry, here are some tips:

• Frame the shot so the focal point is not centered, but not at the edge of the frame. (Rule of thirds!)
• Try tilting the camera body to get a different perspective.

Wild animal photography can be a great time, everything from tracking it, challenging your camera talents, and connecting with nature. I have found that the best approach for this is the following:

1. Always respect the animals space, using a zoom lens and common sense are big here.
2. Approach animals in a calm and nonthreatening way; crouch down, look uninterested, and move slowly.
3. Keep your camera ready! If you want great photos, be ready to capture the great moments. If your camera isn’t near your eye, keep it at chest-level as you approach, so when your ready to shoot your movements are minimal.

It was fairly dark out (it was raining) around 6pm when these shots were taking, and a couple things helped a lot here. Increase the ISO to a comfortable level, mine is around 400, which then allowed my exposure time to be around 1/80s. The f/1.8 Canon 50mm (the “nifty fifty” we have talked about before) is great because of the amount of light it lets in, as well as the blurring it provides.

Maybury State Park is home to a lot of wild animals, and I stumbled upon a couple group of deer who were nice enough to let me get close and take some photos. Deer are by nature very timid, but they have sharp hooves and if they feel cornered they are known to defend themselves. My sign that I was too close was when one of the stomped both their feet into the dirt; I slowly got on my way!

Something about a rainy day makes you want to shoot in monochrome mode (black and white), and sometimes there are photos that just look better in it. This bench was a small pit-stop along the trail, and just stuck out as a nice shot.. to all their own!

After what came to be a 22-mile day of biking, returning home in puring rain, it was all worth it. I had my trusty LowePro Slingshot that has a built-in “tent” to keep everything dry, turned out to be a savior. I think next time I will attempt to bring the Canon 70-200mm, maybe try to get some tighter photos, but nothing beat the portability and low maintenance of a simple rig.