Of the various techniques that pro photographers use to capture cycling (and other) action, there are two that are most likely to be helpful to the bicycling photographer. These are called pre-focusing and panning. Pre-focusing is excellent for tightly-framed shots which reveal skill, effort or character. Panning is a great way to give a strong sense of speed.
Pre-focusing
Pre-focusing was extremely helpful back when we all did our shooting with manual-focus cameras. Only the most skilled could keep fast-moving subjects in focus; the rest of us found it a lot easier to pick a spot and wait for the subject to come to us! This doesn’t work with open-field games like football, but works brilliantly for many subjects like track runners in lanes, and of course cyclists on road or trail.
Today almost everyone uses autofocus cameras, but pre-focusing still really helps because:
- Autofocus systems, especially on older or cheaper cameras, often still struggle to lock on to moving-subjects;
- Using autofocus can significantly slow the camera’s response - and with many digital cameras shutter delay is already a bugbear;
- It helps you home in on the exact spot where you want to take the shot. Pre-focusing helps you ‘see’ the shot ahead of time and make sure you shoot when the rider’s in the best place.
On mountain bike trails you can often pick a specific ‘marker’ for your shot, like the lip of a drop-off or a rock or tree across the trail. These are usually the places where the action gets interesting anyway.
On road rides look for the crest of a climb or the apex of a tight bend, or just fix some reference point like a tuft of grass on the verge.
You don’t even have to switch to manual focusing if you don’t want to (and not every camera will let you anyway); most cameras will lock focus if you half-press the shutter button. Some have a separate focus lock control.
Experiment with this technique and review the shots you get. You may find that you (or the camera) are consistently late on the action; if so, try and shoot a fraction earlier, before the rider reaches your ‘marker’. If you think you’re consistently early on the shot (the rider appears too far away and/or too small) this suggests you’re jumping the gun: relax and don’t over-anticipate.
Panning
Normally, you should aim to keep the camera still for sharp photos. Panning is the classic exception to this rule. The aim is to follow a moving rider so that they remain basically sharp, while the background becomes blurred by the movement of the camera.
Panning works best when:
- The rider is moving across your field of view;
- Is at a roughly constant distance from the camera;
- You aren’t too close, so you don't have to pan too fast. Stand back and try a lens around 80 - 100 mm. On mountain bike trails in forests, though, you may not have that much room!
With panned shots, you can use quite slow shutter-speeds. Experiment with these, starting at 1/30th or 1/60th sec. The key skill is to follow the rider with a smooth swinging motion before, during and after tripping the shutter. As in golf or tennis, the ‘follow-through’ is important. As far as possible, hold the camera normally, and make the panning movement from waist and hips. This helps to keep it smooth, and avoids unwanted jiggling up and down.
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