Motocross in Finland.

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05-31-2010, 10:36 AM
moilami

Motocross in Finland.

This is a photo report of Mikkeli national motocross championships in Finland 29.5.-30.5.2010, and a lense test. Unfortunately I did not see any china bikes except mine and maybe some scooters.

I got from my friend Tuomo a bag full of old photography gear. In it was two 30 – 40 years old lenses. The wide angle lense was about 40 years old 28mm f3.5 Nikkor, and the telephoto lense was Sigma 135mm f2.8. Both work in my Nikon D50 in full manual mode only. I wanted to test the lenses and what was better than to go photograph motocross racing for the first time in my life? Here is the first picture of a man washing a small motocross bike.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_1.jpg

Even though the competion was national championship class competition, it was not very big.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_2.jpg

Competitors wating in a queue to get access to the starting line.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_3.jpg

Kids ready to start racing.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_4.jpg

Race on!

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_5.jpg

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_6.jpg

Bottomed out suspension after a jump.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_7.jpg

A kid cornering.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_8.jpg

There was a car parked on the rocks. I saw it driving on the road after the race.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...mik_moto_9.jpg

I was testing the wide angle lense in the first day. That naturally meant to get close to the subject. The security personnel was a little bit worried of my safety. So we had a chat.

- What if a bike drives over you?
- Shit happens.
- …
- I can’t get good pictures with this wide angle lense unless I go close to the bikes and find an interesting angle of view. I want to take good pictures.
- You know you will be at your own responsibility there?
- Yes sir of course.

And he let me photograph. When I was about to change the place I waved at him as thanks and he nodded back. I wish all security personnel would be as relaxed and understand that at times man have to do what man have to do.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...ik_moto_10.jpg

I found that photographing motocross racing can be very big fun. I got the biggest adrelanine hit I have got in years while I waited for the men’s national championship race to start. I was laying on the ground with the camera in my hands like a gun. The thunderous sounds of bikes flowed in my ears, getting louder and louder as the bikes came closer. I held the camera in my hands like a gun and waited for the targets to appear on sigt, my left eye watching the hill and my right eye watching through the camera viewfinder.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp.../mik_add_3.jpg

In the next picture you can see how skilled motorcoss drivers bend their bike sideways when jumping. They do it in order to decrease the time spent in air, thus getting quicker back on the gound for the rear tire to bite furiously the dust again to get more speed. Note how the right leg is not on the right foot peg as the driver bent his bike to left with his left leg.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp.../mik_add_1.jpg

This was as close as they got. Please not that I was not on the track. Never disturb a motocross race by going in the track to take pictures. I was just outside of the track pulling the plastic track route line with my hand in order to squeeze it out of picture.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp.../mik_add_2.jpg

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...ik_moto_11.jpg

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...ik_moto_12.jpg

Some spectators.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...ik_moto_13.jpg

Sharing is caring.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...k_moto_add.jpg

The fastest drivers of the men’s national championship level.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...ik_moto_14.jpg

After everyone has raced it was a time to clean the bikes.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...ik_moto_15.jpg

I was quite happy of the 40 years old 28mm f3.5 Nikkor lense. For this motocross race my 35mm f2.0 Nikkor might had been a better choise though so that I would had not needed to go as close to the drivers. It is also a faster lense, which helps to separate the drivers of the background in addition to being better in stopping the motion.

The day two will include photogpraphs taken with about 30 years old Sigma 135mm f2.8, which was a fun lense too.
05-31-2010, 10:55 AM
euphonius

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Moilami, I'm guessing from the quality of your pix that you are not a beginner at this craft. Your images from your epic ride back from wherever it was you fetched your Skyteam 250 were marvelous. Make me feel like a rank amateur. Which of course I am....

I also enjoy your mini-dialogues. Reminds me of that epic travel book The Road to Oxiana, in which the protagonists have lots of dialogues with Persian and Afghan officials speaking in their own languages (Farsi and Pashtun). Neither side understands anything, of course, and the author, Robert Byron, simply makes up what he thinks the other side is saying. His dialogues were a lot like yours!

Thanks again for some fun images.
05-31-2010, 11:27 AM
moilami

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Thanks Euphonius, but well, I am a pretty serious amateur only. Meaning I try to do my best with budget gear. In other words I am a photo journalist wannabee. I used to be a computer geek. In that I failed when I went to Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden as an exhange student for one year. I happened to find photography (needed some travelling pictures) and with it a whole new world for me, which was much more interesting than computers xD
06-01-2010, 02:39 AM
sabertooth_buterfly

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Great to see your photos moilami, I love to see all motorcycle racing from other countrys thanks :-)
06-01-2010, 10:00 AM
moilami

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabertooth_buterfly

Great to see your photos moilami, I love to see all motorcycle racing from other countrys thanks :-)

The day two will include pictures of women racing. That I can say was great to do and I can say I could specialise on it anytime :naughty:
06-01-2010, 10:29 AM
ChinaV

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moilami

The day two will include pictures of women racing.

:popcorn:

Thanks for the great photo's and interesting report. :thumbsup:

Cheers!
ChinaV
03-19-2011, 03:17 PM
bigmonkey

Re: Motocross in Finland.

i went to finland in june 2009, unfortunately by car and not by bike but still great. great country for motorcross with all the forests.
03-19-2011, 04:01 PM
moilami

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Wow funny to see I have made some content here.

Should do more lol.
03-19-2011, 10:52 PM
jape

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moilami

Wow funny to see I have made some content here. Should do more lol.

yeah like day 2 as you promised sabertooth butterfly
we do look at your posts you know!
03-20-2011, 12:28 AM
barnone

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Day one was nice but where is day two which "will include pictures of women racing"? Or you just pulling our legs?
03-21-2011, 08:10 AM
moilami

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnone

Day one was nice but where is day two which "will include pictures of women racing"? Or you just pulling our legs?

Ooops, lol no, will do the report :lol8:
03-22-2011, 01:03 AM
richardktm

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Nice action shots.. and your comments are pretty entertaining:clap: keep the pictures coming, i love to see club level racing photographed well.. bring on the girls!! Oh and the people who use motorbike are called riders :riding::lol8:

rich:thumbsup:
03-22-2011, 05:07 AM
moilami

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Yeah, but I had issues to call them riders because in Finnish only those who ride a horse or some other animal are called riders and rest are called drivers.
03-22-2011, 05:36 AM
euphonius

Re: Motocross in Finland.

"Driver" is completely acceptable English usage for the, errr, pilot of a motorcycle, though "rider" is perhaps more common. Legally, the term driver helps to distinguish pilot and pillion. Richardktm, does it say "rider" on your, errr, driver's license? :icon10:
03-22-2011, 06:29 AM
moilami

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Ok very good to know, I will then switch back to word driver. For me it makes much more sense. That "pilot" of a motorcycle though sounds the best :lol8:
04-12-2011, 10:20 PM
moilami

Re: Motocross in Finland.

On the second day I tested Sigma F2.8 135mm prime lense. The first picture will be of a Victory motorcycle.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7563.jpg

A motocross rider cornering.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7577.jpg

Struggling along.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7586.jpg

Lonely on the top.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7592.jpg

Warming up the head gear.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7620.jpg

Reflections.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7636.jpg

Going downhill.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7638.jpg

Women preparing to race.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7642.jpg

A woman revving an engine of MX bike. I wish you could hear the sounds.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7645.jpg

I wonder what she is thinking just before the start.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7648.jpg

It will be race on soon.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp.../DSC_76491.jpg

Femme fatale

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7652.jpg

3...2...1

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7658.jpg

And...

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7659.jpg

GO!

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7660.jpg

Wohaa, what!

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7662.jpg

The first one is coming here after almost full first lap.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7663.jpg

The rest are trying to catch up.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7667.jpg

I really like a lot photographing motorcross and especially women doing it.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7670.jpg

In my eyes they all were winners.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7675.jpg

Everyone.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7685.jpg

Problem?

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp.../DSC_76911.jpg

Another start.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7731.jpg

The Sigma lense required Zen focusing on my Nikon D50.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7737.jpg

Watching the race.

http://moilami.weebitila.org/blog/wp...s/DSC_7752.jpg

No wignetting made to the photographs by software. Gotta love the Sigma.
04-13-2011, 12:16 AM
barnone

Re: Motocross in Finland.

mo,
Excellent photos of the women motos.
Thanks,
04-13-2011, 03:41 PM
felix

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Shit those are some great shots Moilami! You should post pictures more often!
04-13-2011, 11:17 PM
ChinaV

Re: Motocross in Finland.

Quote:

Originally Posted by felix

Shit those are some great shots Moilami! You should post pictures more often!

+1

More please sir.
04-15-2011, 08:59 AM
euphonius

Re: Motocross in Finland.

That was fun as hell, Mikko, and worth the looooong wait! Hope to see more of your ride reports and motography soon...
06-16-2011, 09:38 PM
MJH

Re: Motocross in Finland.

芬蘭飛人

your characters for you motorbijke :icon10: