Motion Panning 2

Getting the hang of panning on a moving target in low light is damn frustrating. It's probably the most persistent problem I've had in terms of a self-driven photo assignment.

 It goes like this:

• Boot it in front of the back and find somewhere where subjects will move around you in a radius. 
• Ditch bike and quickly whip out camera. Flick it on and hopefully meter in quickly before pack arrives
• Catch your breath and start to track the first person in the pack 
• Hopefully they are slightly below your level and hopefully they don't see you (fat chance) 
• You want them to move steadily through the turn... 
• Too fast they'll be hard to catch... 
• Too slow and your shaky, out-of-breath, heart-pounding hands will blur the shot more than the movement of the subject 
• Track smoothly and through the slow exposure keeping the lens centered on a face or helmet. 
• Hope for the best 
• Delete 9 out of 10 shots that result 

Here's tonight's attempts...

Also, Wilson's Loop has never been in better shape thanks to lots of trail work. If you want to support this look into getting an R.V.C. membership. A great group for supporting local trail maintenance and development. We also rode the View and Swanky. Awesome fun. Don't stop however. Bug index is getting high.

Presque Isle MTB

About 2 hours northwest and just across the border is the town of Presque Isle. Despite being a bit out of the way, this sports a really big production value MTB / Nordic Skiing center. Free to use... and it's even got a sauna!

We headed up there yesterday to check it out and rode about 80% of the trail network. The style was super fast and friendly. The ground is great and most of the trails go through a nice hardwood ridge. There's little in the way of obstacles and I think it would be a cool place to take a beginner rider to get them hooked on the sport. Just about any trail in Fredericton will be more technical than the worst of Presque Isle. Would make for a very good place to just train you legs and go.

Fun destination for a quick road trip.

Here's the lay of the land:


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Advance Rock School 2013

Simply being able to teach (without the organization overhead) was a treat. A perfect weekend in Welsford, with keen students, and lots of variety. Here's a few shots: 

Joel takes on the crux of Mantlepiece.

Kayla cruises the finish of Light Fandango

Local stonemaster Steve A. gives a show on Gumby's Roof

Tara learning to clean pieces on Light Fandango

Remember these few key points to keep you and your party in control of risk: 

• Solid, Redundant, Equalized, Non-Extending
• Powerpoint biners Opposite and Opposed
• Communicate clearly, and use each other's names
• Tie knots in your rope ends (take them out before pulling)
• Weight your system before transferring over to another

Cheers and hope you enjoyed the weekend. Feel free to contact me if you've ever got any questions. 

Chris.