This is the first image from a set of photos, were I created action sports images with smoke in the picture to highlight the rider and add some color to the image.
I took the picture in a forest in Germany with my 70-200mm lens. We put a smoke bomb under the jump and I added a strobe with a blue gel behind the rider to get some backlight on the rider and illuminate the red smoke. This was actually the second attempt, when we tried to catch the right moment, where the rider comes out of the smoke.
Downhill with Smoke
Hi Hannes! I like the photo. The composition, dynamic, and action are great. I actually really like the smoke, which seems kinda weird to me, as I'm usually against anything unnatural in shots like this. Additionally, the shot seems incredibly dark and gloomy, I'm not sure if that was the look were going for or it is a computer screen issue. Hope this helps.
Technically a great shot, I can't really find anything to pick at but the composition is just not doing it for me.
I really like the looks of the trees in the foreground and where the rider is in the shot but as a bike rider above a photographer the angle on the jump is just not exciting me.
I think if you shifted a bit to the left to show a bit of the take off or something it could be more exciting.