"Saturday I wake up and check my phone to find a text from a MX buddy. He's already at the track. I grab a shower and my camera bag and head up the road. After winding through the foothills of the carolinas for about 15 minutes off the main road I make it to the creek bottom. The woods open up to a show very busy fall afternoon of riders.
I find the people I know and park under the tree. After I grab my tele lens and a swig of water I step out into the oh so familiar sound and feel of a living breathing motocross track. Its very obvious to see who's out riding today. I see a few locals, a few kids, and then one guy really showing out. Its Logan Stokes, an upcoming star on a sponsored bike obviously setup for speed. He almost scrubbed off the side of the table top in the front peaking my interest even more. I immediately head to the back spot where the sun comes in just right and setup for the shot I know I want.
After a few shots I find my exposure and settle in for a few laps because I know its coming. The lap times are only about 1 minute so I don't have to wait too long. Im squatting in the dirt facing the sun ready and pre-focused. This time around I see him carrying speed into the turn so I expect him to have a nice roost and lean in the turn. He brakes hard and throws it into the hard left turn. I shoot as many burst shots as I can as he passes by. I start chimping to see what I got only to smile at the results. The backlit roost from the sun and contrast from the shady trees makes for an awesome contrast for action shots.
I love that feeling of knowing you got lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to get something great. Thank goodness for high speed burst settings so that I can capture the moment. " - Blake Johnson
EXIF:
Nikon D600
70-210mm 3.5 - 5.6 D
1/1000th
f 5.6
ISO 200