# MTB photography



## molested_cow (Nov 2, 2018)

Today hasn't been good for me, nothing really I can complain about, just things not going smoothly. So sharing something that I am passionate about will perhaps make myself happy. I haven't posted on the forum for a long long time because I've not really been taking photos the way I used to. I got back to mountain biking and spend many weekends with friends in the mountain trails. Typically when people talk about MTB, it's always about the technical and challenging stuffs that get mentioned. I suck in technical skills, don't have the balls to do jumps and drop offs, but I love being outdoors. So this is what we do, we ride on trails that regular riders don't ride on. Mountain bikes can get us to places that will take too long on foot, and bikes make great composition subjects! We bring food and water that will last us the whole day. We hike-a-bike when necessary. Most importantly, we ride so we can take photos of our experiences in the wild. Many of us carry DSLR on top of the food and supply. I carry a D750 with a 24-120vr. It gives me most of what I need with decent image quality. I used to carry primes but gave up on multiple lens set up after a while because the risk of dirt getting into the lens and camera is too high. So here are some that I've picked from the past 3 years of riding. Hope ya'll like them, and please feel free to share yours too! I'd love to meet anyone who does what we do too.











We rode to this look out place to catch the sunset. That's not clouds btw. It's actually air pollution called haze that remained the entire day. Quite sad, but makes great photos.











Many mountains we visited have tea plantations, which to me isn't a good thing because of its impact on the local ecosystem.






























If there are fire-flies in the area, we try to camp overnight for such shots.










It's rare that we get this deep, but oh well...





Sometimes, just being away from the city is good enough.





And this pretty much sums it up!


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## Dean_Gretsch (Nov 2, 2018)

Incredible scenery. Thank you so much for posting these!


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## stapo49 (Nov 2, 2018)

Beautiful stuff. Number 1 is fantastic!

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk


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## Fujidave (Nov 2, 2018)

Fantastic set of beautiful taken images, loving them all but yes the 1st is a cracking image.


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## waday (Nov 2, 2018)

Gorgeous!!

I believe there are a few bikers on here, but not sure how much they frequent anymore. I think @astroNikon  and @JacaRanda are both bikers?


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## molested_cow (Nov 2, 2018)

Thanks to all! I'm glad you like them. There are many many more photos but I only picked a few good ones that have bikes in them. I've still yet to shoot a night scene with my bike yet. It's always either cloudy or under bright moon light when we camp out, so I haven't got the chance. I guess I need to put this on my bucket list now.


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## molested_cow (Nov 2, 2018)

Two more:





This was on an small island with very few visitors, let alone biking tourists. The island is populated with goats, and needless to say, goat poop everywhere, literally.






I had to pull every trick out of the bag for this shot. It was pitch black. The amount of fire flies was much less than anticipated. I can't remember how many photos were stacked to get this, but it wasn't an easy one.


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## astroNikon (Nov 2, 2018)

Pretty awesome images.
Where were all the images taken ??  and was it on a tour?

I'm a weenie MTB'er.  I came from a Pro road racing background so I was really good at cross country but downhill dropoffs scared the beegees out of me.  I recall one time doing 70mph down a hill in Crested Butte.
The most images I've ever done is taking video of rides though I haven't recorded a real ride in close to 10 years now .. too much garbage on the handlebars.  One of these days when I retire and the kids are older I plan on doing more road, mtn and hiking tours.

awesome images again !!


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## molested_cow (Nov 2, 2018)

Thanks! These are all in Taiwan. I just follow a group of very seasoned guys who have been doing such rides for many years. All of them are also mountaineers who know the entire country inside out. Come to Taiwan and join us for a ride!


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## Dean_Gretsch (Nov 2, 2018)

The first image in set #1 was just nominated for Nov POTM. Great shot!


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## molested_cow (Nov 2, 2018)

Dean_Gretsch said:


> The first image in set #1 was just nominated for Nov POTM. Great shot!



Thanks!


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## Derrel (Nov 2, 2018)

Outstanding photography! I wholly agree with #1 being nominated for POTM (Picture of The Month). Beautiful shots, gorgeous locations, and a wonderful write-up. You have made *some fine images* with that junky Nikon 24-120 lens that so many people talk down (wink!). Your post easily earns the Winner badge from me, and others.


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## molested_cow (Nov 3, 2018)

Thanks Derrel! Before this I was carrying the 28-300 around. It's a bit heavier, similar size, but I was never happy with its color rendition and quality. The bokeh it creates sucks too. I had doubts with any travel lens. Initially I bought a 24-85vr and was not all that impressed, mainly due to the limited focal length range. My sister then went ahead and got the 24-120 and I was really quite surprised by how capable it is. At far range with large aperture, it creates pretty decent and smooth bokeh. Sharpness is decent too. My primes have been sitting in my dry box since unless I knew I have specific shots that I want to shoot. Still, primes are the go-to lens for specific moments.


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## astroNikon (Nov 3, 2018)

molested_cow said:


> Thanks! These are all in Taiwan. I just follow a group of very seasoned guys who have been doing such rides for many years. All of them are also mountaineers who know the entire country inside out. Come to Taiwan and join us for a ride!


I'll have to start saving up my pennies to do that!!  Beautiful countryside there.


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## scooter2044 (Nov 11, 2018)

All great shots but #1 and 5 are my favorites! Also like the last firefly image you posted with the extra pics.


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## DarkShadow (Dec 21, 2018)

A bit late to the party but outstanding photography and nothing lacking in image quality.I love every single image here.


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