Doing a photo session is a very enjoyable activity, especially if the photo session is one that you like and master. However, have you ever done a photo session outside of the photography genre you like? The purpose, of course, is not only to hone your skills and sensitivity in capturing moments but also to try other photography genres that may still have a small following in your city.
I recently got a job to do a sports photo shoot, specifically capturing my friend's moments while riding motocross. It's worth noting that they are not motocross athletes, so the maneuvers they perform are not as skillful as those of professional motocross athletes. They engage in this sport only as a hobby, to unwind during the weekends, gather with other friends, relax, and share stories.
I had the opportunity to capture their moments of riding motocross because I had previously captured their moments during a futsal match between school alumni. They liked my work when I captured their futsal moments, but personally, I wasn't quite satisfied with the results. In my opinion, during the game, the futsal court was too dark, which forced me to increase the ISO, resulting in photos with too much noise that I found to be quite severe. However, it didn't matter because they understood the conditions at the time, so I could only smile at the results I provided.
The motocross photo session took place during the day. This is something I usually avoid because I don't like the scorching sun. This would cause my old lens to produce very severe chromatic aberration, although it could be eliminated during post-processing, but clearly, it would take up my time to edit their photos. But, well, since I followed their motocross playing schedule, I had to capture their moments of riding motocross as well and as beautifully as possible.
Here are the results of the photos:
The hardest part of this photo session was when they were doing jumps. Even though I used the latest series of body cameras, it didn't make much of a difference because I was using an older model lens, the first series of zoom lens, so it was quite challenging to keep up with their focus. Although I had set the camera to use focus tracking for sports photography, there were still frequent instances of missed focus. The results from this lens were also not sharp, even though I used the smallest lens aperture, resulting in a very soft outcome.
But I didn't run out of ideas. I did post-processing and changed the color of the photos to make them look like old film cameras. Because I didn't want to be defeated by the gear I had, I made an effort to ensure that the results remained appealing and good. Some of my friends even remembered vintage motorcycle ads because of the color grading I did. This was because when using film cameras, most of the photo results were not sharp, and there would be grain in the photos. Based on this, I eventually made the colors like that to keep the photo results attractive.
Now it's about how we optimize the gear we have. Even though I still have limited equipment, I won't be defeated. I always think about how to make my photos attractive and likable (although I realize I can't make everyone like my colors because it's a matter of taste). I've been down a few times because my photo results are always compared, and even now I still often experience that, but this kind of thing will never end. I just try to make good photos and I try not to think too much about what people say. I hope you do the same.
Creating art is somewhat to make people recognize our work. However, some people, for some reason, come to compare our work and make us feel small. But there are one or two people who truly appreciate our work, not by comparing, but by giving advice that will help us grow. And my message to you is never to compare the results of fellow photographers. If you want to help them grow, then give advice without judging their work.
I believe with the friends in this community that we are not here to belittle each other's work, but to build each other up so that this community can produce good works. I am grateful for the people who always support me in this community.
Warm regards from me.