I have only been to one motocross race, and it’s safe to say it won’t be my last! I don’t know if it’s the norm at all motocross events, but I was able to get ridiculously close to these guys. I hadn’t been that near the action of a sporting event since shooting an NFL game in Pittsburgh back in 1997. Granted, I walked away quite dirty, but it was worth all the mud that came flying my way.

On one part of the track, the bikers would come around a corner and hit a straightaway before making another turn that sent them flying over one of the many hills. Each rider seemed to follow the same deep ruts in the dirt track, which made it extra easy for me—all I had to do was focus on that spot and fire away as each rider came through. But I was also quick to realize that my point of view would not allow me to frame the riders against the solid backdrop of a fence, but rather against both the fence and the contrasting trees, as you see top left. I didn’t like the trees, as they reminded me of “crying babies”—in other words, a distraction. Nearby I spotted a solution: a large plastic box, about 18 inches high, sitting behind one of the vendors’ tables. I asked if I could borrow it for a few minutes and was soon taking “two steps” up to tower over the other photographers and fill the frame without the background distraction.

With my camera and lens mounted on a monopod, I chose an action-stopping speed of 1/250 sec., since the riders were coming toward me (see box opposite). I then adjusted my aperture until f/11 indicated a correct exposure, and over the course of only 5 minutes, recorded more than fifteen mud-caked motocross riders, one of which you see here.

Both images: Nikon D300 with 70–200mm lens at 200mm, f/11 for 1/250 sec., ISO 100