Behind the Shot #2 | Trystan Hart (FMF KTM Factory Racing)

#84 Trystan Hart (FMF KTM Factory Racing) leads Cody Webb and Jonny Walker on his way to a moto win at Round 3 of the 2023 IRC Tires Endurocross Series, Idaho Falls ID, 2023-10-27.
© Noel Flatters / Superfine Media

Welcome to the second post in my ‘Behind the Shot’ series, where I look back at motocross and enduro photographs that I’ve taken and tell a little bit of the story behind the image. For this one I’m going back to Round 3 of the AMA’s 2023 IRC Tires Endurocross Series in Idaho Falls, ID, back in late October.

The AMA Endurocross series is a world-class set of six races taking place in the US from early October to late November. Athletes from around the world take part, and for many it’s a lead-in to the European-based FIM SuperEnduro series that starts one week after Endurocross ends. As a photographer and journalist I have a real passion for the enduro side of the off-road moto world. Endurocross is one of my favourite things to shoot as it combines the best of motocross/arenacross with the natural features and obstacles riders experience in the backcountry.

This shot captures Canadian Enduro/Hard Enduro star Trystan Hart as he doubles over a tire obstacle on his way to winning the final moto of the night, and the overall for the round. This was a turning point of the series as it saw Trystan rebound from a very disappointing first two rounds where he had finished 5th in both. Jonny Walker (Beta Racing) (jumping finish in background) had won every moto in those first two rounds, and had looked simply unbeatable in the process. Trystan had gone down to California between Rounds 2 and 3 to work on his riding and bike, and had come into Idaho Falls with a new suspension setup that he was feeling good about, as well as a very strong ‘do-or-die’ mindset.

At this point of the night, Hart had absolutely turned the tables on Walker. He had gone 1-2 in the first two motos and was back to believing that he had a chance to fight for the series championship.

THE TECHNICAL STUFF
To get one technical detail out of the way, I shoot on the Fujifilm X platform. More specifically I shoot Fujifilm X-H2 bodies (not the X-H2s), which may seem slightly odd for sports photography. I shoot the X-H2 because I was still primarily shooting portrait work when these new hybrid bodies came out, so it made more sense at the time. I shot this image of Trystan using the Fujinon XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR lens (50mm full-frame equivalent). I was about 15 feet away from Trystan when I took the shot, right up on the edge of the track.

I was shooting almost wide open at f1.8, 1/1250, and ISO 6400. The arena in Idaho Falls is very new but the light was terrible in there, which surpised me given that events (including this one) at the venue are regularly live broadcast to network/cable/streaming platforms. As we learned later on the lights were only at 70% power for some unknown reason. This issue was fixed the next night for Round 4, and it made a huge difference. I find that 1/1250 works really well as a shutter speed for indoor motorsports photography. The subject is still sharp and frozen in time, but there’s some nice subtle motion blur on tires/wheels and debris being thrown up by the bikes. As I noted in BTS #1, I like having that sense of action in my shots. Motocross and Enduro are chaotic sports and I love to convey the energy that comes from that. The X-H2 handles high-iso situations really well, and while I did use Lightroom Classic’s denoise feature in this image, I would’ve been fine without it if I had been in a bigger deadline pressure situation.

It was cool taking this shot with a short prime lens, too. The Fujinon 33mm is definitely not considered a ‘sports’ lens, but who cares. It’s ultra-sharp and fast with great bokeh that allows you to highlight the subject so well in an arena setting like this. I’ve had great success with this lens, along with the Fujinon 50mm F1.0, in sports photography. Don’t be afraid to use these shorter primes for action, they’re going to deliver for you!

NON-TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
This shot was taken on the second-last lap of the moto (you can see the checkered flag tucked under the arm of the finish line official, and the white last-lap flag in his hand). I was watching the race develop and working hard to maintain situational awareness for the article I had to write for Direct Motocross, so I was well aware that Trystan was on his way to winning (barring an unforced error), wanted to get a shot showing him leading Cody Webb and (most importantly) Jonny Walker, as this was the big story on the night. I was also moving to make sure I got the shot of Trystan taking the checkered flag for the win, and wanted to get a different perspective for this shot. As I noted above I was right on the edge of the track here. I moved into a kneeling position to get the ‘hero perspective’, which can be a bit dicey up close to the track as you lose mobility in a situation where someone comes off where you’re at. I knew, though, that the pros were taking an outside to inside line on this jump, and that I was as out of the line of fire as I could be, so I figured I was pretty safe there.

I really like the framing of this one. You can see the big gap between Trystan in the immediate foreground and Jonny in the background jumping the line. The shallow depth of field highlights this all-important gap, too. With the finish line, the Endurcross branding, the other banners, and the crowd I think that you really get a sense that this is a big, newsworthy, professional event. I also like that I was able to shoot through Trystan’s goggles and get his eyes. Trystan is a very intense racer, and while you don’t get the full impact of the intensity in his eyes here, you do get a small taste of it.

Thanks for checking out this Behind the Shot post! Hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit. More to come, so stay tuned.

cheers | noel.