Face plant... OUCH

[Josh O'Donnell]

Here is another image from the MTB race that I photographed this past weekend....

I know this image has some serious technical flaws completely attributed to negligence on my part... I was using a multiple remote flash setup here and totally screwed up the exposure on the first group of riders that came through, they were all way over exposed. Also, in the heat of the action I didn't realize that I had inadvertently switched over to single-servo focus instead of continuous which caused the rider to be soft and somewhat OOF... In spite of all that, I still think it captures the drama of a sudden crash. The guy was fine, he got up, dusted off and continued on. I've already sold several prints of this image...

[Alfred Forns]

.... I can feel the pain !!!! That person will be in a world of hurt soon!!!! Must be fun shooting those races !!!!

[Len Maltese]

Aaaah, the good ole days. I know exactly whats going through his mind right now.:eek: You caught the action well here.

[Josh O'Donnell]

Aaaah, the good ole days. I know exactly whats going through his mind right now.:eek: You caught the action well here.

Yeah, I know what was going through his mind as well, b/c he yelled it for all the world to hear haha... Let's just say I can't repeat it here without being banned for life :D

[Robert Amoruso]

Been there and done that - but not any more.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

I could say better him than me but I would not wish a fall like that on anyone, Congratulations Josh we are sure getting a feel for what you experienced last weekend !!!!!!!! thanks fior sharing.

[Harold Davis]

ooooooohhhhhh! that's gonna leave a mark! that's a cool capture, josh. you had to have fun photographing these guys.

[Dave Phillips]

ouch, reminds me of the endo I did years ago on the old Trek mb.....badly torn rotator cuff got me

[Judd Patterson]

Wow, what an image Josh!

[Maxis Gamez]

Oh man..... Looks like it hurted!

[Josh O'Donnell]

ooooooohhhhhh! that's gonna leave a mark! that's a cool capture, josh. you had to have fun photographing these guys.

Yes it was a lot of fun, especially since I knew a lot of the people that were riding. To be honest I wish I would have been participating in the race instead of an observer, although I have sold a decent amount of prints to the riders. I'm part of a very active mountain bike club that maintains over 100 miles of off-road trails around the Tampa area. The trail that this crash happened on is appropriately named "Heartbreak Ridge". It is known for large roots that are somewhat difficult ride over, this guy learned the hard way that you have to be aggressive to clear them, the least bit of hesitation will cause you to eat dirt in a hurry.

[Blake Shadle]

ENDO!!! Oh geez... This brings back bad memories! Nice work making the image.