What should we do for a first assignment?
I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda excited about doing one of these.

BMX related or just anything photography related?

I don't know. Either would be cool.

A BMX one would be cool to kick it off.

Yeahhhhhh, I can dig it.

whoever can get the best pic of a tailwhip or barspin

i would say tailwhip pic

yeah not much other places to get a bmx related assignment. i know someone that can do whips but i don't know if everyone does. what about a 180 or something

I think whips could be the best idea so far

I think for the first assignment we should do something basic, something that is classic bmx. How about a table or a turndown?

If you wanna do something basic, then how about an air?

How about who can take a photo of a bike the best, thats kind of basic, or just the frame.

sounds alrite

sounds like it could a be a good idea, see who can make a simple air look the best, possibility anyway?

I think table or turndown sounds best. Or just a simple air.

I don't think choosing a particular trick is very original for an assignment.

How about, best use of the sun as a rim light? Pretty challenging for us UK bods at the moment, but then that's half the fun.

Youre just saying that because youve already got the photos! How about best silhouette shot?

how about the silliest lurker in the pic?

silliest lurker would be pretty good or anything that involes being in the air, so now grinding tricks, etc.

I think it should be of something simple like an 180 or air.


Also all photos should be taken after the assignment is set i think so you carn't use old photos.

Good point in that case it has to be more distinctive, because if its something such as an air or tabletop, everyone has taken photos of that, or most people have, so they could use an old photo if they wanted to. So we should make it something like a sunset tabletop or a tabletop with a yellow shirt on, i dont know, something like that.

Keep throwing ideas out there peeps !

I wish, bloody rim light keeps moving

Nah it should be alright if you feel the need to check the photos are taken with in the date you can just look at the exif data of the photo. Or if the photos is hosted on flickr it tells you when the photo was taken at the right hand side.

I'm digging that

Skids and wheelies definitely need to be an assignment at some point.

agreed, that could be such a laughh and its not like people have to know an amazing rider to get the picture so it seems a bit fairer

So lets say first assignment is to take a picture of what jPhoto said simple 180 or air

it should be who can take the best photo of an air, and it can contain any trick you want. whip air, barspin air anything. just has to be an air?

the assignments are supposed to get you to try something new. im sure pretty much all of us have shot airs or 180s and such. i think the sillhouette one is a cool idea, im sure not everyone has tried it before.

anyway, lets get one going

how about to try and incorperate fruit in a shot that sounds good lol

BOOOOOST haha but yeah, where would we make the topic? In the assignments section, then have people submit there stuff and vote on it? Airs sound good for a first topic.

so when we getting this on the way 1st of march?

Airs sound like the best idea maybe do air tricks that way it can be anything from a plain old air to a double flair should be a bit more broad and easier for everyone then

I like the Air, idea. I don't BMX at all, but I would like to see some sick pictures.

We need one person to be in charge of it, like make the topic and all that, cause there is no mods yet.

Lets do an air photo deff. Then we can have a bunch of different tricks, and that will make it open to a lot more people. It can be a simple air, or a double whip. Im down.

I've got a new idea. As that's a new forum, it would be nice, to have an assignment of an autoportait on/with your bike. There would be lots of space for your creativity

We should start the assignment March 1st and have the deadline March 31st?

Who's down? Lets get a mod to pin it sometime soon, ehhh?

There are no Mods yet.

Mangler could do it.

i think an air or air tricks would be the best to start, then as we go on have them more complicated.

I think just stating a trick to take a picture of doesn't really help us as photographers. Most of these community photo assignments tend to have that objective. What good would they be if we weren't challenging ourselves, right? Anyone can take a picture of an air, and if you know a guy who can do nothing-flairs then you've got a little bit of an advantage because your subject matter immediately makes your photos more interesting.

Why not have the topics be BMX related but assigned according to photographic rules and merit. For instance, maybe the first assignment would be "Rule of Thirds", where everyone obviously needs to shoot a BMX related photo that correctly demonstrates the rule while also creating an interesting photo.

I think Mods would be needed, but it'd be nice to have a level-headed person in charge of telling people if they "passed" or "failed" each assignment. That way those who passed can move on to the next assignment, while those who didn't pass actually learn something by being forced to get out and shoot again and come back with a winner. If everyone is respectful, it could be a great way for newcomers and beyond to learn.

I really just looked at this forum for the first time 10 minutes ago, but I like the idea of it already. I don't know the level of shit-talking that goes on here. It would be nice to have mods where there is no ignorant stuff going on, and it would be a place for sharing ideas, learning and constructive criticism, and just shooting the shit about BMX photography and photography in general.

there really is no shit talking on this forum hahah but i like your ideas

Yea there really isn't much shit talking going on here and hopefully it stays that way. Because when it comes down to it, it's more about the media and art side of bmx, not someones style or indian giving lol, thats gotta be the dumbest term ever.

Ohhh and in assignments the idea is to vote the person who executed the photo the best. There would be a 1st 2nd and 3rd place.

K...I would consider that a contest rather than an assignment. I've never been given an "assignment" of any kind(photographic or other) where I was hoping to win. However, I have entered contests with that as the goal.


And again, I'm just putting my two cents in here. I think contests are a great idea too. Maybe we're thinking of apples and oranges. Why not do both? Have a different thread for each assignment(Assignment #1, Name of Assignment), with a "you have to pass this assignment to go onto the next(increasingly more challenging) assignment", and then a monthly contest with a loose category that has a winner, second, third and honorable mention. We could come up with a given set of rules(i.e. must be bmx related, cannot be a photo taken before the start of the contest, etc.) that would apply each month, and then just change the category or theme(i.e. "The Color Red", "Shooting Long", or "Patterns").

By the way, whose site is this? Good idea.

Steve LaClair is the original admin of skateperception.com, they have some 30,000 members.

Your idea about the assignment is pretty cool but it's way complicated. The best way to make sure the photos are original is by simply putting in something random which nobody has every taken a photo of. Say for an example, a barspin with a cone on their head, dumb example but yeaaaa.

I know about SP, but I doubt he's running this site also, is he? I wasn't sure if it was affiliated or if someone just took the idea and made a bmx version.

And if you're doing assignments and just cheating your way through by posted previous shots, you're really only screwing yourself out of experience and learning. Shame on those people.

And MarkOK...I've seen those Bosnia street shots on yours site before...did you post them somewhere else?

theres 2 or 3 on my Autophoto on DefGrip.net

night time shot
indoor shot
mid day shot (eek)
slow shuttertwist affect
strobe affect (see above example as well)
camera sitting on the ground shot (flat with ground cool DOF..)
ridding next to a person with a slow shutter (like filming, never tried it but maybe? hahah)
through the bushes shot
lurking up in the trees shot (looking down on rider)
slow shutter while zooming in shot
slow shutter while zooming out? shot
depth of field shot
loose fisheye shot
organizing a composition with props you find shot

i dont even know..i was just thinking of stuff ive done and things i would like to do
and of course i think that all of these should have to do with bmx
maybe whether its a riding shot or just a portrait with a rider and their bmx..
ideas ideas ideas

how about the biggest boost?

I dont think it should be based around particular tricks or style to be honest, it puts some people at a disadvantage if there firneds can't do them etc. But also these are photography assignments to why not have a phootgraphy theme if you get me? Like the stuff Chris posted. It makes people think about their photos more rather then just thinkiing about a trick and shooting the same old photo.

Use of creative frames for composition? Just stuff like that i reckon.

it seems like everyone is thinking every assignment is going to bike related. i was hoping that it would be along the lines of bikeguide's which isnt bike related at all. (right now it is street photography)

also, im sure there are people in the same situation as me where they are the only bmx rider around or something and wont be able to participate in the assignments because of this.

i just think people are looking too narrow.