I dont see any finger on a brake?

You would never shoot something like this in Manual Focus..he is moving so fast.. Yes he isnt sharp, but to make him sharper you wouldent up the aperture!

why would you not shoot in manual focus when you know where he is going to be in the shot? and i know what aperture does - the focus and shutter speed would make him sharper, but the aperture would make him stand out more. the only issue would be a grainier shot as you'd hav to up the iso to compensate?

but hell, why does it matter anyway? I only said what I would personally do if I was taking the shot in MY style. I never said your style or technique was wrong. the only negative aspect I criticised is the fact that the rider is a bit too soft. so why'd you come down so hard?

I wasnt coming down hard..i was simply explaining, a higher appiture, eg F.22 dosent make the rider stand out more, i makes the shot darker but at the same time make more of a range in focus. I think we got mixed up with high as in wide, or high as in Number..I would love to see you shoot in manual focus..you would never get is as sharp as your camera can! If we can get it sharper in Manual then auto..why do cameras have auto focus?

because manual focus is harder to use. its like cars i guess, automatic is easier and better to begin with, but once mastered, manuals are a lot better when it comes to performance. when i say the aperture will make the rider stand out more - i mean because he will be very in focus compared to the out of focus bits - thats why a high f. makes portrait photo's (eg wedding photos) look good and why i added the high ISO part. im not trying to tell you this because i know that you already know - im just saying it because you seem to think i dont know the basics of photography? anywho, its still a sweet shot.

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one..You want to get the action at the peak point..e.g dirt jumping get the most extent of there trick..the biggest it can be, and you cant predict where thats going to be..Same with this I want to get maximum roost..yet guessing where the roost it going to come is really hard..And i dont want to run f.22 because it will be do dark, too grainy and the rider wont pop