Video: How to Make Trails Look Steep in Photos

Aug 2, 2018
by Pinkbike Originals  

Matt DeLorme, pro Pinkbike photographer, is back with another how to guide - this time showing you how to make mountain bike trails look steep. He has some amazing advice, in spite of not having the best talent to work with at times...

Riding steeps mountain biking
Pinkbike's Mike Kazimer getting it done for DeLorme's lens.

Riding steeps mountain biking
Which photo is more impressive? This first one...
Riding steeps mountain biking
...or the second one? 1 or 2? Let it be known in the comments!

Riding steeps mountain biking
Who invited this guy? Jeez....


MENTIONS: @pinkbikeoriginals


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55 Comments
  • 101 3
 How do you make gaps and jumps look bigger in photos. I mean, I know me and my bros are are hitting rampage size shit but the pics just don't look like it for some reason...
  • 7 0
 You have to do a huge nose wheelie on the way out
  • 38 0
 measure from your butthole.
  • 4 0
 Post pics here.
  • 28 1
 The answer is ride steep trails
  • 21 4
 Do you guys call it a lense?

Pinkbike's Mike Kazimer getting it done for DeLorme's lense.

That makes my spellchecker upset.

Both are correct, but they are different words. "Lens" is the glass thing that focuses light. "Lense" is a verb meaning "To make lean; to macerate".


DVs for nit-pickery expected....
  • 18 1
 You can't pay for that level of community service
  • 6 0
 PB does not proofread content before posting. There is no editor. The majority of the writing on the site (stylistically, grammatically) is painful to read, and I think lends a clue to their estimation of us, their users. How often are the athletes names misspelled? You are not being nit-pickery, it is awkward to read most of this shit.
  • 2 1
 @ddd: "Shit" is the fecal matter that comes from your backside. "Shite" is a verb meaning "to make lean; to macerate."
  • 22 0
 Tilt the picture ... Duh
  • 11 0
 Should be titled : "How to accurately picture your sport so your friends believe you when you say it's gnarly."
Btw, my vote goes to 1 as the trees help giving a sense of verticality to the trail.

@mattdelorme : Is there a reason you prefer the Batis to a 16-35 ? Smile

Cheers! Love your work!
  • 1 0
 I shoot both on the a7r iii and prefer the flexibility of the zoom especially if it's a ride less than 10 miles. Image quality is nearly identical center to edge with the 16-35 gm from 16 to about 26 or 28 compared to the batis. I like the 1st photo.
  • 5 0
 #1 looks better. there is more of the trail to get a sense of it's steepness. I have found that tilting the camera a little bit gives it a steep look. Also try and shoot the picture from the side and not head on. Also, if there are trees those can be used to show how steep the terrain is because trees grow straight up in contrast to a steep slope.
  • 2 0
 DaveJube my problem with a slightly tilted frame is that the trees grow straight up and if they are tilted I immediately see that something is off and I feel lied to (or the photog wasn't paying attention). If the tilt is purposeful for aesthetics or artistic it doesn't bother me as much.

For me its shoot from side or 3/4 and get down low and yes use the trees to help show vertical relation.
  • 1 0
 Using a wide angle, you can have your camera not tilted, i.e. a perfect horizon, but if you tilt the lens down or up, tress will appear straight only in the center of the image. At the sides, they will appear straight. So, trees on an angle are not always a sign of someone cocking a camera one way or another to make things appear steep.
  • 1 0
 @MattyBoyR6:
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant you can tilt the camera when there are no trees or very little trees.
When I mentioned trees being an indicator of how steep it was I meant that if you know the trees are on a 90 degree angle then you can see if the ground slopes.
I still don't think that is clear...LOL
  • 6 0
 1 I think looks best. Guess I'd better haul out the SLR and ultrawide lens and get some shots!
  • 5 0
 1 might look a bit steeper, but to my eye 2 is the better photo. 1 has too many lines leading the eye out of the frame, whereas 2 draws your eye into the rider.
  • 2 0
 +1 for #2
  • 2 0
 2 gives you more frame of reference to get your bearings and judge it steep. 1 could give you more details like how the suspension is compressing or tires squirming/pushing, mote action shot but i dint think it tells steeep so much. As always depends on motive. This picture i would go for 2.
  • 2 0
 I never thought of fisheyes as more than special effects lenses until I got one myself recently and found it to be far more versatile than I imagined. Especially for steeps. When there's a chance to avoid obvious straight lines in the composition I often prefer it because it doesn't distort the size of objects near the frame's edges like a regular ultra wide does (think wheels in the image's corners). I find that this can actually lead to a more natural looking image in certain circumstances. I'm still experimenting though and have yet to do a direct comparison (I have one trail in mind, just haven't been there for months).
Some sort of comparison hiking up the same section (no bikes, sorry), once in winter with the ultra wide: flic.kr/p/RuuXdw and more recently without snow but the fisheye, looking almost steeper than in reality: flic.kr/p/28EjzKx
  • 1 0
 Nice. First one looks like that person just fell down on a modest slope. The second one looks like there's a reason for the chain to be there.
  • 2 0
 So you have to communicate depth, even if it's an exaggerated illusion?

To me, 1 and 2 look steeper thanks to #3 (average person for scale). Reminds of how I never knew why I always see that big mossy BC rock roller, until nsmb highlighted a video of "Trespasser" being ridden on a hardtail by Jin. That put it into perspective.

I prefer the close-up for detail, accepting a compromise of lack of perceived steepness. I suppose I'd prefer to let the rider's position say how steep it is.
  • 4 1
 gopros always seem to make steep trails look flatter than they are, has anybody any advice on how to improve the look of gopro films regarding this
  • 9 0
 Write following sentence in the end of the vid.
P.S.: Shit I have just ridden is steep AF, 9/11 would recommend
  • 7 0
 Don't use superview. Superview literally just takes the 4:3 footage from the sensor and squishes it down to a 16:9 aspect ratio, which flattens everything out. It can make it look like you're moving a lot faster, but if you want the terrain to look steep, then use wide or linear. It still won't always do the trail justice, but it helps.
  • 1 0
 Chest or chin mount that helps show body position and bike movement improves this too. To make a more significant difference you need to film it from the side of the trail or drone instead of 1st person
  • 1 0
 Mount the camera as low as practically possible is my advice. I'm 6'5" so if I mount the camera to my helmet I look like more of a joey than I am. Unless I am riding in the park, handlebar mounted footage of trail riding looks better IMO. A gimbal would yield good results, but I don't care enough about video footage to make the investment.

When the trails are dry, I run a camera facing backwards on my seatpost and footage of anyone chasing me looks reasonably fast. Not Bryn quick, but decent.
  • 5 0
 MBUK's secrets revealed!
  • 3 0
 whats the saying? if it doesnt look steep it isnt? or was that the if it didnt happen on strava saying?
  • 4 0
 From the creators of "speed police" comes "steep Police"
  • 5 0
 Blow your nooooose
  • 1 0
 I was thinking the same.
  • 2 0
 I think 1, but it's risky having Mike's face in the photos! Might break the camera! (joking)
  • 1 0
 We see in three dimensions. Cameras take two dimensional pics. Rock rolls with steep faces help show the scale of how steep it is. Trail shots never convey how steep it is.
  • 1 0
 www.pinkbike.com/photo/16131995 This one sums up steep fairly well.
  • 3 0
 Where are the donuts?
  • 8 0
 Levy was back in Canada eating them all when this was filmed.
  • 2 0
 These pics still make this trail look flatter than it is..
  • 1 0
 @Tuumbaq has got it right. Who cares how the picture looks as long as you had fun taking it.
  • 3 0
 first 1
  • 2 0
 3rd one looks way steeper.
  • 1 0
 damn I hate when my only option for shooting steeps is a $2500 lens
  • 2 0
 1 looks steeper to me.
  • 1 0
 Or just ride steeper stuff.
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