How was this super sharp look achieved?

[jarabmx]

Thanks a lot for your effort. I think the first picture from Rohape is the closest. It is not a hard light because with exposure of f8-f16 and shutter speed almost surely 1/250 you can"t get so much ambient light coming in from one hot light. Thanks for your opinions, I will ask more soon..

[Skin Sin]

Originally Posted by 0lBaldy

I think you need to stop your lens down to at least F11, 16 or 22 get more lights in there and use the max shutter speed for the f stop.. a tripod works wonders for sharp pictures.. and don't forget the all important practice cubed

Actually, a lens is at its sharpest at about two opening smaller than the maximum opening.

If you stop down considerably, you gain depth of field, but you lose sharpness and resolution.

[Skin Sin]

Originally Posted by dlew308

jarabmx: your 2 pix looks more realistic/better then the "supersharp" one. His looks overly processed in a weird way. Just my 2 cents.

I also think, jarabmx, that your images are better than the one you linked to.

I see that you found something in that image you wanted to add to yours own work.

Maybe you like this particular blue, and find it crisp...

[Skin Sin]

Originally Posted by jarabmx

Oh well, just take a look right above the green metal thing, you can see one remotely fired flash!! That is creating circled light you draw. In this manner all the lights are casted on the BMXer.

BMX photography has its quite sophisticated way of using flashes and creating these not very realistic pictures. It has its own culture in some sense. He has used maybe 4 flashes? That is not the theme of this topic anyway. It is more about getting that look. If anyone can process any of my pictures in my gallery listed above that would be excellent.

Absolutely. You create your world, and you decide.

Surrealistic lighting is used in many fields, not only in bmx photography.

[des151]

I agree with swampy, looks like a composite to me also. Enlarge the photo and look at the rear wheel where it meets the stone wall. The stone is over the tire and rim.
Ray