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What do you like better in a ride report?

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BMWbabe

BMWbabe

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To me, all ride reports are fun to share. I like knowing the stories that go behind the pictures and I like the details that make hearing about the miles traveled so much more interesting. I really like seeing the pictures of places I've not yet visited and I even like seeing pictures of the places I have visited because I can relate.

I'm wondering if you like pictures or stories better. I've got friends who ask which kind of reporter you are... "do you just throw some pictures up or do you tell every little detail?" so I'm not sure which is preferred.

Personally, I've not figured out how best to tell the story of the rides I take. I always wonder if its boring to see the fun roads that made me so happy and talking about what happened on the road kinda seems like oversharing. Just because it was great fun to me, doesn't mean it won't put someone else to sleep so I've been avoiding the whole "report" aspect.

Tell me what you think:rider:
 
I kinda enjoy both. ITs interesting to see a person's perspective and their own manner of doing thing. Kinda lets you see into their mindset on the trip. A good blend of the two is pretty enjoyable, and the prose should compliment the photos and vice-versa.
 
I think the most important detail would be to take every trip with at least two riders, so when one drops their bike in the mud or a creek crossing, the other can get a picture while they're still down.
 
I've done some reports that were too much text in my opinion, but I really wanted to cover the main facts (when and where) and some of the highlights. Some highlights just can't be done with pictures only so you have to write. I took a fun ride yesterday, but never took a picture so I'm not going to do a report.

I think some text to describe the pics is necessary too. Plan slide shows just bore me to death. I hate the ones where somebody links to a "video" which is just a slide show and no moving video.
 
BMWbabe said:
Personally, I've not figured out how best to tell the story of the rides I take. I always wonder if its boring to see the fun roads that made me so happy and talking about what happened on the road kinda seems like oversharing.
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I think the trick to a good ride report is to use light, descriptive text that isn't overly burdensome or superfluous. Combine it with cool pictures and you have a well-balanced report that should illicit many smiles from riders and non-riders alike.

Here's the latest one I posted to TWT, for your consideration and reference:

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25730
 
One thing that I personally don't like is huge embeded or linked pic's.

800x600 with 50% compression is plenty...

I've hit some threads that even on DSL access it takes forever to load pics.
 
I have struggled with this some myself, Mollie. I have tended towards the middle-of-the-road reporting with some short paragraphs, lots of pictures, some narrative, and details about both the good and not-so-good stuff that happens along the way. There are days when all there is to tell is what's in the pictures you're showing, so those tend to be well suited for just narrated photos.

What I hate is not doing a ride report right away and forgetting all the little details that you think about inside your helmet. I bring a computer on the trip for this reason, but (I think) you can tell when my stories were written a few days later by the lack of detail.

There will always be people that skip all the words and just look at the pictures, but you shouldn't adjust your writing style for them. ;-)
 
jsb223 said:
800x600 with 50% compression is plenty...
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Yep, and 600x450 is even better. :thumb:

Eclipse11803C.600.jpg
 
I tend to go with 800 x 600. Sure, smaller is better but smaller than that I think people start squinting to see what you're posting a picture of.
 
:tab It depends on the person doing the report. Some people write better than others. So the amount of narrative is not necessarily the issue so much as the quality. I like seeing the rider's reflections on the events and experiences of the rides. However, some people just try too hard and force their prose. It comes across as contrived instead of genuine. I think most of those people are trying to write like someone else instead of writing their own thoughts and feelings.

:tab Likewise, some people are better photographers than others. However, "better" is a very subjective and relative thing. Good subject matter helps of course. But photos are kind of like the narrative. Some people try very hard to make their photos "creative" by doing things like turning the camera at an angle, getting bizarre viewpoints, or tweaking the colors after the fact. All of those things can be good, but overdone, they are kind of like the contrived and forced prose. I like to see photos that capture the mood of the ride as much as possible. The following is a good example...

This is where we had the discussion of, "So... when do we start to think we might be in trouble...?"
IMG_0802.JPG


:tab There are times when a picture truly is worth a thousand words. There are times when no picture can capture what is expressed in very few words. The trick is to find the balance. Something that is not always easy.

:tab I will tell you that the single best lesson I learned from reading books by Ansel Adams was that the secret to great pictures is taking LOTS of pictures. If you get hung up on making each and every shot absolutely perfect, you will miss a lot of shots. In this age of digital cameras where there is no real cost to taking tons of images, I shoot away! When I was using film, that technique was expensive and tended to limit the number of shots taken. I still try to pay attention to things like framing, lighting, perspective, etc,... But being able to shoot lots of pictures lets me experiment with those things. I think experimenting is a good thing as well. With all the point and shoot cameras that have everything automated, I think people get kind of lazy in their picture taking.

:tab Personally, I would like to be able to take better pictures. Some people just have an "eye" for great shots and some of us don't :shrug: The same is true for writing. I have seen some reports that were almost nothing but pictures with brief descriptions and they were incredible. I have also read reports that were almost nothing but narrative and I could not stop reading. So it really depends on the person doing the report as to whether or not I want to see more pictures or narrative.
 
Scott nailed it. It depends on the writer.

If you are good at expressing your thoughts and experiences through text, then I want to know the details. If you're more of a "I left at 8am. It was hot. I stopped for lunch at 12." kind of writer....well, stick with more pics. ;-)

However, the text portion can get too long. I don't want to read paragraphs upon paragraphs of text for just one picture.
 
But you might just think you're good when you're not. I guess you can tell if people like it if they say so.
 
I could stand some work on both the pictures I post and the narrative. Practice makes what? permanent...so they say ;-)
 
I like pictures, with text to explain the pics and give a bit of a supporting story. There are good writers out there who can tell an engaging story without the help of pictures, but for the most part, if I open up a ride report and it's nothing but a page of text, I'll probably just move on to the next thread. Part of the fun of a ride report is to be able to see what the other person saw on their trip. I don't think awesome, wallpaper-worthy shots are necessary either; just as long as they contribute to the story. Here's a post I wrote on a trip to Hill Country last summer; easy on the text, heavy on the pics, but I think I was able to convey the story and 'feel' of the trip...
 
Pictures and stories if appropiate! Of course, if everyone gets up and leaves when you go to dinner and there is no time to take pictures, then stories will suffice. Has that ever happened to you?
 
Motorcyclist said:
But you might just think you're good when you're not. I guess you can tell if people like it if they say so.
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Yup, which is why it's important to comment on the stories you like, even if you assume the writer already knows.

I make it a point to not skim through the Ride Report section when I'm at work, because I don't have enough time to do the stories and pictures justice. I'd rather be in a non-time sensitive environment so I can take it all in.

Pooc said:
Pictures and stories if appropiate! Of course, if everyone gets up and leaves when you go to dinner and there is no time to take pictures, then stories will suffice. Has that ever happened to you?
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Coop, that's why you take the camera EVERYWHERE! You'd take a picture of your lonely self at the table and tell how everyone abandoned you. :lol2:
 
Pooc said:
Pictures and stories if appropiate! Of course, if everyone gets up and leaves when you go to dinner and there is no time to take pictures, then stories will suffice. Has that ever happened to you?
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lol. Not that I recall. :trust:
 
Finishing ride reports is kind of nice... there was this one not too long ago about a trip out west that just sort of ended after day three. :loco: If you're going to do it, then do it right.

Lets see... what else.... ahhhh, road shots... I'm not a very big fan. Pavement pretty much looks the same in each of the 50 states give or take. I've seen some reports with just a tad too many "here's what the road looks like" pictures.

Pictures of people... many, many thumbs up. It puts a human touch into the photo when otherwise it would just be a bike in a shot. The timer can be your friend. I still haven't mastered this one like Becca or a few others have, but I keep trying.
 
Pooc said:
Have I only met the mean ladies on this forum? LOL!! Squeaky, thanks for the ride report. I didn't think you could go that far on just one bike. LOL!!
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I didn't, but I'm not up to that part yet... :mrgreen:
 
DFW_Warrior said:
Lets see... what else.... ahhhh, road shots... I'm not a very big fan. Pavement pretty much looks the same in each of the 50 states give or take. I've seen some reports with just a tad too many "here's what the road looks like" pictures.
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Agreed, unless there's something about the road shot that is notable - like the weather, a funny road sign, the time of day, cool shadows, etc. I tend to take a lot but not post too many of them in the report. It takes about 20 one-handed pics from the saddle to get a decent one worth posting.

DFW_Warrior said:
Pictures of people... many, many thumbs up. It puts a human touch into the photo when otherwise it would just be a bike in a shot. The timer can be your friend. I still haven't mastered this one like Becca or a few others have, but I keep trying.
Click to expand...

Well, a small tripod helps. Or a monkey that learns to push the button. :lol2:

On the topic of picture posting - just because I/you take a bunch of pictures doesn't necessarily mean you need to post a lot of them. Sometimes what I consider funny or cool about a pic is just boring for those that weren't there. I personally leave the camera tethered around my neck on a lanyard both on the bike and off, that way I have it to document everything. I take pictures of food, menus, signs, roads, bathrooms, cuts/bruises, animals, people - they help me remember what I did throughout the day so the days won't all blur together when it comes time to write it all up.
 
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There are people that are awesome writers and there are some awesome photographers. Sometimes you are lucky to get the best of both worlds in a report. I have no issues with a lot of detail and text. If you want to do a lot of writing, bump the font up a notch or break up your text into paragraphs. I will start reading a wordy report, I can get bored having to work at it and will stop reading it.

I really like the folks that are at home from their trip and then give a day by day report as if they are still riding. I see that hook alot of people especially if they take a few days to write it, leaving people hanging on to the report, wanting more. I love that stuff.

Got 10 people on a ride? Then try to get more people to post up their versions of the trip. I want pictures! One good report is nice but its great if we can be referred to Joe Bob's report with different perspectives on shots. Then Joe Bob can cut down on writing since we know what was going on from the original poster. Kind of like on the East TX dual sport ride or the recent Big Bend trip. Always nice opening up a new version for the next few days after the ride.

Ditto on the previous mention of links. I don't want to read the title of a great ride only to open it to a link to another site. Read Beemer Chef's continuing saga on the road. Let me enjoy the report and then make me want to go to your blog like he does. If you have typed up ride or tech reports that are photo heavy, you know that they are alot of work. Be sure to read your own reports. I see good reports that draw questions from readers but the original poster never replies back to them.

No matter how you write or snap photos, keep on posting those reports. Lots of folks refer to them when researching information on their future trips.

(Great, will have a trip report coming up at the end of May and now I am second guessing myself!)
 
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