This 2006 Suzuki press kit photo of Mat Mladin is uncredited, but my bet is that it’s a Brian J. Nelson photograph. I call this three-quarter side shot, knee down and visible the Brian J Angle.  Brian J certainly wasn’t the first to shoot this angle of a road racer going through a corner, but I have to say from my perspective he perfected it. This is a very difficult shot to pull off. Hit the shutter button just an instant earlier and you won’t see much of the side of the motorcycle. An instant later and you’ll no longer see the rider’s knee on the ground on the opposite side of the motorcycle – it will be obscured by the front wheel. It’s a delicate timing shot and Brian J can nail this angle effortlessly. I’ve seen some of his unedited memory cards and he’ll have a dozen of these shots in a row of different riders, all perfectly focused and composed. The beauty of this angle is you can see nearly the entire side of the motorcycle (great for sponsors) yet you can still just see the inside knee touching, or nearly touching the pavement. Brian is a master of getting every imaginable angle of a road racing motorcycle, but to me this will always be his signature shot.

Mat Mladin captured via the Brian J Angle. (Suzuki Press Kit Photo)