GAA Shots C*C Welcome

slumped

Hi All,

Sports photography is rare on these boards, so here are a few I shot last week at a SFC match in Kildare between Celbridge and Naas.

C&C welcome.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38645031/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38645086/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38645120/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38645150/

I like 2 and 4. Number 1 looks slanted but if you saw the pitch at Kilcock where the match was played you would understand!

S

MrJoeSoap

Really like number 3, the way everyones eyes are firmly fixed on the ball. Others are good too.

Morlar

What iso did you use ? Were they on film or digital ? I liked the first one - I would probably tilt the pitch to make it look even (even if its not). The 2nd one great catch but I find the grain a bit distracting. Same with the third & fourth in my opinion. 4th pic caught a great look and is a good action shot but again the grain is a bit distracting.

slumped

It was an evening match which was overcast and getting dark early.

It was ISO 400 for the coluor shot and 800 for the B&W.

I changed them to B&W because of the graniness, a bit like you would see in a newspaper.

S

Oriel

To be honest, nothing grabs me about any of them. Nevermind iso - what do they say? I don't know who won, who scored etc.
Tell a story. At the moment, they're just people running after a ball. Make them commentate.

slumped

sinecurea wrote:

To be honest, nothing grabs me about any of them. Nevermind iso - what do they say? I don't know who won, who scored etc.
Tell a story. At the moment, they're just people running after a ball. Make them commentate.

Do all sports action shots really have to tell a story?

Shots like mine appear every Monday in the papers and show the energy and effort put in by players.

Just because the players aren't jumping for joy or shooting on goal does not make them bad photos.

S

Yerac

I like them.

I can understand what you said about the sloped pitch but I would still have straightened the horizon in the first one.

#3 is a nice shot and I'd play around with cropping it differently, I would have cropped the guys on the right out, basically tightening up on the kicker and the guy blocking.

The capture of the expression of the passer in #4 is excellent.

kenwood

`Hi folks,

Just getting into sports photography and find that there are very little forums for the like here.

Slumped - vy nice photos - Can you tell me what lens, f stop etc you were using?

I have the Canon 350D, and use the Canon 70-300MM 4-5.6 IS USM lens.
Really need help with this!!


Denis

Borderfox

Very nice Slumped, I like no.1 the most. A quick straigthen and its sorted. Nevermind about telling a story, and keep it up. kenwood try here http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php scroll down to the sports section.

minikin

Hi Slumped,

Number 1 is your best shot, but the backgrouns in all of them are far too busy... open that lens right up! Have you tried panning?

re the pitch being slanted on no.1 ...:rolleyes: ... must have some builders with a short left leg too!

Oriel

slumped wrote:

Do all sports action shots really have to tell a story?
Shots like mine appear every Monday in the papers and show the energy and effort put in by players.

No, but give anybody a camera, and they could have taken those photos. I dunno, I just don't think there's anything "different" about them.

Kenwood, you're going to need a faster lens that a f/4, unless it's a bright day.

Borderfox

I understand your point sinecurea but you have to walk before you run.

Oriel

Borderfox wrote:

I understand your point sinecurea but you have to walk before you run.

Point taken, quite right.

minikin

put the 'telling a story' bit to one side (on the table beside the jaffa cakes) for now, slumped... only take shots if you can fill the frame with the action, focus on one or two players that are most likely to get the action... nothing wrong with asking questions if you're not familiar with the teams. You won't be constantly chasing the ball but will learn to predict the direction of play... you'll notice set partnerships in the teams that always pass to each other. It's not luck, it's observation that gets you great pics (well that and a big piece of glass)

Borderfox

minikin wrote:

put the 'telling a story' bit to one side (on the table beside the jaffa cakes) for now, slumped... only take shots if you can fill the frame with the action, focus on one or two players that are most likely to get the action... nothing wrong with asking questions if you're not familiar with the teams. You won't be constantly chasing the ball but will learn to predict the direction of play... you'll notice set partnerships in the teams that always pass to each other. It's not luck, it's observation that gets you great pics (well that and a big piece of glass)

Quite true mimikin.