Rugby shots for C & C

Morlar

Here are some rugby shots from yesterday morning if anyone wants to check them out -

Take him down
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40705157

Gaining ground
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40705358

The hammer came down
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40705624/

Tower
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40706032/

Kick
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40706192/

(as usual if you click on the small pic you get the bigger one)

Jagera

Unfortunately the weather's not really that good at the moment, so it's hard to get a good shutter speed for action shots. Personally speaking, for rugby types shots like these I think you need to totally freeze the action.

Taking the rain into account I think you've made the best of a bad situation.


Here's a few C&C:

Take him down
The focus is just out a bit, it's more on the bloke with the headgear. Did you add blur to this shot? What lens did you use?

Gaining Ground
Good capture. Why black & white though? Maybe try to crop the two lads on the left & that blur at the bottom left.

The Hammer Came Down:
I assume this is a tight crop? Nice attemp though, but there's no focal point, it'd be good if the ball was visible.

Tower
Nicely grabbed. I think the background is taking away from what could have been an excellent shot. Before you start shooting you need to be mindful of whats in the back. Also, you're chopped their legs off! Don't just follow the ball!

Kick:
Again with the shutter speed, unfortunately your desired focus of this shot, i.e. his foot kicking, is not frozen enough. It'd be good to see the ball too.


Given that freezing the shots is difficult on a crappy day try for other things like getting the joy/elation of a try scorer's face or the depression of the losers faces, shots emphasising the wetness of the day, muck on their faces that kinda thing.

Good efforts though.

Tarakiwa

Is that the Clondalkin R.F.C. kit??
Great team!!

Morlar

Thanks for checking - (and yep Clondalklin were orange and black).

slumped

I have a couple of questions:

1. Would you see yourself shooting rugby for publication in a newpaper for example?

2. Have you got a good telephoto lens (400mm-500mm) which is quick?

S

Morlar

slumped wrote:

I have a couple of questions:

1. Would you see yourself shooting rugby for publication in a newpaper for example?

2. Have you got a good telephoto lens (400mm-500mm) which is quick?

S

Just seeing this now - they were taken with a standard (5.6 I think) 80-200mm EF lens in the driving rain (with a non-weatherproof camera). I also have an even slower 75-300mm which is sometimes better to use on manual focus.

So no I dont own a fast (F4 or less telephoto : (

I already do freelance sport and events for a local paper and the shots here were the ones that I knew they wouldnt use because they almost always stick to the formula of having the ball in every shot & taken from in front with the action coming towards the camera.

PS forgot to say earlier the one called 'tower' was taken mindful of the background - that was why the tower in the background was included with the tower of players in the foreground !

Also the one called 'hammer came down' didnt need the ball to be included because the shot was about the person at the bottom of the heap of players (curled up in a ball) trying not to get trampled. Thanks again for checking.