for the customer....for yourself

I can not believe this is the most exciting moment in this game. So, is the timing perfect? The guy looks bored to be falling on his face. Is the expression perfect? You are behind the action and the light. Is that perfect? There is a ton of empty space at the bottom, and you cut the dude's head off at the top for goodness sake! Is the composition perfect?

 

The photo is far from perfect.

A peak-action sports pic that cuts off one of the participants' heads while including a large swath of grass across the bottom of the frame is not perfect.

 

Yes, sometimes a player may enter the frame at the last second and things like this happen. That's what the trash can is for.

:) this thread became one of the funniest threads ever. Thanks, guys, and keep up the good atmosphere!

 

By the way - did you not notice that half of it was already deleted? Or you think it's accidental?

Bradley & Andrew:

 

Yes, the composition could be a little better, but you must understand how difficult such work is, and how rapidly things are changing from one moment to the next. This was submitted as an example of perfection of technique, which it is. The camera is panning slightly with the ball-carrier (thus the background is slightly blurred), and you can read the finest details in the face and on the ball. The focus is perfect, made with a manual focus 400mm f/6.8 Leitz Telyt. The player was darting in and out behind opponents, and emerged at the last moment from a crowd and just leapt over the goal line. I did not know he was going to leap, and the position of the camera was correct for a continuation of running. I was behind the goal post, mid-way between the sidelines. Since no-one knows where the action is going to occur, and I have no control over it, positioning myself mid-way gives me the best chance of capturing something.

 

I have many years of experience in such types of work, and am familiar with how to position myself and what to anticipate.

 

I do not know whether either of you have experience shooting such sports as rugby with a long lens. Shall we say there is a considerable degree of difficulty? I have other shots of sideline throw-ins, but even with its minor compositional faults, I am satisfied with the action here, captured to perfection.

Bradley:

 

What do you mean by 'thought'? This is an action shot. No 'thinking' is involved. Planning, anticipation, positioning yourself on the field, etc., are involved. Is that what you mean? I was waiting for a score, hoping the team would score at my end. I positioned myself near the goal line. I got a perfect shot of a try (goal).

 

I was just driving down the street last October and saw these fellows playing a match. It was actually near the end of the game and I got off only two rolls.

<i> No 'thinking' is involved. </i><p>

 

Speak for yourself. Or maybe you were.

Yes, precisely. You do not 'think': you REACT. Thinking takes too long. You do not think when you drive, do you? When you see brakelights go on in front of you, you have no time to 'think' about stopping: it has become second nature: instinctive. Good photographers do not think. They see and react in the appropriate ways, just as good drivers do.

 

Only beginners 'think' and it shows, badly, in their work.

Hans you aren't making much sense. You are saying it's perfect in one place and then giving reasons why others do not find it perfect. You can't just select part of a photo and say it's perfect and ignore other parts that aren't. If you are going to give an example why not pick one that is perfect in all areas. You've been doing this for 40 years so you must have alot to choose from. Perhaps something that's been published etc.

 

Also you said that you have a natural, genetically-based talent for this but then you go on to say that it's due to experience and knowledge.

 

I've also seen sports photographers and I've never seen them just take one shot. Generally they have a winder and take a series. I'm not knocking your postings and have not done any myself but if you are going to boast at least lead with your best.

Andy:

 

You are right, I am saying what may appear at first to be somewhat contradictory things. But bear with me.

 

I recently dug through some very old photographs from high school, and found a really nice close-up photo of a basketball player attempting a foul shot, taken with a 300mm f/5.6 lens! The basketball is in his hands, and shows a slight amount of blur as he raises it to shoot. In the background is the scoreboard (the old light-bulb type) in nice out-of-focus circles. His eyes are intent on the rim. This photo was taken in 1967, when I was 17 years old. I had been taking pictures for three years at that time. It shows perfect composition, timing, and focus.

 

I do not have it with me today, but I will bring it tomorrow and scan it for you.

 

Of course, as you gather more experience, you learn more about where to be and what to look for when photographing something that you have no direct control over, such as occurs in sports photography.

 

The first rugby photo I showed is perfect in the things over which I have control. Unfortunately, not everything is predictable or anticipatable. I did not know he was going to lunge. I followed him, with great difficulty (looking through a 400mm lens is not easy when the player is darting around), through a swarm of would-be tacklers, trying to maintain focus. I had the camera prepared for the light and conditions of that side of the field, and shot. He is in perfect focus and the leap is right over the goal line. He is clearly in view, and I am ahead of the play, not behind it as you said. The defender came in at the last instant, as is easily observed by his position. If you think that is a defect because his head is slightly cropped, I say fine. I doubt many reading this could do as well or better.

<img src="http://lotusphotography.com/fb1.jpg">

<p>

heres one from college, about 10 years ago... :D

a few more...just for fun

<p>

<img src="http://lotusphotography.com/bb1.jpg"

<p>

<img src="http://lotusphotography.com/bb2.jpg">

<p>

<img src="http://lotusphotography.com/fb2.jpg">

Grant:

 

Very good sports work, except, I think, the first one is a bit too high on the runner.

It would be silly for anyone to object that parts of people are cut off in the basketball shots, or that the heel of the defender is missing on the last footbal shot, because they are not essential to the action. The same applies to the rugby ball-carrier.

long lens, what can you do....

<p>

:P

Grant:

 

Not show it, I guess.

 

Which college were you attending: Iona or Sacred Heart?

What can you do?

 

That's easy, just don't make yourself look so dang silly by calling it "perfect." :)

 

Someday I might make a perfect photo, but I seriously doubt it.

Here is that basketball shot I mentioned yesterday, from 1967, when I was 17.

The best situation arises when the photographer and subject manage to achieve a common creative goal. For this reason I like to work with creative people, e.g. writers, musicians etc. What is most diffcult, but in its way challenging, is the subject who has no ideas about how he/she wants to be portrayed. In this case the result is entirely the photographer's vision. And when one only has a few minutes to photograph someone it is not possible to build up any sense of that person's essence - it just ends up as a 'likeness'. In this case one gives it one's 'best shot' and hopes.

Grant, they can't be yours, there's no female butt in any of them.

Good shots by the way. I like the last two best.