Polo - Bridgehampton NY

robandjazzy

I love this sport, more shots to come

torags

I love the sport too, but these shots are from the wrong side of the field (with the available light).

http://ragspix.smugmug.com/gallery/5751315_HNpmn

SoonerShawn

Rags is right. You need to put the sun at your back if possible. You also have the same problem I have frequently. When shooting handheld, you have to really be aware of you horizon and keep it level. We get so caught up in the action that we don't realize we have our subject running up or downhill when there really is not a hill at all. Can't wait to see your next shots from this awesome sport.

robandjazzy

I knew that when taking them, it was a very over cast day, and I didn't want to leave the VIP tent () thought they still came out pretty decent on the wrong side of the light. Thanks for the advice, also saw your pictures, what equipment were you using Torags?

torags

robandjazzy wrote:

I knew that when taking them, it was a very over cast day, and I didn't want to leave the VIP tent () thought they still came out pretty decent on the wrong side of the light. Thanks for the advice, also saw your pictures, what equipment were you using Torags?

I used the 70/200 2.8 on a d700 at mid field

end field I used the 300 2.8 on a D200. I'm looking forward to trying movies on my D90 w 300 when they have the US championships in Aug

Don't mean to tell you what to do, but what works for me is, I scope the field for background first for a few shooting sites, since I don't like cars, spectators or tables. Carry the two cams setup in a Thinktank and spend the day at the three sites

I was told told by a player to stand at the goal because that's where the action is. I found that to be untrue. It's a low scoring sport and divide that by two (2 goals per field) and my 200/400 was never long enough & I missed too much action.

Mid field with the sun at your back has the best light and the most action and is close to get some good images.

I like a hot day towards the end of the chukkas. That's when the horses sweat and I like shiny horses (I'm such a cruel creep)

Good luck with your shooting

Rags

Snowgirl

Hi. Aside from the lighting issues, the first one would have been brilliant if you'd pulled back a bit so the tail end of the airborn horse was not cut off.

Similarly, the second one would have been much better had the hooves of the closest horse not been blocked by the barrier fence. You needed to be just a bit higher up to avoid that.

In the third, I'd have cropped to retain the group and taken out the horse's butt on the right and the 2/3 horse on the left.

Polo is a fun sport - enjoy shooting

TonyCooper

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I was told told by a player to stand at the goal because that's where the action is. I found that to be untrue. It's a low scoring sport and divide that by two (2 goals per field) and my 200/400 was never long enough & I missed too much action.
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I shot my first polo game recently (photos on my SmugMug site) and stood behind the goal. While polo is a low-scoring game, there are still many shots-on-goal. You can't tell, in a photograph, if the shot results in a goal. I found there to be plenty of action at the end of the field

A polo field is the size of 9 football fields. No matter where you position yourself, it's a huge area to cover with a 200mm lens (which is what I have).

This is what the pro photographer used, and she was positioned at an end of the field near the goal:










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