HS Swimming

OldGuy

A few shots from our last meet before the holidays, a tri-meet between Loy Norrix, Portage Northern, and Albian. Loy Norrix won both contests to start the season @ 2-0.
1. Focus.


2. They're Off!


3.


4.


5.


6. 100 Free, Closer Than Michael Phelps! :wink :wink


7. Mirror, Mirror, in the Pool.... :rofl


8.


9.


Comments Welcome :rolleyes

craig_d

Nice. I particularly like #3, which really communicates energy and motion. The exposure time is exactly right, almost freezing motion completely but leaving enough blur in the right places (like the upraised hand), and the swimmer's expression and the patterns of water are perfect.

In contrast, I find #2 to be too frozen; there is no sense of motion at all, and the swimmer in the blue trunks looks like he ought to have wires holding him up.

OldGuy

craig_d wrote:

Nice. I particularly like #3, which really communicates energy and motion. The exposure time is exactly right, almost freezing motion completely but leaving enough blur in the right places (like the upraised hand), and the swimmer's expression and the patterns of water are perfect.

In contrast, I find #2 to be too frozen; there is no sense of motion at all, and the swimmer in the blue trunks looks like he ought to have wires holding him up.

Thanks for the comments, Craig. Both #2 & #3 were shot at the same SS; 1/400. The motion at the start is a little slower and the swimmers have a split-second hang time as their bodies transition to the water and my burst just happen to catch them. As noted, #3 catches the frenetic speed of the arm stroke, but not fast enough to stop the motion.

Thanks for looking:D

flipperpics

Great photos!
I shoot some swim team photos for our team, but I always seem to struggle with lighting. Using a 50D with 70-200 2.8 L lens. Any tips?

OldGuy

flipperpics wrote:

I shoot some swim team photos for our team, but I always seem to struggle with lighting. Using a 50D with 70-200 2.8 L lens. Any tips?

Thanks for the comment. I am not familiar with Canon gear. These shots were with a Nikon D300, 70-200 AFS, f2.8, VR turned OFF, ISO 1250, auto WB, switching between 1/400 and 1/500 SS.

As you are probably aware, different venues have different lighting... mostly BAD . Are you shooting on deck? If so, get as close to deck edge as possible—without getting wet—and at a low angle. I try to shoot lanes 1,2,3 from lane 1 side and lanes 4,5,6 from lane 6 side for freestyle and backstroke. For breaststroke and butterfly, I shoot from either end of the pool and wait until the swimmer is about 3 or 4 strokes from me to take the shot.

Please post some of your photos and good luck:D

flipperpics

Great thanks!
Thanks for the tips. I am on deck so I'll give that a try. Your photo's are great! I'll try to post a few - I'll pick ones that came out well (at least I think) with good lighting! You are right about the bad lighting at indoor pools