Gymnastics Shots

kidzmom

Hi Everyone!

I was just hoping for some C&C on these. All natural light (one HUGE window camera right--darkening curtain held open with one arm). I took these in a gymnastics room...off of the main competition area. There were darkening curtains over all of the full length windows. I took the BW shot in the dark room before I opened the curtain *note grain* and then decided to pull back a big curtain to let in some natural light. I was going for Rembrant lighting on a few of them...I always like the dramatic look (with it being competition day I wanted to create an edge for the portrait). I had to hand hold the huge curtain with one arm and shoot with the other. Not easy! Anyway, just wondering how they look. She's a very fair skinned little lady...wondering if I should warm them up? But this is her true skin tone.

My daughter (age 10) at her last competition.

#1


#2 *my rembrant lighting attempt


#3


#4


#5 (poor lighting before I opened curtains--see back right corner for idea of light behind curtains)


#6 and a little informal one with her little sister (you can see how fair and creamy skinned the eldest is compared to the skin tones of younger sister!) It is much easier to photograph younger sister for this reason.

kidzmom

~BUMP~ Anyone, anyone? 60 views and nada to say? I was thinking maybe I should have posted this in Sports? Although the poses were pretty static so I opted for People instead.

adbsgicom

I very much like #2, beautiful eyes and natural smile.

I don't like the cropped limbs of the first one, so on that pose, I prefer the third much more. Makes me think, "ouch".... The B&W is very nice. Not many photogs get that pose from their models...

Blurmore

Couple of them look a little hot, are you working on a calibrated monitor? Maybe it is just your take on the processing. You pretty much WIN on the shape of the Rembrandt lighting but this one more than the others looks hot to me, and deeper shadows on the shadow side of the face would be good. Also she is still broadlit so while you have a nice triangle under her eye, the light side being the larger side of her face (and the upward looking pose) accentuates her forehead. I think the 3rd is your best shot as-is, but 2 has the most potential with maybe a little tweaking and repositioning.

kris10jo

Oh, my, she is flexible, isn't she?? What beautiful girls you have! My girls are also in gymnastics, but they are 3 and 5, so it's a completely different ballgame for them.

I think I would have liked to see the pose where she's holding her foot from behind maybe at more of a side angle to really focus on that amazing leg stretch she's got going on.

I love #2. I love the expression and the composition. The lighting might be a big harsh, but I don't mind it at all in this one.

And #5 is great. Again, what amazing flexibility she has!

Great set of photos!

kidzmom

Thanks so much Jason, Kris and Andrew! I appreciate your comments. Andrew, I definately need to keep an eye out for those body part crops. This is the one thing I hate so much about a fixed lens. I'm not fast. I need to really work on that. Kris..I think I have a few of those shots from the side...I'll go back and take a peek thanks for the feedback...And to Jason, I really appreciate the detailed, technical feedback. The input on the temp was exactly what I was worried about. In my post I mentioned a few being maybe too cool...Well I went back and warmed them up (immediately after my post) and afterwards when you commented on them being hot I knew my initial version was the one. Thanks for that!!! I will try to reprocess #2..and I see what you mean about the light on the forehead---it should have been a bit down more towards her cheek--perhaps this would have been a time to pull out a reflector or scrim if I had one. Working with red and a pale skinned girl wasn't the easiest task actually. Hot and Cool don't make warm! Thanks so much for your thoughts keep em coming!!!