Gold Cup Soccer Semifinals
CHANDLERJA
Registered Users Posts: 400 Major grins
Got to go to this game this week in Houston and managed to get my camera in with some arguing at the gate.
My first professional sporting event with my new setup. While I'm not a huge soccer fan I had a great time taking photos!
Here are a few. What do you think?
#1 Winning and only Goal!
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
My first professional sporting event with my new setup. While I'm not a huge soccer fan I had a great time taking photos!
Here are a few. What do you think?
#1 Winning and only Goal!
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
0
Comments
I would even settle for a "god those suck"
http://snaptx.smugmug.com/
Light is everything in life and photography.
Well, I love to shoot soccer, and have an upcoming pro match that I am shooting. (Manchester United v Seattle Sounders in an exhibition game) I'll give you my $0.02's worth...
First off, I'll guess that you were shooting from the stands in a close seat, but not front row. And maybe you were using a 200mm lens? If so, you did a great job with the opportunity you had. You captured some great moments in almost all the shots, and your timing is good. And I can't much criticize the exposure, color, focus, etc. (tho I am not looking at the pix on a particularly good monitor, some seem a little dark.)
That said, the one area that might be improved in all of the shots is the amount of dead space around the action. Perhaps you just didn't have the reach to get that close; if so, kudos to you for not overcropping!
Now to the individual shots:
1. A great moment, but the clutter in the background detracts from the action. Given the distance from Dempsey to the ball, I'm not sure that cropping is really an option with this shot, as the aspect ratio would be odd. Perhaps you have another shot a second earlier, where the ball is flying to the net and the view of Dempsey is not blocked by Amilcar?
2. A great movement shot. I might suggest bringing up the exposure a bit to get the faces, and cropping from the bottom and left to emphasize the movement to the right of the frame.
3. Looks like he just missed the ball. Perhaps more crop on the left, and more facial exposure to emphasize the surprised expressions.
4. Absolutely lovely shot! Nice facial exposure. A little tighter crop would really acaccentuate the action!
5. Another great shot! I love Howard's stance and the arched back of the players. Although their backs are facing the camera, it still works. How about cropping in portrait orientation, with Howard in the upper left corner, and the ball in the lower right corner? It might tell the story better.
6. Another good shot. I like the natural vignetting that the light on the field provides, and the facial expressions. Perhaps if it had been taken a fraction of a second earlier, when Bradley had his leg fully outstretched behind him, it would have had more impact. Also, I think a portrait crop with the action just right of center frame would also emphasize the motion and tension.
7. Really good timing on this! Bedoya is all wound up and ready to shoot. I can't decide on whether a tighter crop on the three central players would improve the shot, or whether the three satellite players provide nice framing.
8. Absolutely brilliant timing! really nailed it! The drama does suffer from the peripheral and background clutter, which is easily solved by a much tighter crop. My guess is that such a crop is not possible, tho. Still, timing is key in soccer, and you got it perfectly!
9. Speaks for itself!
Hope this helps!
John
Worth allot more than $0.02's
You are right on with my seats and lens. You were also right on about the cropping limit. I went about as far as I could with most shots. I'm going to try out the rest of your great suggestions and see how they turn out!
Again thank you very much for taking the time to help me out and comment!!
http://snaptx.smugmug.com/
Light is everything in life and photography.
You're more than welcome, dude! If you are really interested in shooting pro soccer, you might cop a little audacity and try to get in as a freelance press photographer. There's no substitute for being at pitch level and next to the action. And even with a 200mm lens, you'll get some great shots. And the good thing about soccer's relative lack of popularity in the States is that most teams want as much publicity as possible, so you actually stand a good chance of getting a press pass. Teams like a large line of photographers near the touch line!
John
Very nice shots. I'd probably take #7 and crop out the lower 3 players, keeping the center 3 and the top left player if possible.
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My 50 f/1.8 lives on my Nikon D80 full time.
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Yes, you do need to get a pass ahead of time. Just go to the home team website and find their PR person. Unless there is a huge interest by high profile photographers, you should get a pass. You will need to supply a URL for your website, so make sure you have a suitable online presence. Good luck!