A couple of meets got rained out last week but there were a couple that weren't. Here are some choice pictures from one of them. (again shot with my Canon 7D and my Canon 70 - 200 2.8IS)
nice shots, looks like it was hard to find good backgrounds.
Thanks for the compliment!
Yeah . . . the backgrounds kind of suck. But I try to postion myself to capture the action 1st and then I worry about the backgrounds. A lot of times there just isn't anything I can do about it.
#1: I'd maybe look at a panoramic crop here ... not sure the track and hurdle supports add enough interest to the foreground.
And what is it with the one and only "AAE" branded hurdle ... EVERY other hurdle is a "Milbank" brand!!
#2: Nice - crisp/clean on the left hand athlete. Nice timing. Aperture of f13 may have worked against you isolating the athletes from the background here?
#3: I think this is a good POV rather than being on the other side of the bar. Her hair and the bending bar are good indicators of motion/action. Sharp and you can see some separation from the background.
#4: Eye keeps being drawn to lead athlete - nice. Good to have the second runner in background to help tell the story. I would think about cropping some of the LHS to move hurdler off-centre. The hurdles don't look horizontal to me.
#5: Good timing here - like this on a number of levels. The stadium sign location is great, the three girls who are turned around looking at the jumper is a nice touch. It is a bit busy but you can't change the reality of what you have. The low POV works great here.
#6: For me, this is the odd one out. It doesn't look sharp at all - apologies if it is me. The others look crisp but this one doesn't. Great timing with sand splash and her expression is great. Not so keen on the tree growing out of here or that large pole on left??
#7: I love the moment in time you have captured of the two runners. Fingers splayed ready to grasp the baton, runner in mid air and his hair sticking out; and the receiver's expression. Really sharp but f8 again means the background elements are distracting. Real balancing act between getting both runners sharp (as they are on different focal planes) and throwing the background out of focus. I don't envy your dilemma.
#8: Very similar thoughts to previous shot. f14 ... I would open it up some more, (drop ISO)?? Great colour contrast between the runners. The main subject has the more dynamic position which is good.
It would be an interesting exercise to say shoot at 1/400 and pan with the runner to get some movement in the extremities of the runner whilst blurring the background (not sure about 1/400 but I would start there and progressively drop my speed to find the sweet spot of just a little runner blur)
As always Mark, thanks for posting - another enjoyable set and I am learning heaps about what I can try when I get the chance to shoot athletics.
My opinion does not necessarily make it true. What you do with my opinion is entirely up to you. www.acecootephotography.com
Probably one of the best and most professional critiques I've ever read here. Absolutely spot on.
I can't think of a scenario I'd shoot a track event at a smaller aperture than F5.6, and more generally at F4. Having 2 athletes on a different focal plane isn't necessarily bad, but a conscious decision needs to be made by the photographer as to WHAT we are supposed to be looking at.
As to the image with the tree growing out of the jumper, this would have been helped by more shallow DOF, but at these HS fields, cleaning up backgrounds is often one HECK of a challenge. Just not a lot to be done sometimes. But the old saw of crop, crop, crop, is pertinent here. Nearly everything here is way too loose.
Also some general advice about shooting track & field...
1. For shooting hurdles - get the camera even or just slightly higher than the hurdle itself. For doing something creative, this can change, but the common straight on stuff should be lower.
2. For high jump, sit down or lay down.
3. For general coverage, get the camera even with the belly button or the waist of the athlete.
4. Use the largest aperture you can get away with. Some camera's AF systems won't keep up with an athlete sprinting toward the camera at very shallow DOF. You have to learn to judge this.
5. Clean up your backgrounds as much as you can. You may need to shift where you are standing, or even stand outside of the track. But do what you can.
#1: I'd maybe look at a panoramic crop here ... not sure the track and hurdle supports add enough interest to the foreground.
And what is it with the one and only "AAE" branded hurdle ... EVERY other hurdle is a "Milbank" brand!!
#2: Nice - crisp/clean on the left hand athlete. Nice timing. Aperture of f13 may have worked against you isolating the athletes from the background here?
#3: I think this is a good POV rather than being on the other side of the bar. Her hair and the bending bar are good indicators of motion/action. Sharp and you can see some separation from the background.
#4: Eye keeps being drawn to lead athlete - nice. Good to have the second runner in background to help tell the story. I would think about cropping some of the LHS to move hurdler off-centre. The hurdles don't look horizontal to me.
#5: Good timing here - like this on a number of levels. The stadium sign location is great, the three girls who are turned around looking at the jumper is a nice touch. It is a bit busy but you can't change the reality of what you have. The low POV works great here.
#6: For me, this is the odd one out. It doesn't look sharp at all - apologies if it is me. The others look crisp but this one doesn't. Great timing with sand splash and her expression is great. Not so keen on the tree growing out of here or that large pole on left??
#7: I love the moment in time you have captured of the two runners. Fingers splayed ready to grasp the baton, runner in mid air and his hair sticking out; and the receiver's expression. Really sharp but f8 again means the background elements are distracting. Real balancing act between getting both runners sharp (as they are on different focal planes) and throwing the background out of focus. I don't envy your dilemma.
#8: Very similar thoughts to previous shot. f14 ... I would open it up some more, (drop ISO)?? Great colour contrast between the runners. The main subject has the more dynamic position which is good.
It would be an interesting exercise to say shoot at 1/400 and pan with the runner to get some movement in the extremities of the runner whilst blurring the background (not sure about 1/400 but I would start there and progressively drop my speed to find the sweet spot of just a little runner blur)
As always Mark, thanks for posting - another enjoyable set and I am learning heaps about what I can try when I get the chance to shoot athletics.
#1: I'd maybe look at a panoramic crop here ... not sure the track and hurdle supports add enough interest to the foreground.
And what is it with the one and only "AAE" branded hurdle ... EVERY other hurdle is a "Milbank" brand!!
Yes, I am constantly reminded that I need to crop more. I will work on it. I have no idea what’s up with the lone AAE hurdle. Next time I see the Athletic Director I will tell him someone from Australia recommends the he make all the hurdles uniform.
#2: Nice - crisp/clean on the left hand athlete. Nice timing. Aperture of f13 may have worked against you isolating the athletes from the background here?
Note taken . . . open up the lens more.
#3: I think this is a good POV rather than being on the other side of the bar. Her hair and the bending bar are good indicators of motion/action. Sharp and you can see some separation from the background.
The thing that caught my eye is the fact that she just about made it over the bar but she realizes that she bumped it and for some reason or another she broke out in a smile.
#4: Eye keeps being drawn to lead athlete - nice. Good to have the second runner in background to help tell the story. I would think about cropping some of the LHS to move hurdler off-centre. The hurdles don't look horizontal to me.
Yes, the hurdles do look like they are tilted to the right just a tad. Again, crop more . . . got it. But I did open up the aperature to isolate the athletes and . . . ALL the hurdles say Milbank in this shot.
#5: Good timing here - like this on a number of levels. The stadium sign location is great, the three girls who are turned around looking at the jumper is a nice touch. It is a bit busy but you can't change the reality of what you have. The low POV works great here.
On this one I did want the stadium sign in the background to help tell the “where” part of the image. The 3 girls looking on in the background was just happenstance . . . even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
#6: For me, this is the odd one out. It doesn't look sharp at all - apologies if it is me. The others look crisp but this one doesn't. Great timing with sand splash and her expression is great. Not so keen on the tree growing out of here or that large pole on left??
You are right again, the only thing going for this image is the sand “exploding” around her feet. I should have left this one out of the final cut that I sent to my editor.
The is the effect I am trying to re-create on these shots:
#7: I love the moment in time you have captured of the two runners. Fingers splayed ready to grasp the baton, runner in mid air and his hair sticking out; and the receiver's expression. Really sharp but f8 again means the background elements are distracting. Real balancing act between getting both runners sharp (as they are on different focal planes) and throwing the background out of focus. I don't envy your dilemma.
OOOoooooppppsss – this is where I goofed up on my equipment. I needed to add my Canon 18 – 135 Is f5.6 for the shoot. On the relay races I don’t use my 70 – 200 f2.8. If I use the 70 – 200mm for the relays I have to be so far back from the track that eventually someone will wander in between myself and the track, totally ruining any chance for a good shot. Therefore any shots of the relays were taken anywhere from f8 to f14.
#8: Very similar thoughts to previous shot. f14 ... I would open it up some more, (drop ISO)?? Great colour contrast between the runners. The main subject has the more dynamic position which is good.
It would be an interesting exercise to say shoot at 1/400 and pan with the runner to get some movement in the extremities of the runner whilst blurring the background (not sure about 1/400 but I would start there and progressively drop my speed to find the sweet spot of just a little runner blur)
The color contrast is what caught my eye right away too.
I have tinkered with slowing the camera down while I am sitting so close to the track to get some “panning” effects but it has not given me the greatest results.
Here is one I tried from 2 years ago :
By the time I get slow enough to where the background looks horizontally streaked, the feet and hands start to get blurred. That one will take a little more work on my part.
As always Mark, thanks for posting - another enjoyable set and I am learning heaps about what I can try when I get the chance to shoot athletics.
And again Ace, thanks for taking so much time out of your schedule to help me out, I really appreciate it!
All good - I really enjoy looking at your work. Makes me think harder about my own.
Yeah - you tell that athletics director that I thought it was a tactic to upset the rhythm of the runner in that lane!!!
That last photo you posted - really like that effect. Definite feeling of speed and movement. The front runner is nailed - dead sharp with motion blur on the feet/hands. Terrific catch. I don't think I would use it all the time but it seems a great way to add variety and another dimension to a set. Do you happen to know what shutter speed you used?
Love the sand splash and slightly turned angle of the long jumper - nice work ... and good separation from background.
Keep posting - love looking at your work.
My opinion does not necessarily make it true. What you do with my opinion is entirely up to you. www.acecootephotography.com
Probably one of the best and most professional critiques I've ever read here. Absolutely spot on.
I agree 100% . . . it took a lot of time and effort for Ace to critique my images so thoroughly the way he did. Can’t thank him enough.
I can't think of a scenario I'd shoot a track event at a smaller aperture than F5.6, and more generally at F4. Having 2 athletes on a different focal plane isn't necessarily bad, but a conscious decision needs to be made by the photographer as to WHAT we are supposed to be looking at.
As to the image with the tree growing out of the jumper, this would have been helped by more shallow DOF, but at these HS fields, cleaning up backgrounds is often one HECK of a challenge. Just not a lot to be done sometimes. But the old saw of crop, crop, crop, is pertinent here. Nearly everything here is way too loose.
Yeah, I need to remember to open up the aperture when I switch from my 70 – 200mm to my 18 – 135mm when shooting the relays.
As far as cropping . . . I try to crop as much as I can and still keep the 6 X 4 format for my editor. And a lot of my sales come from parents buying 6 X 4s for their scrapbooks. I think what I will do starting next season is to make a more tightly cropped image of all my better shots to use exclusively for posting on the forums.
Also some general advice about shooting track & field...
1. For shooting hurdles - get the camera even or just slightly higher than the hurdle itself. For doing something creative, this can change, but the common straight on stuff should be lower.
I’m glad you brought that to my attention . . . I went back and looked and discovered that I used to do this but for some reason or another I went back to standing straight up when shooting the hurdles.
Maybe I got lazy because it’s a little difficult squatting down and shooting with my larger lens. I don’t have that problem on the 300 meter hurdles because my favorite spot to shoot them is sitting on the ground on the turn.
2. For high jump, sit down or lay down.
Again, glad you brought that to my attention and again I went back and looked . . . sure enough I was doing that a couple of years ago.
Again, maybe I got lazy the past couple of years or so.
3. For general coverage, get the camera even with the belly button or the waist of the athlete.
Never thought of that. Funny, that is one of the key rules I use when shooting football. You’re right . . . there is no reason why that wouldn’t work for track too.
4. Use the largest aperture you can get away with. Some camera's AF systems won't keep up with an athlete sprinting toward the camera at very shallow DOF. You have to learn to judge this.
Gotcha – crop tighter!
5. Clean up your backgrounds as much as you can. You may need to shift where you are standing, or even stand outside of the track. But do what you can.
I will keep this in mind. One of the main factors of where I position myself though when it is sunny out is where I am shooting in relation to the sun. When it is sunny out where I position myself will usually be determined by the old “dog fighter” rule of shooting with the sun at my back. So when the sun is shinning I am pretty much regulated to shooting from just a couple of spots.
6. Crop TIGHTLY when you have poor backgrounds.
Again . . . gotcha on that one.
Thanks again for all the advice! I will jot down some notes that you and Ace gave me and will concentrate on using them at the next meet.
Comments
Thanks for the compliment!
Yeah . . . the backgrounds kind of suck. But I try to postion myself to capture the action 1st and then I worry about the backgrounds. A lot of times there just isn't anything I can do about it.
And thanks for pointing that out.
And what is it with the one and only "AAE" branded hurdle
#2: Nice - crisp/clean on the left hand athlete. Nice timing. Aperture of f13 may have worked against you isolating the athletes from the background here?
#3: I think this is a good POV rather than being on the other side of the bar. Her hair and the bending bar are good indicators of motion/action. Sharp and you can see some separation from the background.
#4: Eye keeps being drawn to lead athlete - nice. Good to have the second runner in background to help tell the story. I would think about cropping some of the LHS to move hurdler off-centre. The hurdles don't look horizontal to me.
#5: Good timing here - like this on a number of levels. The stadium sign location is great, the three girls who are turned around looking at the jumper is a nice touch. It is a bit busy but you can't change the reality of what you have. The low POV works great here.
#6: For me, this is the odd one out. It doesn't look sharp at all - apologies if it is me. The others look crisp but this one doesn't. Great timing with sand splash and her expression is great. Not so keen on the tree growing out of here or that large pole on left??
#7: I love the moment in time you have captured of the two runners. Fingers splayed ready to grasp the baton, runner in mid air and his hair sticking out; and the receiver's expression. Really sharp but f8 again means the background elements are distracting. Real balancing act between getting both runners sharp (as they are on different focal planes) and throwing the background out of focus. I don't envy your dilemma.
#8: Very similar thoughts to previous shot. f14 ... I would open it up some more, (drop ISO)?? Great colour contrast between the runners. The main subject has the more dynamic position which is good.
It would be an interesting exercise to say shoot at 1/400 and pan with the runner to get some movement in the extremities of the runner whilst blurring the background (not sure about 1/400 but I would start there and progressively drop my speed to find the sweet spot of just a little runner blur)
As always Mark, thanks for posting - another enjoyable set and I am learning heaps about what I can try when I get the chance to shoot athletics.
www.acecootephotography.com
I can't think of a scenario I'd shoot a track event at a smaller aperture than F5.6, and more generally at F4. Having 2 athletes on a different focal plane isn't necessarily bad, but a conscious decision needs to be made by the photographer as to WHAT we are supposed to be looking at.
As to the image with the tree growing out of the jumper, this would have been helped by more shallow DOF, but at these HS fields, cleaning up backgrounds is often one HECK of a challenge. Just not a lot to be done sometimes. But the old saw of crop, crop, crop, is pertinent here. Nearly everything here is way too loose.
Also some general advice about shooting track & field...
1. For shooting hurdles - get the camera even or just slightly higher than the hurdle itself. For doing something creative, this can change, but the common straight on stuff should be lower.
2. For high jump, sit down or lay down.
3. For general coverage, get the camera even with the belly button or the waist of the athlete.
4. Use the largest aperture you can get away with. Some camera's AF systems won't keep up with an athlete sprinting toward the camera at very shallow DOF. You have to learn to judge this.
5. Clean up your backgrounds as much as you can. You may need to shift where you are standing, or even stand outside of the track. But do what you can.
6. Crop TIGHTLY when you have poor backgrounds.
perroneford@ptfphoto.com
Yes, I am constantly reminded that I need to crop more. I will work on it. I have no idea what’s up with the lone AAE hurdle. Next time I see the Athletic Director I will tell him someone from Australia recommends the he make all the hurdles uniform.
Note taken . . . open up the lens more.
The thing that caught my eye is the fact that she just about made it over the bar but she realizes that she bumped it and for some reason or another she broke out in a smile.
Yes, the hurdles do look like they are tilted to the right just a tad. Again, crop more . . . got it. But I did open up the aperature to isolate the athletes and . . . ALL the hurdles say Milbank in this shot.
On this one I did want the stadium sign in the background to help tell the “where” part of the image. The 3 girls looking on in the background was just happenstance . . . even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
You are right again, the only thing going for this image is the sand “exploding” around her feet. I should have left this one out of the final cut that I sent to my editor.
The is the effect I am trying to re-create on these shots:
OOOoooooppppsss – this is where I goofed up on my equipment. I needed to add my Canon 18 – 135 Is f5.6 for the shoot. On the relay races I don’t use my 70 – 200 f2.8. If I use the 70 – 200mm for the relays I have to be so far back from the track that eventually someone will wander in between myself and the track, totally ruining any chance for a good shot. Therefore any shots of the relays were taken anywhere from f8 to f14.
The color contrast is what caught my eye right away too.
I have tinkered with slowing the camera down while I am sitting so close to the track to get some “panning” effects but it has not given me the greatest results.
Here is one I tried from 2 years ago :
By the time I get slow enough to where the background looks horizontally streaked, the feet and hands start to get blurred. That one will take a little more work on my part.
And again Ace, thanks for taking so much time out of your schedule to help me out, I really appreciate it!
Yeah - you tell that athletics director that I thought it was a tactic to upset the rhythm of the runner in that lane!!!
That last photo you posted - really like that effect. Definite feeling of speed and movement. The front runner is nailed - dead sharp with motion blur on the feet/hands. Terrific catch. I don't think I would use it all the time but it seems a great way to add variety and another dimension to a set. Do you happen to know what shutter speed you used?
Love the sand splash and slightly turned angle of the long jumper - nice work ... and good separation from background.
Keep posting - love looking at your work.
www.acecootephotography.com
Wow!! Thanks for that ... made my day! Much appreciated.
www.acecootephotography.com
As far as cropping . . . I try to crop as much as I can and still keep the 6 X 4 format for my editor. And a lot of my sales come from parents buying 6 X 4s for their scrapbooks. I think what I will do starting next season is to make a more tightly cropped image of all my better shots to use exclusively for posting on the forums. I’m glad you brought that to my attention . . . I went back and looked and discovered that I used to do this but for some reason or another I went back to standing straight up when shooting the hurdles.
Maybe I got lazy because it’s a little difficult squatting down and shooting with my larger lens. I don’t have that problem on the 300 meter hurdles because my favorite spot to shoot them is sitting on the ground on the turn. Again, glad you brought that to my attention and again I went back and looked . . . sure enough I was doing that a couple of years ago.
Again, maybe I got lazy the past couple of years or so. Never thought of that. Funny, that is one of the key rules I use when shooting football. You’re right . . . there is no reason why that wouldn’t work for track too. Gotcha – crop tighter! I will keep this in mind. One of the main factors of where I position myself though when it is sunny out is where I am shooting in relation to the sun. When it is sunny out where I position myself will usually be determined by the old “dog fighter” rule of shooting with the sun at my back. So when the sun is shinning I am pretty much regulated to shooting from just a couple of spots. Again . . . gotcha on that one.
Thanks again for all the advice! I will jot down some notes that you and Ace gave me and will concentrate on using them at the next meet.