2nd Time Shooting softball

rdenichilo

Here are a few from my second attempt. Any better this time?

winger

nice, its really amazing what thinking about those few things (faces and backgrounds) how much it really can improve sports photos.

johng

The first and last are really nice shots - the first being the best of the series by far. There's another shot in the middle from behind the plate where you can see the blur of the ball as it's coming up on the batter which is also decent.

The rest, unfortunately, don't do much for me. A lot of the same exact shot - player watching the pitch. Parents will like these types of shot so if you're taking shots for parents they're good 'safety' shots. But as sports shots they're relatively uninteresting. There are hundreds of opportunities in a game to get these shots - every pitch. This type of shot is slightly more interesting when the player is actually swinging the bat and bat-on-ball can be good. Otherwise, the only time batter shots are interesting is if there's a great expression, something unique (bat breaking) or ibn the case of higher level athletes when they just have a nice graceful follow-thru - i.e. the great home-run hitters.

Don't get me wrong - for a second time, I think you did well. Your exposure is good, your framing is good and you're getting the ball iin the frame - all very good things. So, from a technical standpoint you did very well. The challenge becomes capturing the shots with interesting action - like in your first shot. Hope that makes sense.

Anyway, nice job for a 2nd time - now you're ready for the next step - not only exposing & framing properly but getting more interesting shots. THAT is the tough part of being a sports shooter.

rdenichilo

johng wrote:

The first and last are really nice shots - the first being the best of the series by far. There's another shot in the middle from behind the plate where you can see the blur of the ball as it's coming up on the batter which is also decent.

The rest, unfortunately, don't do much for me. A lot of the same exact shot - player watching the pitch. Parents will like these types of shot so if you're taking shots for parents they're good 'safety' shots. But as sports shots they're relatively uninteresting. There are hundreds of opportunities in a game to get these shots - every pitch. This type of shot is slightly more interesting when the player is actually swinging the bat and bat-on-ball can be good. Otherwise, the only time batter shots are interesting is if there's a great expression, something unique (bat breaking) or ibn the case of higher level athletes when they just have a nice graceful follow-thru - i.e. the great home-run hitters.

Don't get me wrong - for a second time, I think you did well. Your exposure is good, your framing is good and you're getting the ball iin the frame - all very good things. So, from a technical standpoint you did very well. The challenge becomes capturing the shots with interesting action - like in your first shot. Hope that makes sense.

Anyway, nice job for a 2nd time - now you're ready for the next step - not only exposing & framing properly but getting more interesting shots. THAT is the tough part of being a sports shooter.

Thanks for the comments. Actually that is exactly the type of input/guidance I am hoping to get. The fact is if I am getting proficient technically (exposing, framing, etc.) I am more confident to look for shots beyond the "safe" shots. I was unhappy with the exposure of the first batch. Worked on that issue in this batch and I am glad to know its getting better.

Again, thanks for the input. I will post my next series and hopefully I'll get somthing a little more interesting.

nipprdog

great improvement. nice job. shooting in harsh sun is :soapbox .

yesterday, I fought harsh sun, and 30-35 mph winds.

I need to raise my prices.