Number 1 is soft on focus or needs some sharpening but otherwise is good. That cloudy day helped you a lot as you don't have shadows under the bike. Numbers 2 and 5 are by far the best. Number 3 needs more pop in the color and more contrast. Number 4 does nothing for me at all. Number 6 is also very nice. Sometimes a not-so-close crop like that looks really good because it shows the environment that the subject is in.
Nice work- I shot some motocross shots a couple months ago for a guy I work with whose kid races- aside from getting yoked up a little by the in-house-track-photographer I had a blast. I really like #2 and #4.
Thanks for looking guys and thanks for the critiques also. #4...Either you love it or you hate it, or so I have found. As far as getting yoked by a "pro" I feel you man. I got into it this summer shooting baseball of my son. All the guy had to do was approach me nicely and say, hey, Ive pd for the right of exclusivity here, you mind not shooting to sell, which I hadnt intended to do anyways. Instead he was rude and pushy so I provided free 8x10s of that game to all the kids on the team. Cost me $60.00 but it sure felt good when he came around and all the parents were opening up their packages.
As far as getting yoked by a "pro" I feel you man. I got into it this summer shooting baseball of my son. All the guy had to do was approach me nicely and say, hey, Ive pd for the right of exclusivity here, you mind not shooting to sell, which I hadnt intended to do anyways. Instead he was rude and pushy so I provided free 8x10s of that game to all the kids on the team. Cost me $60.00 but it sure felt good when he came around and all the parents were opening up their packages.
Bear in mind the pros go through a lot to become the league photographer and they are dealing with mom and pop coming in more and more all the time. And often times those people DO come in with the intent of selling the photos (often ridiculously cheap). Or worse, simply giving them away (you can't compete against free photos). Not saying how he handled it was the correct way, but I'm saying he probably deals with this a lot and is simply getting tired of it. Frustration, or loss of patience maybe. Many of these guys are seeing their livelihood disappear and that is not a nice feeling to have.
While I never did this for a living (thankfully!!!) I always did charge a tidy sum for my photos. But my way of dealing with the mom and pops at the MX track was to simply stop shooting an event that was becoming less lucrative to shoot. I myself had people come up to me and say "I'm not trying to compete against you, I'm not selling them, I'm just giving them to friends", and they honestly thought it was good they weren't selling them. But as I say, you can't compete against free. Back to the day job.
On those jump shots where you are under the rider, if the day is not cloudy (luckily for you it was) you will get shadows under the bike. The solution to that problem is to use your flash. It helps a ton on a sunny day.
Great point and I totally understand the "pro vs amateur" thing. I realize the man is there to make a living whereas I'm at my 9-5 that next Monday. I try to be sensitive to that fact. And as far this probably being an everyday thing, I didnt think about that-all I know is that it was the first time it ever happened to me. Im of the opinion that if your work is good enough, mom and pop sport photos simply cant compare with not only the equipment you used, but the access that noone else had, and the expertise you have developed over the years.
For the sake of discussion. If I offered my services, photographing the team and it's players for the team website, in exchange for a reduction in the registration and uniform fees...who has "the rights" to our team when we go to a ballpark that has a pro photographer?
Im of the opinion that if your work is good enough, mom and pop sport photos simply cant compare with not only the equipment you used, but the access that noone else had, and the expertise you have developed over the years.
One would think that, but in reality I've found the opposite. Free is free, even if its not as good, its still free. And let's face it, not every shot of Junior needs to be of Sports Illustrated quality. Yes, they know the pro's shots are better, but free is free.
For the sake of discussion. If I offered my services, photographing the team and it's players for the team website, in exchange for a reduction in the registration and uniform fees...who has "the rights" to our team when we go to a ballpark that has a pro photographer?
First you'd have to figure out how much a discount you'd be getting. That is what you are getting paid for your services. Then ask yourself if your time spent and your equipment costs will be adequately reimbursed at that fee level. My bet is "no". As per the second part of your question I don't have an answer and it is likely that the answer changes from ballpark to ballpark.
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#4
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my words, my "pro"pictures, my "fun" pictures, my videos.
A former sports shooter
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Jeff
flickr
While I never did this for a living (thankfully!!!) I always did charge a tidy sum for my photos. But my way of dealing with the mom and pops at the MX track was to simply stop shooting an event that was becoming less lucrative to shoot. I myself had people come up to me and say "I'm not trying to compete against you, I'm not selling them, I'm just giving them to friends", and they honestly thought it was good they weren't selling them. But as I say, you can't compete against free. Back to the day job.
On those jump shots where you are under the rider, if the day is not cloudy (luckily for you it was) you will get shadows under the bike. The solution to that problem is to use your flash. It helps a ton on a sunny day.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
For the sake of discussion. If I offered my services, photographing the team and it's players for the team website, in exchange for a reduction in the registration and uniform fees...who has "the rights" to our team when we go to a ballpark that has a pro photographer?
First you'd have to figure out how much a discount you'd be getting. That is what you are getting paid for your services. Then ask yourself if your time spent and your equipment costs will be adequately reimbursed at that fee level. My bet is "no". As per the second part of your question I don't have an answer and it is likely that the answer changes from ballpark to ballpark.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu