Let's Play Golf

sportsshooter06

Golf, Golfer, Club, Ball.

Teeing off on the Third hole 156 yards , over water.
Photos taken with a Nikon D300, 400mm 2.8vr, ISO 320, 1/5000 f2.8

leaforte

Above and beyond the drives...that is a series of some mighty fine looking footwear!

jonh68

As a golfer, these shots just look awkward. I have come to the conclusion the only time having a ball in the picture looks good is from a chip shot which the golfer is looking up on the follow through to see the chip or from a sandshot with exploding sand.

While it's cool to see the bends in the shaft, from this angle, follow through shots are much better or the height of the backswing. I am sure you got some, I just don't care for these kind of shots. Tiger Woods looks awkward at this point in the swing and that's why you hardly ever see shots printed like this in the paper or magazines. Almost everyone looks heroic on the follow through.

These are great shots to point out flaws in the swing, but they are not good for flattering the golfer. Looking back over my golf shots, I have had more purchases of face shots than shots like this.

sportsshooter06

jonh68 wrote:

As a golfer, these shots just look awkward. I have come to the conclusion the only time having a ball in the picture looks good is from a chip shot which the golfer is looking up on the follow through to see the chip or from a sandshot with exploding sand.

While it's cool to see the bends in the shaft, from this angle, follow through shots are much better or the height of the backswing. I am sure you got some, I just don't care for these kind of shots. Tiger Woods looks awkward at this point in the swing and that's why you hardly ever see shots printed like this in the paper or magazines. Almost everyone looks heroic on the follow through.

These are great shots to point out flaws in the swing, but they are not good for flattering the golfer. Looking back over my golf shots, I have had more purchases of face shots than shots like this.

Actually, I think the reason you hardly see shots like these is the noise of the shutter. Pro golfers are very aware of shutter noise during the swing, and almost any professional shooter, who covers golf knows not to shoot until the swing is over. This is why you get so many, shots of the finish.
However, some shooters who want to lug around a 600mm cannon, do have many shots of impact published. Just look at the cover of last years SI after the Masters, I believe it has a photo of Mr. Woods hitting his ball from behind a tree. Getting shots of Sand traps and chipping, can often be done with just one click, the club is moving more slowly and if you are experienced, you can time it just right. That is another reason you see so many of those shots. So I am sorry you don't like my photos. I of course have the finish, but the finish of most amateur golfers, is probably uglier than the shots, I have posted.
One more thing, these were done for fun, getting club on ball is kind of a manly thing. The guys I was shooting , probably will get a hoot out of seeing them.
Thanks for your kind words.clap
Why do you ASSume, i am selling them, I was shooting for the club, the event was held at. I am a photojournalist, while I do sell my photos, the one's above would not qualify. They will be published in the club's newsletters and used for other purpose, oh and yes I have the finish of the swings as well.

sportsshooter06

leaforte wrote:

Above and beyond the drives...that is a series of some mighty fine looking footwear!

Well, it makes you feel professional! dunno

jonh68

One more thing, these were done for fun, getting club on ball is kind of a manly thing. The guys I was shooting , probably will get a hoot out of seeing them.
Thanks for your kind words.

I am sure they were. I just don't like the angles. For fun they look great!

Why do you ASSume, i am selling them, I was shooting for the club, the event was held at. I am a photojournalist, while I do sell my photos, the one's above would not qualify. They will be published in the club's newsletters and used for other purpose, oh and yes I have the finish of the swings as well.

I didn't ASSume anything. I was remarking on shots like that I have posted and didn't get any sales from them.

sportsshooter06

jonh68 wrote:

I am sure they were. I just don't like the angles. For fun they look great!



I didn't ASSume anything. I was remarking on shots like that I have posted and didn't get any sales from them.

john, everybody has there own idea of what they like and dislike. I am not a commercial photographer, I am not trying to sell my photos to these folks. I shoot mainly for the client and there uses. I also freelance for some newspapers and other media. When i shoot for a client, I get what they want.
I have thousands of golf photos at the finish of the swing, anyone can do those, yesterday was a fun thing, we were geting shots on the 3rd hole of the golfers teeing off. That's all this was, I have the start, the finish and the middle of almost every swing, i can tell you as a golfer, it was not universally pretty.

Maybe a different angle does look better, a side shot is often nice. good luck with your photography.
Today we will shoot Baseball, I will try harder.

bikingbets

:lurk

sportsshooter06

bikingbets wrote:

:spam:spam

ok

KED

Fore Right!


Fore Left!



I like 'em -- I like the capture of fast-moving balls in flight in general in sports photography.

sportsshooter06

KED wrote:

Fore Right!


Fore Left!



I like 'em -- I like the capture of fast-moving balls in flight in general in sports photography.

Thanks KED, I knew it would take a new yorker to appreciate great shots, I was just havin fun, some people take this crap 2 seriously. I have a brand new 400mm 2.8 vr and was playing around. I just wasn't close enough, needed to be about 10 yards closer and they would have really been good.
Anyhow the players like them , the Golf pro likes them. Thanks for the kind words.
We will try to make john68 happy when i have some time.

KED

sportsshooter06 wrote:

Thanks KED, I knew it would take a new yorker to appreciate great shots, I was just havin fun, some people take this crap 2 seriously. I have a brand new 400mm 2.8 vr and was playing around. I just wasn't close enough, needed to be about 10 yards closer and they would have really been good.
Anyhow the players like them , the Golf pro likes them. Thanks for the kind words.
We will try to make john68 happy when i have some time.

With that first image that I excerpted, I think maybe you should be glad you weren't closer! Glad to still have you around!

bikingbets

...and were you wearing a helmet? How many shanks did you see?

KED

jonh68 wrote:

Tiger Woods looks awkward at this point in the swing and that's why you hardly ever see shots printed like this in the paper or magazines.

Um, hanging on the wall in the room from which I am writing this is an 11x17 B&W, art-quality (i.e. not shot by me!) print of Tiger hitting 3-wood off a tee, with the ball in flight (blurred) about 3 inches off the clubhead. It is quite breathtaking, it is a golf lesson in a single photograph, and "awkward" is probably the last adjective that anyone would ever use to describe it.

KED

sportsshooter06 wrote:

Thanks KED, I knew it would take a new yorker to appreciate great shots, I was just havin fun, some people take this crap 2 seriously. I have a brand new 400mm 2.8 vr and was playing around. I just wasn't close enough, needed to be about 10 yards closer and they would have really been good.
Anyhow the players like them , the Golf pro likes them. Thanks for the kind words.
We will try to make john68 happy when i have some time.

Hey -- I just noticed the background on excerpted image #2. What is this, some kind of giant-sized Putt-Putt?

sportsshooter06

KED wrote:

With that first image that I excerpted, I think maybe you should be glad you weren't closer! Glad to still have you around!

No problamo, I was about 50 yards from those guys, to there left, green is behind me on my right. I challenge them to hit me, it would have been interesting.
It;s more dangerous, shootin Baseball from the field, right opposite 1st or 3rd, try that. You learn to shoot, with both eyes open.

sportsshooter06

bikingbets wrote:

...and were you wearing a helmet? How many shanks did you see?

No shanks, a bunch in the water, they are hitting over water to a green protected with traps in front and back.

I play golf and I shoot golf, it is a lot of fun, i probably have 50000 golf photos, no one has ever come close, Including Mr. Woods.

KED

sportsshooter06 wrote:

No shanks, a bunch in the water, they are hitting over water to a green protected with traps in front and back.

I play golf and I shoot golf, it is a lot of fun, i probably have 50000 golf photos, no one has ever come close, Including Mr. Woods.

He'd be the last guy I'd be worried about. I'm bummed that he didn't win the Masters (or anyway it appeared out of reach when I tuned out) -- I like watching history being made and was hoping all the prognostication about a Grand Slam might actually prove out.

sportsshooter06

KED wrote:

Um, hanging on the wall in the room from which I am writing this is an 11x17 B&W, art-quality (i.e. not shot by me!) print of Tiger hitting 3-wood off a tee, with the ball in flight (blurred) about 3 inches off the clubhead. It is quite breathtaking, it is a golf lesson in a single photograph, and "awkward" is probably the last adjective that anyone would ever use to describe it.

That is my point, you see yourself at the bottom, moment of impact and you think, that's not me. The photo does not lie.
I have a friend, took a picture of him at the finish of his swing, his hands were 2 inches apart, when i sent it to him he said, that's not me.barb

I told him do you think i changed the heads in photoshop.bow.

the pro's at my club, pay me to take a complete sequence , when they give lessons, the golfers love it, they can't believe how there swing looks.

sportsshooter06

KED wrote:

Hey -- I just noticed the background on excerpted image #2. What is this, some kind of giant-sized Putt-Putt?

No!, that's someone's kids play set in there back yard.

sportsshooter06

KED wrote:

He'd be the last guy I'd be worried about. I'm bummed that he didn't win the Masters (or anyway it appeared out of reach when I tuned out) -- I like watching history being made and was hoping all the prognostication about a Grand Slam might actually prove out.

unfortunately tiger could not make a putt, missed at least 4 short ones today.
I love Tiger, he can only blame himself, if he holes a few putts, he would be winning his 6th green jacket today. He would have won the Open last year, if he made a few puts. There is always another tourney, Tiger will be fine.

sportsshooter06

hey John 68, no hard feelings, here's one for you.



and here's the group



This photo will be resiized to about 16 x 40, and hang in the pro shop until next year.

KED

sportsshooter06 wrote:

unfortunately tiger could not make a putt, missed at least 4 short ones today.
I love Tiger, he can only blame himself, if he holes a few putts, he would be winning his 6th green jacket today. He would have won the Open last year, if he made a few puts. There is always another tourney, Tiger will be fine.

I love him too, and of course there's nothing to worry about for him personally. But at this point it's not about any individual outcome, it's about the rare opportunity to observe sports history-in-the-making a la Michael Jordan, so I'd like to see him complete a true Grand Slam. I don't watch one minute of PGA golf when he's not playing.

Greedy, right? We did get to see Jordan after all; I grew up in Cleveland, so I even felt Jordan.

bikingbets

sportsshooter06 wrote:

I play golf and I shoot golf, it is a lot of fun, i probably have 50000 golf photos, no one has ever come close, Including Mr. Woods.

In your experience and opinion, is there a market for spec golf photography? You know, stand on a tee and wait for the foursomes to come through? In all of my years of playing golf, no one has ever done that, but I can imagine some people liking a photograph of their swing.

Betsy

sportsshooter06

bikingbets wrote:

In your experience and opinion, is there a market for spec golf photography? You know, stand on a tee and wait for the foursomes to come through? In all of my years of playing golf, no one has ever done that, but I can imagine some people liking a photograph of their swing.

Betsy

I don't think so Betsy. First you can't stand on the tee, second you can't shoot, while the players are hitting.
I was on a job, not selling photos to participants, if any of them want a copy we will happily , print and sell. I am not shooting to sell photos to players, We are shooting for a client, who will use the photos in print media and for there website. The group photo, when enlarged and printed will hang in there Pro shop.
These particular photos were taken with a 400mm 2.8 lens, I was standing about 45 yards from the tee.

Good luck