You're there.
Your long journey to nail sports action has come to a great vantage point.
Great expressions and action. The fuller DOF has enabled sharp capture of several of the closest players. The toning appeals to me and gives it a timeless feel. Framing/crop looks just right.
You nailed it!!
I like this image a lot. Two players -- 17 & 4 -- create a nice frame for the man with the ball. The other players look like spectators, which enhances the focus on your subject. Nice shot!
Nice capture. Sunlit faces look darker than I'd expect them to be. Tried a Levels middle slider adjustment and they looked more natural to me at around 1.15 (i.e.. slider moved to the left a bit)
sbeme wrote:
Last is great as well.
Next to last is very good. But points off for cutting off some of the heads.
Your technique has improved dramatically!
Scott
Thanks Scott,
Yup - off with their heads! Need to revisit crop, not sure whether room is there or not.
I think a good portion of the improvement is attributable to changing my vantage point so most of the action was coming at me, either head-on or at a diagonal where previously action was generally perpendicular to line of sight - lots of backs and butts. Too, this is the 5th match so my familiarity with the game resulted in more productive anticipation.
At one time I had thought of youth/rec sports, but after reading about others' encounters with overly protective or paranoid parents, I opted for a less confrontational venue, and I can freely roam the sidelines.
I'm told at the conclusion of a match, a player, who scored his first 'try' in competition, runs some distance (from mid-field?) to the goal line and back sans shorts and other gear - have not been present to witness that, but will spare the forum should that occur.
The background action in these two isn't as dramatic as in the first shot, which I'd guess is part of the reason you selected it for initial posting, but in the thing I don't like in the first is the guy on the left with his back turned going against the flow and having his feet chopped off by the crop becoming more of a distraction than an effective framing element in the composition.
I don't mind the head being cropped off the shot above because it doesn't seem that unusual; we see that in portraits and it looks OK when the eye placement in in the upper 1/3 and there is good overall balance. Here the focal point of the action in in the foreground in the upper 1/3 and the guy in the background isn't that important to the understanding of the action. All things considered it works better for me to see his face in the first shot and have the top of the head cut off vs. how his face is hidden in the second.
Need to revisit crop, not sure whether room is there or not.