Deborah Kolt Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Diving is trickier than it looks. Seems simple - you know they're going up, maybe twisting around a bit and going into the water in front of the board, but getting the timing takes practice. Plus, most pools have all sorts of distractions to grab autofocus, from notices on the walls to sconces, to equipment like scoreboards.
Shooting from above can clean up the background and also make it easier to track the diver. See if you can find a pool with a raised gallery for spectators and try shooting from there, looking down on the diver with water as your background. When shooting from the deck, get as low as possible and use the ceiling (or sky) as background.
I don't think an AF case is going to solve your problem. Cases are no substitute for good timing and preparation. Watch the warmups, so you know what dives they are going to do, and practice on them. Listen to the announcements so you know which dive is coming up.
Focus on a high contrast spot; the place where suit meets the hip is my favorite. Especially in low light, use at least four surrounding expansion points. Make sure you have a long enough lens that the diver isn't just a speck. A 135mm prime does great in low light and is lightweight enough to easily track the action.
Keep practicing!
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