Another big crowd and winning performance for the #2 ranked Utah gymnasts, who defeated Arizona State 197.350-194.350. 8 shots for C&C. I used a combination of the 200/1.8 (3, 6 and 7), 85/1.8 (4, 5 and 8) and 35/1.4 (1 and 2). Only one more meet left for this season! I know you guys will be sorry I won't be making any more gymnastics posts .

1.
2.
3.
4. A portion of the 14,453 in attendance.

5.
6.
7.
8.

More photos in a gallery here

I love shots like 7 Russ and I think it's funny how they have cheerleaders jumping and twirling around during a gymnastics meet.

Russ another bunch of great shots here with nice angles. I really like #1 and #7. Only one more meet....then off to kick some serious butt on softball and soccer? I look forward to it.

Frank Lauri

Russ,

Great timing on #'s 1,2,5,7, and 8. A micro second later would have been too late to capture the peak. Especially like the cropping on #7.

Wow, 14,000+ for gymnastics event.

Russ,
The support your gymnasts get is outstanding.

The dramatic pose + bokeh in #3 and the concentration of #8 are my favorites.

Great coverage of your program this year.

I have to say I really like your latest watermark.

Thanks for sharing,

Bryan

Russ,
I really like 1, 3, and 7, Like Fish On the crop really works for me in 7. I think the horizontal and diagonal (45 deg.) hand rails in the backgroung help frame this shot.
Also the legendary bokeh of the 200 1.8 in these shots is fantastic as well.
I recently aqired a 200 1.8 and was wondering do you use this with a monopod at the gymnastic meets or hand hold?
I have only had a chance to use mine once so far at regionals for wrestling and it did get heavy, I was glad that I did bring my monopod along with me. It was a bit different setting on the floor and using it though, something you get used to I suppose.
Oh,from a guy that shoots alot of cheer (4) you really want to get those facials from the cherleaders...lol, I know you were there for gymnastics.
We are going to nationals in Anahiem at the end of the month for my daughters highschool,which is one of the reasons I bought the 200 for, that and dark high school football feilds in the fall

pacdzyne

Russ,

Excellent images but something better is your new logo! LOVE it.

Thanks John. Definitely funny to have cheerleaders. I said to my wife just last night that I thought it was crazy to have them at a gymnastics meet, and even crazier is that every once in a while one of the cheerleaders will do a tumbling run on the floor mats!

Thanks, Frank. Yeah, I guess softball and soccer are not far off. Utah baseball would be a possiblity as well.

Jerry: Thanks for your comments, particularly on the timing, which I agree is important. 14,000 +, yup. Incredible. Utah is on pace to break its own season attendance record (13,964 average per meet) set in 1993. They need to draw only 10,000+ to their next/last meet, and since it's against Florida, another gymnastics powerhouse, there's no question it'll happen.

Hey thanks, Bryan, and I appreciate your feedback on my watermark.

pacdzyne: Thanks for your detailed comments. With the 200, if I'm standing, I'll use a monopod, unless I'm shooting something in a way that the monopod makes awkward (like last night, with my back against a wall shooting beam, I eventually ditched the monopod to allow for ease of movement/panning. When I'm sitting, I just hold it, which in and of itself isn't so bad, but putting it down and picking it up every time I swap cameras (if that's relevant) can put a strain on these old bones. Re: the cheerleaders and facials, I hear ya, but in this case I was shooting the crowd and I thought the cheerleaders offered an interesting framing opportunity. Good luck with nationals! and enjoy that lens. Like so many fine machines, it begs for more use and always satisfies.

Hey Matt, we must have cross posted. Thanks! It's funny because I worked out this logo just recently and at the same time connected with a graphic designer to develop one for me. So far, I'm liking mine better, but it's a work in progress. Feedback appreciated.

Russ,

These are great. I really enjoy your gymnastics work. Very inspirational.

Sounds like this is a big deal for the Utes, huh, with 14,000 in attendance? Wow!

Really nice series, Russ-- good grab on #1, and #8 works well in b/w, but 7 is really popping off that bg.

And, your site is sweet! Especially the intro-- simple and classy. But your galleries are outstanding. If any of you guys haven't checked them out, you're missing some great images...

Hey, check this guy's gallery of Ute shots...

http://blog.dterryphotography.com/2009/02/kristina-baskett-u-of-u-gymnastics.html

Might that be you behind the lens in the last couple of photos?

Many thanks, Dennis. Yeah, gymnastics is and always has been a big deal at the University of Utah for as far back as I can remember. For one thing, it's a top-tier program that has had much success over the years. For another, the coach, Greg Marsden, is a marketing genius and his hard work and creative ideas really pay off. (For example, last night was Kristina Baskett night. At every door to the arena there was a life-sized poster of Kristina and everyone entering who was shorter than Kristina got in free.)

Tom: Thank you, my friend, for the many compliments. I'm glad to hear you like the site. And yes, you've nailed it, that's me behind the lens in those last two shots on KristinaStalker.com . (Just kidding. David Terry actually posted in one of my previous gymnastics threads with a link to his site. It's cool that he's caught the gymnastics bug.) Right at the end of the meet when I'm about ready to drop to the mats in exhaustion. It's fun, it's fast and it's intense. (Hey, #7 is another one of those where the gymnast is being drawn toward the light .)

You're totally welcome-- I'm thinking that Philip Morton's soul is hanging out with yours quite a bit these last couple of gym seasons...


Russ Isabella wrote:
And yes, you've nailed it, that's me behind the lens in those last two shots on KristinaStalker.com .

Ha, you noticed that, huh? Almost crossing a line there...(but I guess he's justified!)


Russ Isabella wrote:
(Hey, #7 is another one of those where the gymnast is being drawn toward the light .)

Yeah, it's perfect for it. You should paint in some suspension lines on her, add in some spotlight rays, then maybe even work it over with an Impressionistic brush in Corel Painter. But then you'd have to post it in the Photo Illustration forum...

Russ a super series. It has been a while but you keep gettin" better with age.

Ted

Russ,

I love that you turned #8 into a B&W. Really nice work and a fabulous facial expression. I'll also second the compliments about your logo. Did you do it yourself or have someone design it for you?

Chris

Great job Russ.

Was recently asked by the Gymnastics of Ontario Federation to do some work for them and their quarterly magazine.

While they were impressed with my shooting, I wasn't. The reason? I was trying to get my work to your level.

It really is outstanding. Great work.

Ted - Yes! It's been a while. Thanks for the kind words.

Chris - Thanks. Glad you liked the B&W conversion. It's fun to play with and some shots just seem to work better than others. The logo is my desing, and I appreciate the feedback. I was not very confident in it, but I'm getting there!

Adrian - Many thanks! I can say that striving to reach a level of gymnastics shooting beyond where you feel you are currently really can be a good thing, as that certainly is what I have been trying to accomplish. Good luck with your work for the Gymnastics of Ontario Federation, and congratulations on the gig!

Another great series by Russ. Love all of these. The backgrounds are incredible. Thanks as always for sharing Russ.

Oh yeah... the new logo rocks!

Very nice.

Hey Russ really like the first one it is different even for gymnastics....

very nice, indeed
b