I see why the love affair with that piece of glass. We mere mortal parents look up to photo gods of sport. Thanks for posting. Agree with Teric, the parents are very fortunate. Those moments you captured will last many lifetimes.
Paul said: "we are competing with disgusting sidelines and parents with better and better equipment. For youth sports, there is a need to get something they are not getting and we are forced to constantly push ourselves as photographers to do better, achieve more, and produce something visually different."
Paul the qualilty is as to be expected from you. You have some top notch sportraits , and some action images (most are cropped). I personally would like to see more full body action images.
P Alesse wrote:
If I was covering LAX for editorial purposes, I would agree that looser is the way to go, but in these tournaments, we are competing with disgusting sidelines and parents with better and better equipment. For youth sports, there is a need to get something they are not getting and we are forced to constantly push ourselves as photographers to do better, achieve more, and produce something visually different.
Thanks for your comments all.
Hit the nail on the head!
Great stuff Paul. Can I ask how far away you were for that first shot. Just curious.
Great stuff Paul. The 600 is really popping. #1 and #6 are very strong.
How does that focal length compare to the 400 on the full frame in regards to how you compose in camera ?
I agree that there is a need to offer what the parent shooter can't. The standard action shot is not going to cut it as the gear gets better and the web is where many images end up.
Man, I know you need a mixture of angles and crops and compositions for best variety...
But for me tight is right and this set is just stellar. You have got a level of IQ in this set that is just out of this world Paul... that 600 is treating you very very good.
The crispness and focus on faces is unusual in lax pix I've seen. Very nice. Question. I'm not all that familiar with lax but is the hit you recorded in #4 legal? A stick to the neck could be brutal. Nice work.
The crispness and focus on faces is unusual in lax pix I've seen. Very nice. Question. I'm not all that familiar with lax but is the hit you recorded in #4 legal? A stick to the neck could be brutal. Nice work.
Paul,
I guess that means no coming back from the dark side? ;-)
Truly sharp shots. No shadow lines on the faces in the helmets either.
Great series, love the bokeh!
Paul - really great stuff! I love the rain shot - I think the elements really make the shot stand out. Rain is great when shooting under the lights on occasion as it creates more light than otherwise would be there. I am finding that the 1.4 extender on my 400 2.8 really works great and maintains that sweet bokeh as you have on these with your 600 plus as you've already stated, really allows you that reach to the other end of the field...
Hey Paul, Great shots here and I agree with you, we have to offer parents something they can't get using there gear on the side lines! we just did a tournament over the weekend and parents gear is getting better and better!! I see a lot of 200 2.8 and 1-400L lenses, so we have to raise the bar. You still get those full body shots when they are at mid field but seeing expressions on players faces up close in the heat of the game is priceless.
Great work
Paul
Great stuff Paul. I'm really amazed at the perfect faces and perfect focus that you manage to capture.
pattywatty wrote:
I am finding that the 1.4 extender on my 400 2.8 really works great and maintains that sweet bokeh as you have on these with your 600 plus as you've already stated, really allows you that reach to the other end of the field
I think the 400/2.8 + 1.4x combo sounds ideal. That was my next toy, but a 600/4L just fell on my doorstep so I'm going to give that a shot first. I suspect I'll shoot some Babe Ruth World Series this summer and a season of youth football with it, then look into a trade for a 400/2.8
If the 600/4L can get half of the magic that Paul has captured, I'll be thrilled.
I just love that sport!