So. Cal. Chinese Martial Arts Tourny (Many Pics)

[berrylish]

I had to bump up the ISO on these.
1.
http://www.berrylish.com/forum/scal4.jpg

2.
http://www.berrylish.com/forum/scal25.jpg

3.
http://www.berrylish.com/forum/scal24.jpg.

4.
http://www.berrylish.com/forum/scal20.jpg

5.
http://www.berrylish.com/forum/scal23.jpg

6.
http://www.berrylish.com/forum/scal26.jpg

7.
http://berrylish.com/scal2006/slides/IMG_5300.JPG

[SuzyView]

Very nice shots! I bet that flip one was one in a million! You did great. My Dad absolutely loved anything to do with martial arts (we're from Hong Kong). I love this more than ballet because it reminds me of home. Thanks for posting. Number 3 is my favorite.

[Andy_T]

Beryllish,

the first one is absolutely awesome!

Really nice work.

Best regards,
Andy

[GyRob]

i really like these shots the color is lovly and the serious looks work well ,find the background a bit distracting though.
Rob.

[condyk]

2 and 7 I really like. I'd like to see them in their own 'space' with less of the background showing, i.e. a faster aperture utilised.

[berrylish]

thanks everyone. i had a hard time caprturing them while they were performing because they were too fast! and i agree, the background is too distracting. anyways here are a couple more:

8.
http://berrylish.com/scal2006/slides/IMG_5264.JPG

9.
http://berrylish.com/scal2006/slides/IMG_5282.JPG

10.
http://www.berrylish.com/forum/scal21.jpg

[Nidz]

Maybe black and white the background and soften or blur it a little to make them stand out a little more

[CookieMonster]

1,2 and 6 are really good... 7 and 10 are ok... overall good shots

[frs]

Good pictures, i like 2,4,6

[shinchan]

very good Martian Art picture no. 3 is very good timing

[cfcRebel]

AWESOME captures Berry! Wow! The butterfly twist is really perfect timing. But the jump front kick seems a little late.

It's hard to take wushu pictures. Often time it's too late when you press the shutter. So it helps a bunch if the photographer knows a little about wushu, which i think you do. You know when the next jump is and press the shutter split second right before the jump.

You did great!

[berrylish]

thanks. i have some good shots of jump front kicks and aerials but they were going so fast that i focused on the background instead =*(*****.

[4g63photo]

Very nice shots Berrylish. What city in Cali was this at?

[berrylish]

Thanks, everyone. These were taken in Irvine.

[DwightMcCann]

I did Tai Chi for several years ... certainly would be no problem capturing images during the "slow set" but I can see these people move very quickly! So, is this Performing Art or Sports? :-)

[berrylish]

I did Tai Chi for several years ... certainly would be no problem capturing images during the "slow set" but I can see these people move very quickly! So, is this Performing Art or Sports? :-)

Yeah I was debating with myself about that. I figured it could fall under both, but I saw someone post gymnastics in here and wushu is a performance art kind of like gymnastics. We only do forms (no fighting). There is sparring, but they are all choreographed.

[DwightMcCann]

I don't think the forum is an issue, Berrylishious! For me, the Tai Chi was meditative ... I had some anger issues (nothing too pathological) and it mellowed me right out. Doing the forms molds the mind and brings focus to the chi that for me released the negative energy. I always tried to avoid the sparring, but the Masters want you to continually advance ... I never did weapons, either, for the same reason. Oddly enough, totally independently, my brother took up American Karate and is now a 3rd degree black belt with his own studio ... not my thing!

[cfcRebel]

My stamina doesn't allow me to do much wushu nowadays. Those young kids are much faster, jump much higher, more explosive, and completely humble me. My teacher had me focused on tai chi instead which i enjoy even more.

I agree. This was a competition. So "Sport" forum is more appropriate IMHO. ;)

[dshootist]

good shots all! just an aside, though, i would have liked to see #6 from the side he was facing for that particular crouch. i studied Okinawan hard styles so the fluidity of wushu and tai chi always amazes me, thanks fer posting!

[berrylish]

i just signed up at a wushu studio again. sooooooooooooooo sore. i have no patience for tai chi. its slow, but MUCH harder than it looks.

[MDJAK]

.. I had some anger issues (nothing too pathological)

After reading your reply to the hip hop post, I'm not so sure "had" is the operative word. :)

[dzstudios]

Have I said I love the first shot? I'm sure I have... have I?

If not - I love the first shot. The colours, the faces, the poses - it says it all.

....

[DwightMcCann]

Mark, eh?

[ldibo]

Great pictures Berry! I love taking pictures of martial arts. My daughter competes in Tae Kwon Do. Trying to follow the action and get the shot is hard. I usually come home with about 500 pictures and then narrow it down to around 30-40. Great pics!:)

Lynn

[AWPhotography]

Excellent pics indeed, I love the motion and angle in No3 as it shows the agility of the martial artist. However my favourite is No6 as it shows the power that is ready to strike at any time.


Andy

[rgaya]

great shots...i really like the first one but they dont work that well... u captured the action really well... but the background(i know u probably could not have done anything about it) is really messy therefore throws off the eyes and the oblects blend in with it... next time (if you can) get clean and dark backgrounds that will really make the objects pop out.

[Claire]

That first group shot I really like. Shame the background wasn't more empty.

[berrylish]

That first group shot I really like. Shame the background wasn't more empty.

i know! :( *sniff sniff. but oh well i couldn't do anything about it. and i could only shoot from one side because the other sides were blocked off.