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View Full Version : Friday Nite HS Volleyball - 5 Game "Marathon" (8 shots)


davidmigl
23rd of September 2006 (Sat), 16:36
Here are some images from last night's game of Grace Prep vs. Midland Christian. The match went all the way to the 5th game, which allowed me to cover all the angles that I wanted to get.

The home gym has a running track above the floor, and I was able to take some shots from there. What do you think? Love it? Lose it?

1. I was able to get some nice shots like this one without anyone getting in my way:
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6475/mg7172ad1.jpg

2. Whoops - ball nearly got away, and now the setter has to push the ball over on the third hit.
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7630/mg7139fa1.jpg

I like being able to take shots up there without players or referees getting in my way, but I think the downward angle is much less intense than an "on ground level" angle.


The side of the net is one of my favorite positions for getting shots of the back row...

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/2969/mg7273lz2.jpg

...and perhaps of a middle or outside spike.
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8434/mg7444my1.jpg

I usually can't get a spike of the player nearest to me - the 85mm is too long, and I just end up getting the back.

But that's what shooting into the net's for. Ah, finally that elusive shot of the outside spiker:
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/7026/mg7385yp6.jpg

Or a shot of after-play jube with the defeated opponent in the foreground:
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1079/mg7352xa3.jpg


Midland Christian won the first two games. With Grace on the brink of elimination, the atmosphere was especially tense. Amazingly, Grace Prep came back to win the next two games. Grace quickly moved ahead 14-9 in the 15 point tiebreaker. Everyone held one finger up (and perhaps held their breath) during the play to signal "game point!:"

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4702/mg7499fy0.jpg

After one final spike from #14, the tension was relived as GPA won a 3-2 comback victory. All the players were especially jubilant:
(I just noticed #1 in PP. Did she really jump that far out of her seat?)
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9698/mg7491uv0.jpg

Well, that's my eight image limit. All shots with 85mm f/1.8 on "M" f/2.2 ISO 1600 1/500sec. PP was crop, straighten, and auto-contrast. During the game, I was able to chimp alot, so I got to cram more keepers onto my two (tiny it seemed when the game just kept going and going) 2GB cards. I brought home about 440 shots, around 250 were keepers, though I took about 840 exposures. That's about 1 in 4 - getting better, still have a little ways to go.

Thanks for looking! Your comments greatly appreciated.

David Migl

Palladium
23rd of September 2006 (Sat), 16:53
Nice series - below is a workup with some contrast added and the whites touched up abit

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/7532/mg7385yp62uo0.jpg

cgratti
23rd of September 2006 (Sat), 17:04
Did you run these through a noise reduction program? I ran one through Noiseware Pro and it cleans them up pretty well....

Palladium
23rd of September 2006 (Sat), 17:08
Another workup with the whites touched up abit and contrast added

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/5427/mg7352xa32kj3.jpg

Croasdail
23rd of September 2006 (Sat), 17:53
Hay David, looking at the kit you shot with.... you did just great. You've got some nicely timed shots there. Those dang lights can cause you fits. and there really isn't much you can do about them. Nice job... keep at it.

davidmigl
23rd of September 2006 (Sat), 19:01
Hey, thanks all for the comments... yes, I'm coming to utterly despise those sodium lights...does anyone think of us photographers when they build the gyms?? :D

No, no noise reduction - either noiseware, noiseninja, or CS2 is probably next on my shopping list.

jharms1
23rd of September 2006 (Sat), 21:08
Great pics! I've been trying to take Volleyball pics too. It's a difficult sport to photograph. keep shooting.