Some middle school girls basketball...

[tkfoto]

Ambient gym light, ISO5000...

Pardon the watermarking...the images are on a site for sale to parents and these are also pretty much straight from camera...they'd get a rehit before being printed for sale.

[johndevane]

TK,

First, I'm assuming you want criticism, which I hope you'll accept, although you didn't ask. Please take my words as helpful, not derogatory.

Okay, the bad and the good... Your photos could use some work, your signature is great. :)

The technical aspects of your photos are not bad at all. Good focus, motion is pretty well stopped, good photos shooting ambient. I'd add a little contrast to the first one, as attached below. ( I may have overdone the saturation now that I look at it )

The "creative" aspects are what needs work, IMHO.

#1 rule on the creative side is to catch peak action. I've seen many pictures published that didn't have great technical detail, but had great action. On your pictures; #1 is bland: closing eyes, no defender, doesn't tell a story.

The second shot is cropped too loose, and taken just a bit late. Fingertips on the ball make the best shooting photos.

I'm sure any parent would be happy with these shots, as basketball is so difficult to photograph. It seems you have the ability to take great shots, just continue to improve.

Regards,

John

[Zivnuska]

John's critique is right. Try for a few shots where the player is guarded and driving toward the hoop. There is often good intensity. Shoot more and show us next week.

[tkfoto]

Yep, the criticism is fine.

I probably should've mentioned I wasn't going to be posting the shots I really liked...these were done for a local "event photography" operation I'm getting started with, during a tournament. Thus while it's a remote chance that any of the parents are browsing here and would try to print the pics I post here rather than buy them from the site...it's not a chance I'm willing to take...so I put up a couple of the "technically good, but missed" shots. I will probably be shooting a couple of games for friends and family in the near future and without that work being up for sale, I'll put up shots I like better.

As to peak action and missing technically...One I'm looking at right now has one of the girls blowing past defenders in full stride on a layup, mid-air, last running step before she plants for the jump...major "war face"...but I lost AF lock and the defenders are in sharper focus than she is. As is, as a parent I'd likely buy it. But to me as a photographer, it's a frustrating shot.

Post processing I wasn't concerned with - I really did nothing to those shots at this point.

[40Dude6aedyk]

Be careful with the verticals (#2). Horizontals are important, but because of perspective are often not horizontal. I think it's better to take a photo that you don't have to rotate because every time you rotate, you lose a little bit of sharpness.

As for peak action, some players will never get to experience peak action, but their parents would want photos anyways.

[tjketa]

Yep, the criticism is fine.

I probably should've mentioned I wasn't going to be posting the shots I really liked...these were done for a local "event photography" operation I'm getting started with, during a tournament. Thus while it's a remote chance that any of the parents are browsing here and would try to print the pics I post here rather than buy them from the site...it's not a chance I'm willing to take...so I put up a couple of the "technically good, but missed" shots. I will probably be shooting a couple of games for friends and family in the near future and without that work being up for sale, I'll put up shots I like better.


I wouldn't worry too much about them printing a picture off of here, especially if it's watermarked, the resolution would be such that the print most likely wouldn't look that good. I've found it's better to post a shot you like because the critique will be more meaningful to you, imo. Thanks for sharing them.

Tom

[superdiver]

I think you have the "tech." aspect down fine, (ie focus, stop action ect..), but I would second the above CC as well. I am going to put it in my own words though cuz it may actually be a little different then above. As was said, this is in now way derogitory....'


First off, what camera? those are great pictures for ISO 5000 IMHO...especially if you didnt run them through any noise software!

what I dont like...
1)in the first picture, it would be alot better if the player was facing you, I postion myself under the basket and move back and forth along the base line to get the players in action coming at me. I like to try and get them making a cut or driving past a defender.

2)in the 2nd shot, if you are going to be getting a shooting shot I like them either during their initial movement up with the ball below thier face or with the ball just comming off of their fingers and still in contact if possible. I also like them facing me and not having many if any other players in the way unless that player is part of the story as in being shot over, or blocking the ball or fouling the player....

that being said, those are the difficult ones to get and as you said you posted the not so good ones and i bet you probably have pictures of the shots we have discribed.

I wouldnt worry about people stealing your pictures from here, not cuz they wont (its unlikely they will come here) but cuz when you post them they are low enough quality that they wont get very good prints off of them (especially with the water mark), and life is too short to worry about losers who steal pictures off of websites.

By en large the general public wont and doesnt have the ability/knowledge to get rid of watermarks, and those that do can steal any picture that is on the web no matter how well you protect it....

[tkfoto]

Camera is a D700 - my second day of real shooting on it, and the first was studio shooting. No out of camera NR. (Yeah, I went noink on this round..hehehe...I still have my 10D and will probably have another Canon in a year or two...but for now, this is the camera that does what I want to do...)

In #1, I was on the baseline - she was crossing midcourt of an inbound - she liked to drive up the other side and we had another photographer on that side of the court at that point...

I got a lot of practice that day - 7 games that day alone. I have plenty of my own work to review. hehehehe. I could definitely see improvement in the shots I was getting as the day went on and I got more familiar with the action (as well as my camera's focusing habits)...(I'm not a big b-ball fan and I haven't watched many games from the baseline....)

But yes, I definitely got a healthy share of the kind of shots you mention, especially as the day wore on. I'm not gonna lie and say I had 90% keepers like that by any stretch, but I definitely see a bunch of shots I do like out of what I shot...

I'll be a little freer with pics when I get some shots of games from my nephew and/or friend's daughter...

[superdiver]

I think you are well on your way to some great shots...plz post them..I LOVE bb!