NASL Soccer - Minnesota Stars @ Edmonton - Aug 4, 2012

Here are some from today's game, C&C always welcome!

#1

Hey Joel .

These would all be deletes for me.

1) Guy in the foreground kills it.
2) Timing is off. You want the foot on the ball for this type of shot.
3) Focus is off and the player in front is closed off body wise to the camera. The background players are distracting also.
4) Ball?

very nice Joel, really like 2,3 and 4

I like #2 the best. New 7D?

Good shots, are you at field level?

ajaffe wrote in post #14816042
Hey Joel .

These would all be deletes for me.

1) Guy in the foreground kills it.
2) Timing is off. You want the foot on the ball for this type of shot.
3) Focus is off and the player in front is closed off body wise to the camera. The background players are distracting also.
4) Ball?

Thanks for the honest critique Aaron, it's not an excuse but I was shooting for the first time with the 7D that day and I didn't feel on the ball (no pun intended) for whatever reason. I think I need to spend some time tweaking the AF settings and just getting used to the body layout. Kept missing the AF-ON button and kept hitting AE lock instead...

#1 - Agreed.

#2 - I like the shot myself, but I will make a note for next time.

#3 - This one has me scratching my head, it looks backfocused on the player in the back (his face seems sharp) but if you look at the grass it would indicate that the players are inside the DOF. Their legs seem sharp too. Shutter was 1/1000 or higher so it's not motion blur. Noted about body position and background.

#4 - I know I broke a basic soccer rule... this pose was the player's follow through after a clearance and seemed more aesthetically pleasing than the pose where he had the ball on his foot. I've been following the baseball threads and the "bat on ball" vs. "batter out of the box" discussions - I guess this was my take on it. But as you say, probably not going to cut it for editorial if the ball's not in the shot.

rick_reno wrote in post #14816811
very nice Joel, really like 2,3 and 4

Thanks Rick, have had better days at the field but I'll take the compliment.

Voaky999 wrote in post #14818272
I like #2 the best. New 7D?

Thanks Don, how did you know?

TWayne wrote in post #14818280
Good shots, are you at field level?

Yes sir, I was on the sidelines.

Seems like the focal plane is just in between the players like you noted. That might be a camera booboo if you were tracking it for long enough and the camera just blew it.

Shooting with new gear absolutely stinks the first couple of times until you get used to buttons, the files it can produce and how to run them through post.


For 4 though, shoot landscape. I honestly shoot in landscape more than in portrait because I can time things better and because the places I submit to all use a landscape format. If I submit portrait then they have to letterbox it which looks ugly. Also I find most people are used to seeing in 16:9 format since that is what they see on televisions. That is one rule I break all the time.

ajaffe wrote in post #14818820
For 4 though, shoot landscape. I honestly shoot in landscape more than in portrait because I can time things better and because the places I submit to all use a landscape format. If I submit portrait then they have to letterbox it which looks ugly. Also I find most people are used to seeing in 16:9 format since that is what they see on televisions. That is one rule I break all the time.

It funny about preferences, when I shoot tennis for the University they only use verticals. When I shoot periodically for other University Athletics they will only use horizontals. I guess it basically comes down to how the webmaster set up their news pages.

ajaffe wrote in post #14818820
Seems like the focal plane is just in between the players like you noted. That might be a camera booboo if you were tracking it for long enough and the camera just blew it.

Shooting with new gear absolutely stinks the first couple of times until you get used to buttons, the files it can produce and how to run them through post.


For 4 though, shoot landscape. I honestly shoot in landscape more than in portrait because I can time things better and because the places I submit to all use a landscape format. If I submit portrait then they have to letterbox it which looks ugly. Also I find most people are used to seeing in 16:9 format since that is what they see on televisions. That is one rule I break all the time.

I'm probably fighting the camera a bit, but I'll wear the blame for now until I'm absolutely sure I'm not to blame.

So far I haven't been asked to submit in a particular orientation, only to keep keep them in standard crop sizes. I find myself cropping in 8x10 ratio a lot, seems to be a good format for eliminating dead space and keeping the shots tight on players.

Voaky999 wrote in post #14819167
It funny about preferences, when I shoot tennis for the University they only use verticals. When I shoot periodically for other University Athletics they will only use horizontals. I guess it basically comes down to how the webmaster set up their news pages.

Might very well be!

Voaky999 wrote in post #14819167
It funny about preferences, when I shoot tennis for the University they only use verticals. When I shoot periodically for other University Athletics they will only use horizontals. I guess it basically comes down to how the webmaster set up their news pages.

Exactly. I find more and more people using Demosphere and Sidearm Sports based sites that have a more horizontal layout. Like you reiterated though, it depends on what orientation the client wants.

www.csusmcougars.com has examples of this