World Triathlon Series - Madrid ...

Buono Estente,

I'm a rubbish swimmer and more into cycling than running, so Triathlon isn't really for me personally, but I wanted to check out the cycling leg at least because they were nipping up one of my favourite hills in the Casa de Campo ... I decided to take the camera along because, well, why not?

I decided to skip the swimming part because without press credentials it wasn't really on, unless you had a telephoto the size of ... well, one which I don't have ... besides my main interest was the cycling leg ...

One of the crowd favourites (Spaniards) Mola (whose name also means 'cool') cresting the main rise ...

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89238​05707/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89238​02781/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89244​13930/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89244​13948/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89237​93353/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89244​18232/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89237​91621/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/owainshaw/89244​02860/

Great photographs. Some of the photos seem to be not clear/not in-focus. Did you shoot it in servo mode?

I did ... I think they all have a point of focus, just in some of them it's not quite where I'd ideally like (the face of the athlete) ... in #3 and #6 the shots have a little motion blur with the rider moving through the (static) frame as well, the rest were panned to an extent.

Cut down the sharpening. Excessively sharpened. Is a bright sunny day and why I am feeling like looking at a very dark photos. Contrast is too excessive. Why the trees have halo on them???

Halos appear sometimes (by my experience) if you have CA or a poor lens quality when the "Highlights"-slider is pulled far to the left (LR4). Or are they slightly tonemapped?

ormathisen wrote in post #15994064
Halos appear sometimes (by my experience) if you have CA or a poor lens quality when the "Highlights"-slider is pulled far to the left (LR4). Or are they slightly tonemapped?

No tone mapping, probably the Highlights (Recovery in LR3) slider - necessitated by my insatiable thirst for contrast, and in the case where the halo is most observable, shooting somewhat into the sun probably causing the CA ... lens quality shouldn't have been an issue as it's a 24-70 and I was using its hood.

TooManyShots wrote in post #15992956
Cut down the sharpening. Excessively sharpened. Is a bright sunny day and why I am feeling like looking at a very dark photos. Contrast is too excessive. Why the trees have halo on them???

Would sir prefer something a little more muted? Suit you?

I actually liked the last ones better

Owain Shaw wrote in post #15994170
No tone mapping, probably the Highlights (Recovery in LR3) slider - necessitated by my insatiable thirst for contrast, and in the case where the halo is most observable, shooting somewhat into the sun probably causing the CA ... lens quality shouldn't have been an issue as it's a 24-70 and I was using its hood.

Would sir prefer something a little more muted? Suit you?

I have said what I said. I should know what I am talking about since I shot over 30 races each year, for 2 years, early morning 6am to bright noon day.

TooManyShots wrote in post #15994969
I have said what I said. I should know what I am talking about since I shot over 30 races each year, for 2 years, early morning 6am to bright noon day.

I was merely referencing the Fast Show (as is also done in the opening post, and I'm wont to do), it was meant to be light hearted, not as a slight ... I posted other versions based on your critique (though the Constructive part of Constructive Criticism appeara to have been affected by the problems in the Manufacturing Sector), if I didn't respect what it said I wouldn't have done that, I'd have ignored it.

ormathisen wrote in post #15994420
I actually liked the last ones better

Good to know ... I have been slowly trying to move towards this sort of look, but after years of shooting for processing the first method, I still find it hard to back away ... for Portraits, I've been able to get away and go for something smoother and softer rather than hard contrast.

It's like quitting smoking ... I imagine, I've never smoked. Maybe it's like quitting drinking ... I imagine, but I still drink - which means it must be like quitting drinking, or chocolate.