snowboarding shots - first time, CC please

hey guys, well i went to the snow yesterday and brought my camera along for the hell of it, glad i did because i destroyed myself on one of the jumps:p pictured just after lunch so decided to get my camera and shot for most of the afternoon, i had read a bit about shooting in the snow on here and tried to apply it as best as possible.

i know some things arent right like having the lift in the background but it was pretty difficult, i either had to have a busier background with face shots or nice background with bum shots and better lighting. an also couldnt set up below them shotting up at the jump because they were landing all over the down ramp

all are just resized in DPP to go on here, nothing else has been done, ie crop, color adjustment, sharpning so let me know what you think of the basic shots/composition and if you feel lie it i wouldnt mind seeing what u guys would maybe do with one or two of the pics

1 (my mate that i went to snow with)

They say that one of the first signs of mental illness is an inability to remember time and place. Being in the northern hemisphere, I started questioning mine when I saw snow shots appearing on this forum in August when it is hazy, hot, and humid. Then I noticed that you're from Australia. Okay, I'm not going nuts. So I now feel competent to critique.

I have found that the secret to good skiing shots is to find a location on the slopes where people are doing things in a narrow space so that they fill the frame and facing the camera and there's no lift line running behind them and they're not backlit and you're not in danger of being the subject of a collision. It sounds easy, doesn't it? NOT! Not to mention that you're skiing with expensive equipment that (1) changes your balance and (2) that you're deathly afraid that you'll break in a fall. That's a long-winded way of saying that I appreciate your situation.

#3 is your best shot, but there's that dang lift line. #2 is close, but a little distant. Exposure and focus look good in most of them.

cheers joe, i was assuming a few people may be curious about snow in august.

"Not to mention that you're skiing with expensive equipment that (1) changes your balance and (2) that you're deathly afraid that you'll break in a fall."

yes considering its my first DSLR and ive only had it for 2 weeks but i bought it to shot this kind of stuff and im pretty compitant on my board; i instruct part time during uni holidays for extra cash. so i shal persist, im going to another mountain for my 21st this coming weekend so going to get some shots then.

any ideas for cropping and PP anyone???

seems strange to me as well, I always have this image in my mind that Australia is always hot, dry and sunny.

taccca wrote in post #8425063
cheers joe, i was assuming a few people may be curious about snow in august.

"Not to mention that you're skiing with expensive equipment that (1) changes your balance and (2) that you're deathly afraid that you'll break in a fall."

yes considering its my first DSLR and ive only had it for 2 weeks but i bought it to shot this kind of stuff and im pretty compitant on my board; i instruct part time during uni holidays for extra cash. so i shal persist, im going to another mountain for my 21st this coming weekend so going to get some shots then.

any ideas for cropping and PP anyone???

man! i wish it was snowing over here! i miss snowboarding..lol
have no idea why it made it so choppy,i just took it into lightroom and played around with it,those are sick shots though man

much better on that last one

Not bad. I notice you were at f/10, and think that some with the busy backgrounds (chairlift, etc.) could be improved by a smaller DOF. This would also raise the SS to eliminate what looks like motion blur on the chairlift.

bfree32 wrote in post #8436147
Not bad. I notice you were at f/10, and think that some with the busy backgrounds (chairlift, etc.) could be improved by a smaller DOF. This would also raise the SS to eliminate what looks like motion blur on the chairlift.

cheers, i was at the f/10 because i was worried about the subject being out of focus (i was focusing on a piont on the jump that i thought that would be the same as the rider mid air and then used focus hold) but it seemed to be a pretty accurate method so i will head towards f/5 this weekend

also, witht he background motion blur i was trying to give a sense of the speed, in some of the others you will notice i went to a higher SS to get everything absolutely crisp

cheers again, damien

Hey Taccca,

Although these are nice shots, they look like they were taking with a P&S camera. They also appear to be a little OOF.
Personally, I would have gotten a little closer and gone wide. Have a look at some of the snowboard mags an d see what they are doing.
Can't wait to see your next lot!

Cheers

Hux

P.S. Were these taken at Smiggins?

artyman wrote in post #8425818
seems strange to me as well, I always have this image in my mind that Australia is always hot, dry and sunny.

me to! lol

Solid images

24alpha wrote in post #8437243
Hey Taccca,

Although these are nice shots, they look like they were taking with a P&S camera. They also appear to be a little OOF.
Personally, I would have gotten a little closer and gone wide. Have a look at some of the snowboard mags an d see what they are doing.
Can't wait to see your next lot!

Cheers

Hux

P.S. Were these taken at Smiggins?

kk cheers man, nah this was at perisher

nice last pic. what settings did you change in lightroom?

i pretty much do what was shown in lunasicc post, lower exposure slightly, bump up saturation and vibrance and bingo there u go. helps in almost any pics

Yay finally some snowboard photos! I've been waiting for some to creep up on the forum!

It's snowing and I plan on bringing my camera along with me to the snowy slopes of Whistler and North Shore Mountains. Just gotta get used to the gear while I ride.

All the advice here is great. I was shooting half-pipe and boardercross and if you can position yourself with the sun to your back the better. I would have still gone over to where those video guys were and shot from there.

Keep the shutter speed up and it will help with stopping the motion. I can't wait to get out to the terrain parks with my gear!

Great shots! Would've preferred them cropped though.