Archive for the 'Volleyball' Category
The Daily Photo series focuses on the two or three key creative choices, in terms of composition and processing, that go into creating an image. Specific technical details about the shot have been left out — you won’t hear me talking about tone curve adjustments and whatnot unless it was a key component of the end result.
A black and white shot from my series on professional beach volleyball. I’m sorting them into four sets: “The AVP in Black and White”, “The AVP at Night” and “The AVP in Color” (two sets for that last one). Those can be found on my flickr account, although I may find a way to arrange them here on the blog at some point.
The shots themselves are from the 2007 and 2008 Dallas AVP tour stops, along with the 2007 Las Vegas AVP God and Goddess of the Beach tournament. I’m planning to attend and hopefully shoot at the 2009 Houston AVP tournament in mid-May.
This shot: Sean Rosenthal gets ready to serve at the 2008 Dallas AVP Tournament.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/4000
- Aperture: f/2
- ISO: 100
- Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
Composition and Processing
- The hard light from the mid-day sun isn’t doing this shot any favors. In situations like these, where I can’t affect the light or turn the subject, my only option is to move my feet. I tend to prioritize the face, and look for an angle where the light will fall evenly (harsh shadows on the face can be useful too, but it’s pretty hard to get rid of dark eye sockets or out of place nose shadows). In this case I shot from an angle where Rosie’s face is entirely in shadow, with some fill from light reflected off the sand. I could have also shot this from the other side, where his face is completely lit by the sun. Either probably would have worked, and perhaps the other vantage point would have had a better background.
- The arms, ball and gaze make for some good lines that extend nicely to the corners. But the reason I processed this shot, despite the noisy background, is the reflection in the sunglasses: The extension of the arms and ball appear perfectly mirrored in the right lens. Any time there’s a reflective surface in the scene, I adjust the composition to take advantage of it.
Original:
April 03 2009 | Photography and Volleyball | No Comments »
The Daily Photo series focuses on the two or three key creative choices, in terms of composition and processing, that go into creating an image. Specific technical details about the shot have been left out — you won’t hear me talking about tone curve adjustments and whatnot unless it was a key component of the end result.
Another shot in my series on professional beach volleyball. I’m sorting them into four sets: “The AVP in Black and White”, “The AVP at Night” and “The AVP in Color” (two sets for that last one). Those can be found on my flickr account, although I may find a way to arrange them here on the blog at some point.
The shots themselves are from the 2007 and 2008 Dallas AVP tour stops, along with the 2007 Las Vegas AVP God and Goddess of the Beach tournament. I’m planning to attend and hopefully shoot at the 2009 Houston AVP tournament in mid-May.
This shot: Nicole Branagh sets during the 2007 Las Vegas AVP God and Goddess of the Beach Tournament.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/2500
- Aperture: f/2.8
- ISO: 200
- Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (at 78mm)
Composition and Processing
- Branagh’s skin tones in the original shot look really close to the covered bleachers behind her. Going to black and white revealed the difference though, making her easier to see her against the background. In fact, there’s even the illusion of a rim light on her right side, enhancing the separation.
- This shot was part of a sequence intended to capture the interaction between the setter and hitter. None of those looked particularly good, so I pulled the image of Branagh setting and re-cropped vertically. That aligned nicely with the bottom to top motion of her body. She was leaning slightly to the left (her right), so I pushed her to the right side of the frame, creating a sense of isolation (i.e., there’s a hitter involved, and it’s the middle of the game, but none of that’s even remotely suggested by this positioning…the shot is entirely about her and nothing else).
- The lines in this shot lead to the ball, but the second thing you notice are the taut abs of Branagh’s torso. The tensed muscles add energy to one of the (relatively) passive movements in volleyball; I was fortunate to catch her right at the peak extension of her body.
Original:
April 01 2009 | Photography and Volleyball | No Comments »
The Daily Photo series focuses on the two or three key creative choices, in terms of composition and processing, that go into creating an image. Specific technical details about the shot have been left out — you won’t hear me talking about tone curve adjustments and whatnot unless it was a key component of the end result.
Another shot in my series on professional beach volleyball. I’m sorting them into four sets: “The AVP in Black and White”, “The AVP at Night” and “The AVP in Color” (two sets for that last one). Those can be found on my flickr account, although I may find a way to arrange them here on the blog at some point.
The shots themselves are from the 2007 and 2008 Dallas AVP tour stops, along with the 2007 Las Vegas AVP God and Goddess of the Beach tournament. I’m planning to attend and hopefully shoot at the 2009 Houston AVP tournament in mid-May.
This shot: Elaine Youngs dumps the ball short at the 2008 Dallas AVP Tournament.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/4000
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 200
- Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM
Composition and Processing
- Canon’s 300mm telephoto lens is remarkable. It’s tack sharp, focuses like a demon, and is perfect for sports. It also weighs a ton. I’ve tried shooting it handheld, but usually rely on a monopod. I wanted to give it a try with beach volleyball, even though it’s completely unnecessary: the sport is so accessible you don’t need anything over 200mm. In fact, it’s almost impossible to track a subject with a 300mm lens when you’re sitting courtside. So I trudged up to the top of the bleachers and took shots of just the top of the net. My hope was to get a tighter shot of the action that didn’t rely on showing how far above the ground the players were (like typical hitting shots). In this instance I was really just trying to capture the interaction of hitter and blocker; as an added bonus I got Holly McPeak scrambling for the short ball in the background.
- One of the most important things in sports photography is anticipation. If you know the sport, you know what’s about to unfold a moment before it happens. To catch a player digging a hard driven ball in volleyball, I usually focus on the defender and ignore the rest. I then listen for the hit of the ball, and begin shooting. If I wait to see the ball in the frame or the player react, it’s too late. To get this particular shot, I tracked EY only when she was at the net and ignored her partner (Nicole Branagh, who I knew they wouldn’t serve or hit at). I also lined up at an angle so that the hitter wouldn’t occlude the blocker. Since I wasn’t watching the ball, I waited until I saw the blocker enter the frame and take off before shooting (the blocker usually leaves the ground after the hitter). I took several exposures like that — it was just a matter of time before I got one with an interaction I liked.
Original:
March 29 2009 | Photography and Volleyball | 1 Comment »