Apr 9, 2010

On the right track...

Photographing sports is fun, but shooting a track meet can be a beating. There are multiple events happening at the same time, and there is always a nagging thought that somewhere, at that very moment, one of the kids you should be covering is doing something great in nice light.

It is easy to sit and wait for 20 minutes as kids from various schools go through their turns at something, only to have the one athlete you want a shot of knock off the bar or foul out.

So, I've adopted a much more fun strategy of trying to shoot somewhat creatively and try to find a creative shot at each sport I make it too. And to do that, I shoot students from anywhere.

Finding good backgrounds can be a chore, but so far both meets I've been to this year gave me blue skies. Makes for a lot of low-angle photos, but I'll gladly take it with the evening sun.
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The other fun track meet adventure is silhouettes in the setting sun.

Best with the relay, but I would love to get rid of the fence.
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Runners in a closer lane make it easier... and throw in some wispy clouds for dramatic.
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Works for people warming up on hurdles in the infield too...
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Pole vault is fun to shoot... you never really know how things are going to work out.

Nice and clean
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Did I mention the background problems?
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To deal with the bad bg, zoom in closer, right?
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The track at Rockwall has a nice hill at the finish end for sprints (they run right-to-left on hurdles and sprints). That gives you a perch to use the track as the background. Looks cool with hurdles too.
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And when boredom sets in, fun detail shots are available
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High jump makes for nice shots too..
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She isn't that short... these guys jump high
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A lot of the athletes have unique styles or traits... This guy flies like an airplane..
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While this one floats as if levitating
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Ok... that is enough of that...

Have a great weekend everybody!

Don J.

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