6th Grade Girls Volleyball Game C&C Welcome

CMfromIL · Feb 22, 2012

Took some more shots. Worked a bit more on post production, and did more cropping than I normally do for these shots. Girls lost in the 3rd match.

Enjoy.

1. Incoming

2. Blocked

3. Huddle Up

4. Get Set

5. Jump

gsgary · Feb 22, 2012

They all look very soft

CMfromIL · Feb 22, 2012

^^I think in the next game I'm going to up my f/stop. All were around 3.5-4.0. I may bump it up to 5.6, but the big challenge at that point is the lighting which is very poor.

Thanks for looking.

The_Traveler · Feb 22, 2012

I like this one the most but the players are underexposed (and the crowd is too bright, IMO)

polymoog · Feb 23, 2012

I think the composition is good in these, the series really tells the story

Some images are maybe a little soft and/or grainy, possibly due to cropping and/or high ISO

The_Traveler · Feb 23, 2012

IMO, in several of these shots, the framing is off and the shot was not well timed.
The ball shouldn't be on the edge because that is one center of interest and the people involved are the otehr - they need to be related in some way.
In the left most and right most, the ball was on the edge virtually out of the shot, the shot was mis framed.
In the center one, the entire interest is where the hand meets the ball, that should be in an important spot.

CMfromIL · Feb 23, 2012

The_Traveler said:
IMO, in several of these shots, the framing is off and the shot was not well timed.

Give me some time. Seeing as I've never shot sports, much less v-ball...I'm working on it. For that matter, aside from the occasional picture at a birthday party with the point and shoot, I've never shot photography, let alone a DSLR.

As far as the framing, I can't win for losing. I cropped away plenty of area, because on my last series commenters said I left too much in the picture. Now I cut out the excess, and I'm dinged for that.

Thank god the parents are a little more forgiving!

Thanks for your comments though. I'll try to incorporate the suggestions on Saturday at my daughters next game.

jowensphoto · Feb 24, 2012

I agree with the Traveler and Gary, but I think you're improving a bit every time you post. The composition, while still not perfect, has come quite a way.

CMfromIL · Feb 24, 2012

^^ Thanks. I'll be happy for some outdoor sports.

The_Traveler · Feb 24, 2012

CMfromIL said:
Give me some time. Seeing as I've never shot sports, much less v-ball...I'm working on it.
As far as the framing, I can't win for losing. I cropped away plenty of area, because on my last series commenters said I left too much in the picture. Now I cut out the excess, and I'm dinged for that.

Thank god the parents are a little more forgiving!

Don't take it personally.
I don't follow individuals so I have no idea what you did before and my comments are what I see in the pictures as presented.
I've never shot volleyball but I've shot a lot of plays and my behavior there might be of some use.
I watch a rehearsal and look for parts where the action is particularly 'photographable' and make mental notes.
Then when I'm actually going to shoot, I prepare myself and the camera for that kind of shot, change angle, get f stop and shutter speed ready, etc.

In volleyball, most of the time the action is fast but also, most of the time, the interest is where the ball is, so set up to shoot when the ball and the person meets. When you get enough of those kinds of shots, the 'money shots', then you can let your camera roam and get person shots, the kinds of shots mommys' love.

Re 'trimming away space' doesn't mean arbitrarily cutting off emptiness; it means getting the important stuff in important places in the image and then framing around that.
You don't need to include the entire bodies of players irrelevant to the action, get the action on the money shots and get the players at other times.

(If you crop to a non-standard dimension, always give the purchaser an image with space added so It will print on a standard size and fit easily into a standard frame. No one wants to buy/get a semi-casual picture that requires a $80 framing job just to stand on a table)

Re

arents are more forgiving. Most parents are just ecstatic to see their kids in the frame and in focus. Don't use them as a measure of how good your shots are.
To quote Gene Wilder in Blazing Saddles:"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons. "

CMfromIL · Feb 24, 2012

^^^Thanks.

For the record, I take these pictures because I enjoy it. I harbor no illusions of selling the images. I do however let the schools/coaches/parents free use of the images as they see fit.

I'll keep working on technique.

gstaska · Feb 27, 2012

You have a few more years to practice!

I just started this year with basketball and I see a difference from the beginning of the year to now. I wish I could have started in jr high but better late then never. I'm sure you are sharing these with the other parents and that they appreciate the pics very much. Have fun!

imagemaker46 · Feb 27, 2012

Personally I don't really see anything wrong with these shots. A couple look a little soft, I think the cropping is great, and having the ball sitting on the edge in Volleyball is not a problem. Your timing is getting better, just keep doing what you're doing.

@The_Traveller, as someone that has admitted never shooting volleyball, how does one "setup" where the ball and person meet?

CMfromIL · Feb 27, 2012

imagemaker46 said:
Personally I don't really see anything wrong with these shots. A couple look a little soft, I think the cropping is great, and having the ball sitting on the edge in Volleyball is not a problem. Your timing is getting better, just keep doing what you're doing.

@The_Traveller, as someone that has admitted never shooting volleyball, how does one "setup" where the ball and person meet?

I'll take that! :lol: