Half marathon in Milan, Italy - Close ups

ZapoTeX · Mar 25, 2012

Here too, C & C most welcome!

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AceCo55 · Mar 26, 2012

I just hate it when someone bothers to post, it gets a heap of views and noone comments .... sooooooo here goes (and feel free to completely ignore anything I say!).

One reason why some people may not have commented is that they are overwhelmed by the shear number of photos. If you really want some specific feedback, I would cut back on the number of photos you post in one thread.

I like the range of human emotions in many of these - the struggle, the effort, the joy and the elation. The ones that don't (#13, 15 and 16) don't move me as much.
I'm not sure why they look a bit soft to me (eg #4, 5, 6 and 9). It could definitely be my poor old eyes and I apologise if that is the case. Sometimes when I reduce files for use on a forum post it produces a softness that wasn't in the original. You are shooting with a plenty fast shutter speed (1/800) and focal length of f7.1 should be good too. Is there a possibility of camera shake?
My other comment would be they look a little "flat" (again, I apologise if it is my poor old eyes). They look like they could do with a boost in contrast.
I think my favourite is #11 and then 2, 4, 5 and 6.

ZapoTeX · Mar 26, 2012

Hi AceCo55, thanks a lot for the feedback, very much appreciated! And thanks for the suggestion to post less photos, I'm sure it will help me get more feedback in the future!

I agree that 13, 15 and 16 do not have as much emotion as the others. I included them for the pineapple-like hair style in 13, the addiction to fashion in 15 (make up, nail paint, pearl earrings and BB smartphone on the arm) and the regal/noble look of an elderly athlete in 16. I agree that they are less interesting.

Completely agree with you on the softness. I would have picked a slightly different set for the worst photos from this point of view (for example 3, 4, 9, 10, 13), but there are indeed more than one that are pretty soft. At 100% size, it does not look like camera motion blur. I think the source of this is the AF (or the way I use it). Shooting close-ups, rather than full body photos, is pretty demanding on the AF:
1) Low depth of field, because of higher focal length and/or shorter distance
2) At the longer end, my 70-300 has a F/5.6 max aperture, which makes it harder for the AF
3) At the longer end, the elements inside the lens need to move more in order to focus
The AF system is the one and only weak point of the D90, which is an amazing camera, probably the best quality/price ratio available, but definitely not designed for action.

I hoped downsizing would make softness go away, but it was not the case. In the future, I'll try to:
1) Raise the ISO and stop down the lens to F/8 or F/9: unlike AF softness, noise DOES disappear when you downsize!
2) Leave the VR switched on, even if I was shooting at 1/800. Maybe a more stable frame helps the AF work faster?
3) Try 3D-tracking instead of fixed point (although I feel it helps a lot more for birds than for sports)
4) Get the D400 when (if?) it gets released!

On the contrast: again I agree. Yesterday I increased the contrast significantly (+20 on LR) and they looked good, but today I see them flat again.

Thanks again for your comments and precious advices!

Desi · Mar 26, 2012

I really enjoyed these. Your images really show the strain of the effort they are putting out. Some of the sunjects (like #3, 5, 10, 16) have such expressive faces. Thanks for sharing.

ZapoTeX · Mar 26, 2012

Hi Desi, thanks a lot for your comments!

gsgary · Mar 26, 2012

Some nice shots, but watch your shutter speed when you zoom in looking at you equipment you probably used the 70-300 so when you zoomed the shutter speeds where a bit slow and some are soft due to shutter speed

ZapoTeX · Mar 26, 2012

Hi Gary, thanks for your comments!

I thought 1/800 or 1/1000 is more than fast enough for both the motion of the runners AND the camera shake at 300mm focal length, but I'll experiment with higher speeds (and/or switch the VR on). At the moment (until I have the opportunity to try again, probably at the Marathon in April), my "main suspect" for softness is imperfect focus. I need to practice with Continuous AF and learn to use it better.

Thanks again for your comment and for your advice!

brian_f2.8 · Mar 29, 2012

I'm not being rude but way too many photos and most of the photos some is cut off. I wouldn't buy one if I raced nor would I use it for a publication.

AceCo55 · Mar 30, 2012

brian_f2.8 said:
I'm not being rude but way too many photos and most of the photos some is cut off. I wouldn't buy one if I raced nor would I use it for a publication.

In this series, ZapoTex is deliberately shooting close-ups to capture the emotion of the runners. That will will result in cropping out parts that do not focus on the emotion.
The only ones I feel that are "cut off" are #1, #2, #3 and #14 ... but in each of the images the story is still being told with his close crop.

ZapoTex also posted a series of "whole body" images in another thread.

ZapoTeX · Mar 30, 2012

Hi Brian, thanks for your comments too! Fact-based observations are never rude, they are useful!

I understand that a close-up photo of an athlete is not a "complete photo", it's just that I'm fascinated with the expressions on people's faces while they are doing sports. I find that sometimes they can be very expressive. While I'm not the only (for example: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...gallery/278292-ladies-play-tennis-spring.html ), I understand that we are a minority.

The full body photos are here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photojournalism-sports-gallery/278093-half-marathon-milan-italy-full-body-photos.html

Hi Ace, thanks for the additional comment! Agree on 1, 2, 3 and 14. Cutting part of the arm and leaving the rest is definitely a mistake!

Bye bye!

tirediron · Mar 30, 2012

That first fellow looks like he wants to grab your camera and use it to drive you into the ground like a tent-peg! :lol:

Some good expressions captured here.

Compaq · Mar 30, 2012

I get some Jack Nicholson associations from #1

Many great expressions here. I'd love them in black and white, I believe. I just think emotion is easier to get in monochrome conversions. Lovely set!