Kickflip

[JohnTrav]

Took this shot while I was at Venice Beach over the weekend checking things out. Let me know what you think? C&C welcome!!!

Saw some people doing tricks over a small trashcan so I decided to take a picture.

Kickflip

 

[The_Traveler]

It's too hard to make any sense out of the figures.

 

[JohnTrav]

It's too hard to make any sense out of the figures.

I agree. Shooting in to the sun made it hard that's why I went with making the subject darker. IMO I think it makes the photo look better. Unless you really know what you are lookin at I guess you wouldn't know what it is.

 

[Derrel]

Fantastic concept, but the massive watermark and the cut-off hand at the top really hurt it. I LIKE seeing skateboarding shot this way. Wow, what a great location. I'd head back there under similar weather conditions, and try and get some more shots. I personally think that this, exact approach has a lot of merit. I've seen a bazillion front-lighted, daytime and stop-action electronic flash + daylight skateboarding shots made with old-school, high-speed synching Canon 1D bodies and old Nikons that allow guys to shoot at 1/4000 second + flash and get full sync...but this...this is a nice departure. Again, I like this concept--a LOT.

I don't give a rat's azz about seeing faces or expressions...this is a silhouette shot, so, just try and keep the camera lowish, so people are silhouetted. The body language of the other guys is telling. I would try and "direct" the other guys, to all look at whoever's doing the featured move in each particular shot. This kind of shot is more about the whole skate park/skate bowl kind of attitude, the sundown time of day, and so on.

Not sure what,exact camera you have, but you could add the tiniest,tiniest bit of fill flash, or if you have a "modern" d-slr, use digital fill-light in post, and lift the blacks up a bit, to show a little tiny bit of detail in the guys, and then increase the black density to add back some snap.

 

[MK3Brent]

Took this shot while I was at Venice Beach over the weekend checking things out. Let me know what you think? C&C welcome!!!

Saw some people doing tricks over a small trashcan so I decided to take a picture.

Kickflip
View attachment 42612

I can't find your business on the internet. Do you have a link?

 

[JohnTrav]

I can't find your business on the internet. Do you have a link?

My website isn't done yet. All I have is a Facebook page at the moment. I am going to start a Flickr account too and also been looking into Picaso too for uploading photos. I can post a link to my Facebook page if you would like

 

[JohnTrav]

Fantastic concept, but the massive watermark and the cut-off hand at the top really hurt it. I LIKE seeing skateboarding shot this way. Wow, what a great location. I'd head back there under similar weather conditions, and try and get some more shots. I personally think that this, exact approach has a lot of merit. I've seen a bazillion front-lighted, daytime and stop-action electronic flash + daylight skateboarding shots made with old-school, high-speed synching Canon 1D bodies and old Nikons that allow guys to shoot at 1/4000 second + flash and get full sync...but this...this is a nice departure. Again, I like this concept--a LOT.

I don't give a rat's azz about seeing faces or expressions...this is a silhouette shot, so, just try and keep the camera lowish, so people are silhouetted. The body language of the other guys is telling. I would try and "direct" the other guys, to all look at whoever's doing the featured move in each particular shot. This kind of shot is more about the whole skate park/skate bowl kind of attitude, the sundown time of day, and so on.

Not sure what,exact camera you have, but you could add the tiniest,tiniest bit of fill flash, or if you have a "modern" d-slr, use digital fill-light in post, and lift the blacks up a bit, to show a little tiny bit of detail in the guys, and then increase the black density to add back some snap.

I shot this with a Canon 7D with my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8.

Yeah I definitely don't see many skateboard shots like this. It came out really good I have another one too that isn't quite as good I can post up if you would like. I wasn't with any of them people though and have no idea who they are. I am from PA and was just stopping in Venice Beach while on a vacation.

Sorry about the massive watermark. The picture is sourced from a link on my Facebook page so I watermark them to try and keep people from stealing my work. Its happened to my friend. A guy cropped his watermark out of one of his photos and was using it in his portfolio to sell his business. That's why I make mine a little larger.

That cut off hand will haunt my shot. I should have zoomed it out just a tad more.

Thanks for the input Derrel.

 

[MK3Brent]

incorporation or limited liability company?

 

[JohnTrav]

incorporation or limited liability company?

Why do you ask?

 

[vintagesnaps]

I like the silhouettes and the coppery color, but the background makes it hard to see his feet/skatebord and I feel like I'm trying to see what's there. You saw the moment, capturing it in a photo can take some time and practice.

When shooting sports or events it takes watching and waiting and getting who/what you want in your shot. If you're familiar with a sport that can help you be able to anticipate where the action will go next, but I think even just by observing an event you can see a typical sequence of action to figure out where and how the action might occur next.

Move yourself and change your vantage point so you're in the best position to catch the action - sometimes it doesn't take moving much to make a difference, and moving around can change what's in your viewfinder. You don't have to move the subjects, if you move yourself you can place what and who you want in your picture.

I think a good way to go is to continue to practice and improve your skills and look into business resources on websites of professional photographers organizations like ASMP. I don't think it's a bad idea to go ahead and plaster your watermark all over your images! - at least for the purpose of posting on public sites like message boards or social networking sites (I tend to put the watermark over what is most recognizable instead of the backgrounds) but a more transparent one might be an option for better viewing. You might want to read Terms & Conditions before you put any more of your photos 'out there' so you know how your photos might be used.

 

[curtyoungblood]

I think there is a lot of good going on here, however I agree that the background isn't clean enough for this image to really convey what is going on. The main subject blends in with the two guys right behind him too much, making it unclear. I do really like how the guy almost fits in right between them though, and I think if you had knelt down, moving the guy up in the frame, he would have fit in between them better, and the shot would have worked.

Also, I think this image should have been a vertical photo. There just seems to be a lot of empty space that doesn't have a clear intention on the left and right sides (the skateboarder isn't doing anything for me).

 

[JohnTrav]

I like the silhouettes and the coppery color, but the background makes it hard to see his feet/skatebord and I feel like I'm trying to see what's there. You saw the moment, capturing it in a photo can take some time and practice.

When shooting sports or events it takes watching and waiting and getting who/what you want in your shot. If you're familiar with a sport that can help you be able to anticipate where the action will go next, but I think even just by observing an event you can see a typical sequence of action to figure out where and how the action might occur next.

Move yourself and change your vantage point so you're in the best position to catch the action - sometimes it doesn't take moving much to make a difference, and moving around can change what's in your viewfinder. You don't have to move the subjects, if you move yourself you can place what and who you want in your picture.

I think a good way to go is to continue to practice and improve your skills and look into business resources on websites of professional photographers organizations like ASMP. I don't think it's a bad idea to go ahead and plaster your watermark all over your images! - at least for the purpose of posting on public sites like message boards or social networking sites (I tend to put the watermark over what is most recognizable instead of the backgrounds) but a more transparent one might be an option for better viewing. You might want to read Terms & Conditions before you put any more of your photos 'out there' so you know how your photos might be used.

Thanks for the input.

What exactly do you mean when you say read terms and conditions? Are you talking about for this site or other sites I might post them?