HS Boys Soccer Photos

Here are some HS boys soccer photos from a recent game. Please comment and critique. Thank you.


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Overall, a great set.

Here's why (more for other readers than the OP):

1. There is some good action in each photo and the action is timed well - not the ball 3 feet away

2. There is facial detail in each photo - which provides emotional context. Plus, the body / facial detail makes things pop - when you're missing that detail it becomes less real-life.

3. The action fills the frame - no inconsequential players not involved

4. Nice subject isolation - backgrounds are blurred, the bokeh is good (so the bokeh isn't distracting) - this allows the viewer to not get distracted by elements that are unimportant

5. Good exposure and white balance. Very little hot spots on skin, faces are clear and skin looks like skin.

6. The photos are cropped to frame the action - these aren't being printed so no need for 4x6 or 5x7 - the media is online viewing. So, time was spent by the photographer to present the images in the best possible format for the consumer.

On to the images (the general comments above apply to all so I won't repeat)

1. This image works for me because of the expression /body positionon the blue player. The least compelling of the series but because of that I still found it good

2. Great action/competition. What's great is that everything that should be in focus - all the way from the hand of the white player up to the ball is in focus but the background is still nicely blurred. Great action, nice expression on the white player.

3. Timing is great - unique body position and great expression. So, even though it's an isolation shot, the image works for me.

4. Less detail than the others, this one is likely a bigger crop. BUT, the focus is still where it needs to be and the action and timing make it a keeper.

So, well done to the OP and a great example for people that have mastered the basics of field sport shooting and want to go to the next level.

John_A_G said:

Overall, a great set.

4. Less detail than the others, this one is likely a bigger crop. BUT, the focus is still where it needs to be and the action and timing make it a keeper.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the kind words. Very generous.

I can't recall the amount of crop in #4 or how much I had to lighten in post, but I do know that this was later in the evening, when it was dark and the lights were on. The game started in daylight. Whenever I increase exposure in Lightroom, I tend to lose some clarity, so that could be part of the problem.

ScooterShooter said:

Here are some HS boys soccer photos from a recent game. Please comment and critique. Thank you.


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Click to expand...

I think they are really good. The crop dimensions are a little unusually and distracting for me, but probably not for most folks viewing.

These are pretty good. Good for you shooting wide open too.

My only other thoughts beyond what John said, is to watch out for cutting off the tops of people's heads and fingers. In the old days, this was a no-no. Nowadays, things have gotten more slack about this. But you seem to want to continue to improve, that's what I'd look at for the next match. It can be tough though shooting with a prime. It's better to get the shot than toss it because of this. Most people wouldn't notice.

BirdieMaker said:

These are pretty good. Good for you shooting wide open too.

My only other thoughts beyond what John said, is to watch out for cutting off the tops of people's heads and fingers. In the old days, this was a no-no. Nowadays, things have gotten more slack about this. But you seem to want to continue to improve, that's what I'd look at for the next match. It can be tough though shooting with a prime. It's better to get the shot than toss it because of this. Most people wouldn't notice.

Click to expand...

Much thanks for your comments. I am indeed wanting to improve, and I appreciate any and all feedback. I just can't my images to pop the way I see on this and other forums.

Some shots from a more recent game. Most of these are more traditionally sized.


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ScooterShooter said:

BirdieMaker said:

These are pretty good. Good for you shooting wide open too.

My only other thoughts beyond what John said, is to watch out for cutting off the tops of people's heads and fingers. In the old days, this was a no-no. Nowadays, things have gotten more slack about this. But you seem to want to continue to improve, that's what I'd look at for the next match. It can be tough though shooting with a prime. It's better to get the shot than toss it because of this. Most people wouldn't notice.

Click to expand...

Much thanks for your comments. I am indeed wanting to improve, and I appreciate any and all feedback. I just can't my images to pop the way I see on this and other forums.

Click to expand...

With flat lighting you will need to adjust the contrast and work with curves, etc to get any Pop. Today with harsh low light I had just the other problem. Too much contrast and had to do the inverse. I would rather deal with flat than too much contrast.

ScooterShooter said:

Some shots from a more recent game. Most of these are more traditionally sized.


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All very nice, but #9 is outstanding. The contrasting emotions are great. And the team that scored being framed by the out of focus players that gave up the goal is excellent.

I see that some of these were shot with D610 and others with the D850. I have the D610 and I'm curious how much better the AF is on the D850. Can you share your thoughts?

--
Jeff

NikonNature said:

All very nice, but #9 is outstanding. The contrasting emotions are great. And the team that scored being framed by the out of focus players that gave up the goal is excellent.

Click to expand...

So much of that shot was luck. A little bit of timing, but players have to be in the right spot at the right moment.

NikonNature said:

I see that some of these were shot with D610 and others with the D850. I have the D610 and I'm curious how much better the AF is on the D850. Can you share your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I don't have enough experience with the D850 yet. I am still evaluating. Hard to be sure if the focus is sharper. Not as quick to focus as I had hoped.

ScooterShooter said:

NikonNature said:

All very nice, but #9 is outstanding. The contrasting emotions are great. And the team that scored being framed by the out of focus players that gave up the goal is excellent.

Click to expand...

So much of that shot was luck. A little bit of timing, but players have to be in the right spot at the right moment.

Click to expand...

As they say 'luck favors the prepared'. So much of photography is being ready, knowing your gear, anticipating, and staying in the moment.

ScooterShooter said:

ScooterShooter said:

I see that some of these were shot with D610 and others with the D850. I have the D610 and I'm curious how much better the AF is on the D850. Can you share your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I don't have enough experience with the D850 yet. I am still evaluating. Hard to be sure if the focus is sharper. Not as quick to focus as I had hoped.

Click to expand...

Wow that's surprising. I would expect the D850 to be very fast and accurate.

Like I said, I have the D610 and shoot a lot of birds and wildlife. But I also shoot landscapes and portraits, so FF has enough benefits to keep me there.

I have been tempted by the D500, since I would get the crop factor (good for birds), plus excellent AF. But I would still want FF for the other stuff, so I'm kind of stuck. The D850 would be very tempting if it were about a thousand dollars cheaper...

ScooterShooter said:

Here are some HS boys soccer photos from a recent game. Please comment and critique. Thank you.


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Hi,

Thanks for sharing. First off, they are nice shots. A few comments:

Shot 1 - I would like a little, and I mean a little, more room on the left of the image, seems to tight to me. Also, his hair is cropped, if possible I would eliminate that.

2 - Again, cropped head.

3 - Good.

4 - Hand cropped. Color is slightly reddish.

Overall nice. Thanks again for sharing.

Best,

Tom

--
www.tommarronphotography.com

Additional shots from a recent game. I did an AF Fine Tune on my 300mm f/2.8 and tried some other suggestions given by Ferguson on the "HS Girls Soccer Photos" thread.


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Very nice!