College Track & Field

[HBZookeeper]

This was taken with my Olympus C-765 at the NCAA Big West Champships last May. This is my daughter,who qualified to NCAA Nationals.

[JohnG]

Congratulations to your daughter - that's a very impressive achievement.

As to the photo - your timing is good, but your positioning is wrong for this shot. I have no idea whether you had the option of changing your location or not. If so, I would suggest in the future at least shooting from in front rather than behind. Shooting from lower would also improve the shot but that may or may not be an option. If you have freedom to change locations there are two preferred shooting positions for this or hurdles:

1. Directly in front of the hurdle/jump:





Or at 90 degrees (so you're shooting strait across the jump at no angle). I don't seem to have an example of that view on my site. This latter position really only works well if you're at a low level. If you can't get to track level and have to shoot from above try to get on the down-jump side of the jump to capture some of the face as they clear the jump.

Even in a stadium, you'd be surprised how much leeway you have to walk to a different location and take a few photos before being questioned by an usher. So even if it's assigned seeting, you'll probably catch a break if you walk to a lower section as long as you time it right and you're only there for 5-10 minutes. Especially if you explain it's your daughter.

Thanks for sharing. And congratulations again on your daughter's achievement!

[HBZookeeper]

I have lots of head-on shots -- it was the "aerial view" over the steeplechase water pit that made this one more interesting. Exposure was tough due to glare from the track and time of day.

As you know, these track meets are usually swarmed with students, spectators, and others muscling to get the best angle. The other challenge is that the steeple pit is on the turn so it's tough to get a straight-on shot. I'm using very amateur equipment for family use.

Your shots are great!!

[JohnG]

Thank-you. While I agree the shot from above is different, the aspect that gets lost is you don't get the sense of them jumping. That's why it's beneficial to shoot either up at, or at least strait at the jump. Any time you're shooting at their head level or above it diminishes the sense of them jumping - which is what makes these athletes so impressive. Also important is the timing. You want to get them at the apex of their jump over the obstacle. Even though your camera won't be as responsible as mine, it probably has a predictable shutter lag. At the level your daughter is competing, her jumps should be very consistant. With a little practice you can figure out when in her apprpoach you must press the shutter to capture her at the peak of the jump. There are aspects of my shots you can't get with a digicam, but you should still be able to pre-focus and lock down timing which will maximize the quality of shot you can get. Again, you might not care to invest the time - and that's OK. Just trying to offer some suggestions for how you can improve things given your current equipment.