tennis anyone?

[airbrushjohn]

here is one picture, i have about 800, and no i won't post them all!! hahahahahaha i had a long day, there is a $50,000 mens championship in town all week. so i did that as well as the local level 3 soccer team NEW ORLEANS SHELL SHOCKERS vs. HONDURAS, it was a full day! i think i really like shooting tennis. i'll post more later.

[Trojansoc]

John, congratulations on finding a fun new target. Tennis is fun to shoot, but it has its own set of challenges, particularly in timing and management of lighting and backgrounds.

You've done a great job of capturing the raw power of a professional men's serve. Many of these guys hit serves in the 120-130 mps range. The player is in the air; the ball has just left the racquet; and the racquet has turned downward to enter the follow-through phase. I have had far more difficulty getting serve shots timed than any other shot in the game, even though the players I shoot aren't generating anything like this kind of power and speed.

There are a couple of areas, however, in which the shot could be better. From the angle of the player's body, I'm assuming he was serving to add court. With the sun coming in over his right shoulder, his face is left in shadow, costing you image detail. On the previous, or the next point, his body would be turned so his face was lit when he served to deuce court, perhaps giving you better facial detail.

I make the assumption that the lack of a readable manufacturer's logo on the strings is the result of motion blur (I can't imagine a pro stepping foot on the court without his primary sponsor's logo on his racquet.) This is also evident in the loss of detail on the right hand and wrist. You shot at f3.5 and 1/800 with an ISO of 100. I would be tempted to kick the ISO up a step or two to get a faster shutter speed if you're shooting serves.

You may have noticed that most of the tennis shots I have posted have been ground strokes. One of the reasons is the difficulty of getting a really effective serve photo. Your shot is better than any I've taken, so I really shouldn't criticize.

Nice photo, John, and I'm glad to hear you had fun shooting it. I look forward to seeing more of them.

[JohnG]

Yes, I would recommend trying for 1/2000 - 1/4000 shutter speeds for a serve.

In general though, the serve doesn't make for a very interesting shot - it's tempting because it's predictable. But it's tough because you don't often get a great expression which is what helps when capturing a power stroke. And there isn't a display of athleticism. Take a look at sportsshooter.com or espn.com and do image searches of the US Open. You see a LOT of tight crops - torso and racket or full body shots when there's a great stretch shot - but very few full body shots otherwise. Why? Because the body isn't doing anything very interestiing on most shots. Most shots it's the stroke, the ball and the expression. Now, in field sports it's tough to get tight crops because of the distances. But tennis you should be able to fill the frame easily with the subject - allowing you a sharp enough shot that you can crop down tight on. Then it's a matter of working on timing so you keep the ball in the frame. Just my opinion. I have to admit though I haven't shot tennis in recent memory so I'm speaking her solely as a viewer of others' work and what I like to see.

[airbrushjohn]

hi trojan,

wow you know alot about tennis!!! hahahahahahahahahaha man o man!! and you are right, i just never thought about it in such detail. and i will work on your suggestions.

hi johng,

i agree, but this was my first time and i thought it would be cool to see if i could actually catch the ball near the raquet. and i also tried to do close shots and keep the ball in the shot, easier said than done!! i didn't get to shoot today we got off of work late and i couldn't make it, but i will work on your suggestions.

here are a few more. and is this any better?











i know i caught the ref in the pic, i guess i could have cropped more. on this next one.

[JohnG]

Yep - those are top notch. Well done. They're sharp, you've caught action and you've got great expressions. Very well done! Excellent work!

[Trojansoc]

I agree with John. These are really outstanding. I especially liked #4 & #6.

Side note....only one of these players has the logo I mentioned earlier. I would assume that these are guys who haven't signed with a racquet manufacture yet.

[airbrushjohn]

hi johng,

thank you very much! i appreciate it, your opiniondoes mean alot to me!!should itryand raise the iso to get even a faster shutter, so they will be sharper,but how do i compensate for the overexposure, should i set the exposure to -0.3 or -0.7?

hi trojan,

i'm not really sure if some of these folks are sponsered or not, but i tell you what, those folks can play!

[DRGSin]

These rock John...nicely done!

[vIZnquest]

Tight shots get to press but I don't find that first shot to be uninteresting at all. If fact, I would like to see more shots like it. I do like all your shots and the facial expressions are great.

I do like shots of all kinds and don't find tight crops to be the golden rule for mebut by and large it gets press over other shots that I do like.

I have enjoyed your progress here in this forum.

Mahalo,

Tom

[airbrushjohn]

hi DGRSin,

thank you.

hivIZnquest,

thanks man i appreciate it. is fun!! and i take tons of photos! i love it!!

sorry i didn't reply sooner, i have been working alot.