david vt Loc: Vermont

Hi

Second meet shot after putting the camera pieces back together after the summer "accident" (hence why you have not seen much since spring!).

New lens combinations this year, at least when there is good light. Most of the below shot with my (rebuilt) 70-200 f2.8, but with the new 1.4TC on it, which give me a FF equiv range of 147- 420 on the D7200. As I was shooting most of this a f4-f5.6, did not miss the one stop of light. I am quite pleased with the DOF most of these shots that this combination gave me. For this season, I am also working to capture more of the "casual" between race shots, which are either with the rebuilt 18-85 or the 50-150. a few attached.

Most of this shot between 11AM and 1:30PM, so harsh overhead light. Being this far north, did get the sun lower in the sky even at this time.

After seeing some from Jules, I am experimenting a bit with B&W. I threw a couple of those in as well. let me now what you think.

For those whom like to know settings, lens info above. SS about 1250-1600, mostly f4 of the racing, f5.6-8 of the casual shots. Auto ISO (which ran 200-500 as the runners went in/out of shadows), Auto WB.

Still working on getting form back after 4 months off.

tshift Loc: Overland Park, KS.

Really nice work David. It does take a while to get back into it after not shooting for awhile. You are looking good though, nice tight good comp photos. A little head shave which I am guilty of on occasion but ok. I would probably do a little shadow work in post but good stuff. Now that you are back keep posting, look forward to it. Thanks

Tom

david vt Loc: Vermont

Thanks. Agree on the headshave. Need to shoot just a little higher (I forgot that i normally move my center point 1 click down), though missing hair does not bother me much if I am trying for a tight upper body shot and not a whole body composition (some of the males running mid post, for example are a bit more balanced). I think the other reason was the extra 40% reach for the first time. Frankly, they came up on me “faster” relative to the “longer” lens (via the 1.4 TC). Always more to learn.

also agree on the shadows. In transparency, these are PP jpegs using photos for a quick crop (if needed), a bit of horizon straightening, and some auto color, sharpening, etc, as they normally go up on the team website as quick shots for families, and 98% never go beyond that. Most of “my families” know, if they want a more finished shot, I will work the picture to refine a bit more (for me, that means starting with raw and going from there). Thus far, this workflow, while it occasionally means processing both the raw and jpeg, seems faster for me. Over time, I hope to find the tricks that move my raw editors up to the speed in which I can work with photos/jpegs, and I am not there yet.

Thanks for the support. I have about 6 weeks left of the season for this team, at the end of which I will be shooting regularly in the low 30s. Burr......

tshift Loc: Overland Park, KS.

I just shot a thing for granddaughter. The seniors at her high school who all started out at the same elementary school wanted photos taken at the school, although it is a new school about four years ago. I have been having that problem of accidentally hitting and changing the focus spot which was moved down. When I downloaded some of them taken in front of new sign in front of school it had cut off some of the top of sign. Now I know why. I thank you for that I will have to watch more closely from now on. Yes I want the cooler weather to come but not looking forward to the frigid stuff. You are doing fine keep it up and enjoy. Thanks

Tom

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

I don’t mind the head shave that much. Being close in and capturing the emotion overshadows it. Or to say it another way I will take the head shave over pulling back too much and losing the intimacy of the image. IMO too many sports photographers try to get too much in the image. They often forget to shoot “the faces of the game”. I am guilty of it myself. Great images! Thanks for sharing

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Intriguing Cross Country series... love the diversity of this mix... truly reflects the many facets of long distance running...

That said the first image is absolutely stunning! An epic rendering of a cross country contestant... And I'm totally with Jaackil here... You have indeed capture an aura of true intimacy of individuals in many of these delightful shots... However the first image is exceptional... love it! Fabulous shallow DOF with a dreamy menagerie of multi-spectral bokeh... Precisely framed with the graceful arms/hands of a ballerina... Not only that it contains the actual event logo & branding in this runners tag... how cool is that!

Looking forward to more of your stellar efforts with your newly refurbished kit David...
Thank you so much for sharing...

david vt Loc: Vermont

@ T-shirt - thanks

@ Jaackil - thank you for the comments. I am trying to learn from you and Jules to get tight SOOC, but sometimes me thinks I am a bit too tight. None the less, I would rather have the emotion rather than hair!

@Thomas. Thank you for your comments. I agree that this is the best ‘runner” of the set. I think you always see what I am trying for - the emotion of the runner rather than the mere feat of running. I was surprised by how many shots had this more developed bokeh, but then realized that the impact of the TC was to give me another 40% reach, which shortened up the DoF. Still learning.... thanks again

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Hi David:
Overall nice work and thanks for the settings.
The head thing ok forget about that, we all do it from time to time. No big deal.
I would have adjusted all the shots using shadows/highlights in photoshop or lightroom in post. That would help your exposures a lot. Practice on your computer. The time of day can be a bear.
Good stuff sir David.

pnittoly Loc: Mountainside, New Jersey

David - I’m a track guy. You very nicely captured the runners’ expressions. Nice job. Thanks for sharing. Paul