Highplains Coyote Loc: Roggen, Colorado

A few picture I shot of my nephew a couple years ago.

I have cropped these and may have done some other work to them.

Most if not all of these were taken with lens against fence and hoping I did not get too many pics with fence in them.

Any pointer or suggestions are welcome.

Stealin'

(Download)

Hit with Umpire

(Download)

Hit without Umpire

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Yur Out

(Download)

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Two suggestions. Forget about the fence and stand on the field. If you have not done so, shoot in continuous mode. The action is too fast to catch exactly when you want to. For example, you might have caught the second shot a little sooner so that the face would show more and the bat and ball would be closer.

bjprovo Loc: Northeast CT

I respectfully disagree. I have found that I have gotten far better shots by anticipating the action and going with a single shot. Unless you are shooting 10+ frames per seconfd it is easy to miss exactly what you are after.

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

Virtually all serious sports photographers today use continuous shooting. If you can REGULARLY trip the shutter at the critical moment for good action shots, then you are in the VERY small minority.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Or a very talented one.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

bj, you are a better man than I.

Having shot sports off and on for years, I could never perfect the skill of following the action while looking through a little viewfinder, focusing (in the old days) and capturing the peak of the action in a single shot. With my Canon 60D, I have tried both single and continuous shooting and will opt for the latter anytime. I can get a burst of about ten shots in few seconds before the memory buffer fills up and I have to pause momentarily. Sure, I throw away 90% of these shots but what is left is worth it.

But if your single shot approach works for you, then by all means, stick to it.

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

Absolutely. I agree with everything you said. I suppose the difference between someone who is good at estimating the precise moment to capture an anticipated and expected result and professionals who take these shots for a living is that the pros also capture the unexpected. There's always the dropped ball, the collision at second base, the loss of a ski on a downhill run.......... each of these things could have been captured routinely in a burst of photos, but rarely with a single shot - because it's unexpected, and usually happens before or after the timing for the 'perfect shot'.

There's a great blog that includes notes from some of the world's greatest sports photographers, who routinely quote the use of burst mode in their work.
It's an interesting read - AND with some GREAT sports action photos.
Here's a link:

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/news/winter_sports_blogs.do

bjprovo Loc: Northeast CT

There's a difference in the level of sports one shoots also. I shoot high school which is considerably slower than professional or even college level. Do I get the best shot all the time? No way. But I noticed that when I was shooting in burst (6fps) that quite often the picture I wanted was in between the shots I was getting. So I spent considerable time learning to anticipate and time the shots I wanted. I enjoy getting the bat connecting with the ball, the moment of release on a layup, the goalie in midair making the save. These are the pictures the kids also like to see of themselves. And when I shot in burst mode I never came close to capturing the golf club at impact with the ball. I use burst in football, I use burst in track and field, I have just learned to go about some things differently. I know I am in the minority, but what I am doing works quite well for me.

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

And that's all that matters. Photography as a hobby (that includes me and the vast majority of camera users) is supposed to be FUN first and foremost. Striving to get that elusive great photo is always the goal, and THAT'S what makes if fun.

I wish you all the best.
Jim

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

bj, the purist is not so pure after all. Thanks for admitting that you use both continuous and single. Real world.

When I shoot in continuous, I am often amazed how quickly the action moves between shots. When shooting at 5 frames per second, that is 200 msec between shots. That is much less than normal reflexes from eye to brain back to finger of about 300 msec. A lot can happen in those 300 msec so that is why I shoot continuously. Whether you shoot continuously or singly, I think it is more a matter of luck than skill unless you are Ted Williams.

bjprovo Loc: Northeast CT

There are times when the single shot is the best way for me. Volleyball is the first that comes to mind. There is a sense of accomplishment catching the moment of impact. And you're right, it doesn't always work. But with practice there are far more keepers than not.