markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Went to the Ringling Bros. & Barnum Circus last night with our two Grandsons at the Prudential Center, Newark. Fabulous show!! Rather than give them X-Mas gifts we opted for taking them to the Circus. It was an excellent choice. We all had a wonderful time.

I took my 7D M II and Canon Ef 70 -200 f/2.8 II lens. I had gained a great deal of experience shooting action sports at their baseball, soccer, basketball games and our Granddaughter's volleyball. Practice may not always produce, "perfect", but it sure helps.

As usual, shot on manual, at 1/400 or faster, auto ISO and varied aperture & shutter depending on the venue, lighting and speed of the action. I use al servo and one of the 6 available AF configuration settings. With burst speed of 10 fps, the 7D M II is a powerful tool and coupled with the fabulous 70 - 200 II it's a winning combination.

At the circus, the available light constantly changes due to the variety of spotlights shinning on the featured subjects. I frequently adjusted my aperture from f/2.8 through f/5.6. As the evening progressed, I quickly learned which opening was the right one for the available light.

I began shooting actions sports in 2012 after moving back to NJ from NC. Motivated by missing family, the need for convenient medical services and especially desiring to experience the activity and development of the grand kids.

I probably took 2 - 3 thousand shots. I was very pleased with the results when previewing them in the camera. Now comes the task of sorting and selecting a reasonable sampling. That will take some time, but I anxiously look forward to seeing the results on the monitor.

I know many Uhhers use Lightroom. I've used it a few times, but I still seem to prefer my method of opening each image in Windows Photo Viewer, right clicking the ones I want to select as keepers, adjusting in Photoshop CC, and save to an appropriate folder on my photo drive. It's time consuming, but I am not yet comfortable with Develop in Lightroom.

I have posted a few to share with UHHers. I'll create an album and post on one of my Shutterfly sites toshare with family, ... I feel I'm learning and feel satisfied with my progress!! It's fun!!

I've posted additional images at http://imagesbymarkweiss.shutterfly.com/pictures/1123. I'd be honored it you would view them. Comments are welcomed. Best viewed by activating "slide show" - top left.

Mark

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Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Nicely captured Mark!


:thumbup: :thumbup:

Bill_de Loc: US

I'd say you did a real good job.

I hope you got a lot of elephant shots as they are all going to be retired soon.

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markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I always appreciate your feedback and review. Thanks Don!
Mark

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Yes, I read that too, Bill. I did get quite a few. It's the right thing to do. The preservation of the species is so much more important than seeing them at a circus.
Mark

Haydon

Nice first shot Mark with the clown. Good detail, color and no grain to speak of @ ISO 6400.

orriebarber Loc: Stratford CT.

Nice shots.

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

Great shots, Mark. The digital dilemma is that its so easy to take so many shots, but so time consuming to do the culling. Good luck with it!

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback. The 7D M II can shoot high ISO without much grain.
Mark

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Looking good! Sounds like you got some good practice by the looks of your results!

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

You did well Mark, good series.

Don

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback. The 7D M II can shoot high ISO without much grain.
Mark

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Well put!! It's the bitter and the sweet. Fortunately, most of my time is free (now). Keeps me busy, alive and out of trouble!!
Mark

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks Dave. I did. Tomorrow more practice (and fun) - Grandson's basketball team begins the playoffs. No rest for Poppy!!
Another 3000 images to go through. Maybe I'll begin to get more selective as I shoot. Sure! LOL
Mark

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks Don. I only post the good ones. Maybe we should start another UHH section entitiled, "My Very Worst Images". Would make everyone feel better!! LOL