Solitude in the crowd: Was unsure which board I should post so here we are. When you’re an athlete, especially in an individual/non-team sport, solitude is quite normal. This to me...

rangerjohn Loc: Houston Texas

Was unsure which board I should post so here we are.

When you’re an athlete, especially in an individual/non-team sport, solitude is quite normal.
This to me brings that feeling to life.
Pre-match focus, drowning out the hustle and bustle around, everything fades to a blurry black and white off in the background somewhere.

(As with any of my images, critique and comments are always welcome)

(Download)

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

rangerjohn wrote:

Was unsure which board I should post so here we are.

When you’re an athlete, especially in an individual/non-team sport, solitude is quite normal.
This to me brings that feeling to life.
Pre-match focus, drowning out the hustle and bustle around, everything fades to a blurry black and white off in the background somewhere.

(As with any of my images, critique and comments are always welcome)

Well done. Doesn't need any explanation as it tells the story nicely I think.

rangerjohn Loc: Houston Texas

TonyP wrote:

Well done. Doesn't need any explanation as it tells the story nicely I think.

Thank you.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

rangerjohn wrote:

Was unsure which board I should post so here we are.

When you’re an athlete, especially in an individual/non-team sport, solitude is quite normal.
This to me brings that feeling to life.
Pre-match focus, drowning out the hustle and bustle around, everything fades to a blurry black and white off in the background somewhere.

(As with any of my images, critique and comments are always welcome)

You captured the mood perfectly 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇

jeffy Loc: Albuquerque NM

Very nice!

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Wonderful story shot John. It tells it all.

Don

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Why does the subject pop so much from the background? The effect here is very artificial and ruins what might be a good photograph. Please post the original shot without adjustments if you want my suggestions on this.

rangerjohn Loc: Houston Texas

abc1234 wrote:

Why does the subject pop so much from the background? The effect here is very artificial and ruins what might be a good photograph. Please post the original shot without adjustments if you want my suggestions on this.

This was the intention, selectively colored.
The subject is intended to “pop” from the rest of the photo to amplify the feeling of solitude.
When you’re an athlete in a sport like wrestling, you can very often feel as though you’re the only soul in a room full of hundreds of people. Your eyes closed, the focus drowning out the sounds, the only thing that matters is your next match, the next opponent, the next challenge. Everything else is blurred black and white noise.

The only adjustments made are the saturation removed from everything except the subject, and some Gaussian blur added to the background.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

rangerjohn wrote:

This was the intention, selectively colored. br T... (show quote)

Thank you for your explanation. You gave a lot of thought to this. I disagree with the result but not the intent. The result looks more like something you would see in an ad rather than conveying a more natural look. Given your explanation, my only other comment is that I think the wrestler is a bit too dark.

Thank you for posting and engaging in a good discussion.

raymondh Loc: Walker, MI

Very effective.

Toby

rangerjohn wrote:

This was the intention, selectively colored. br T... (show quote)

Very good

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

...unsure which board I should post so here we are... John superb aesthetics latent within... it is wonderful to see those with an artist's perception posting on UHH... Truly a welcome change from the clinical snaps that abound on this portal...

As for your query? I would suggest you invest time on UHH's Sports Photography Forum. I have found it to be one of the last sections on UHH that are frequented by those who's work is at the zenith of the craft... Please do visit and post on the Sports Forum John where you can find Inspirational and Gifted Talent like this Example. Thus I still visit the Sports UHH Forum occasionally albeit the lion's share what little online time I do is on flickr where the truly gifted abound...

UHH is a wonderful portal for the gerontological crowd who seem to invest far more time online rather than pursuing excellence in our craft. I get this, and wish all UHH members a joyful and pleasurable journey in their golden years.

Wishing you much success on your stellar journey John...
Cheers! Thomas

vicksart Loc: Novato, CA -earthquake country

I think you nailed it.