I've been lurking around for a while now, posting a bit here and there, mostly reading and learning. I figured it was about time I put a few out there that really mean something to me. Not that these are my best shots or even my favorites but the subject matter is what I love to shoot. I apologize that the files are so large, I'll only post two. When I've got the time I plan to re-edit my collection using what I've learned with CS2 and to make them a little more download friendly. I also apologize for the icky watermark. I find my pictures all over places like myspace so I have to mark them in a way that can't be edited by the average teenager.

http://www.theglycerintekneek.com/gladiators_two/HLGG0405_7374.jpg

http://www.theglycerintekneek.com/gladiators_two/HLGG0405_5705.jpg

Sarah nice to see your images. I love that first one you have all the elements of a good sports photo there. My only suggestion here is to perhaps consider a little tighter crop to get you into the essence of the photo. If not tighter than a little PS to darken the distraction of the people in the stands. The second is just classic hockey. Nice job all around.

That first shot is sweet .. I agree with OT and the comment of the people in the stands ....
Hockey is a great sport , fast moving , plenty of action... to me the best sport for action there is.

Thanks guys! I'm never sure where to crop with those photos where you can see the crowd because you end up cutting people in half. I'll have to try the darkening tip, thanks OT! I'll post some more when I've got time to play around with them some more.

I know nothing about hockey, but love the second one! Welcome and glad to see you posting. :)

Sarah, these are good.
I like the details in #1, the puck in the bottom corner, the goalie's stick in in the face in the top, but the crowd is a little too sharp.
#2 is classic, I live the fans in the background, just in focus enough (and few enough) not to distract, but you can see them egging the guys on. Was there a fight?

What lens are you using in these photos?
You might find that opening up the aperture will blur the crowd more - although you may end with not enough depth of field to get all the action, it's a compromise.

Thanks Jeta and SW!

SW--I'm sure there was an eventual fight in that second one as Smyth (the one facing me) was the team goon. These are actually a couple of seasons ago. I was just reworking on them to practice what I'm learning with CS2. I was using my 75-300mm IS lens for those. This one was at f4. Most of my shots were f4-f5.6, unfortunately that's a big as I can get on this lens. I'll have to see what I can do in photoshop to minimize the crowd. I hope to get a new lens next year.