Football Photo critique needed

[rsefitpro2009]

Hi

I am from the United Kingdom and take photographs of sport, and I was really after a critique etc.

If you just click on the links below and give me your honest opinions that would be great.

I am trying to break my way into the sports photography market and somehow forge a career out of it by running my own business. Just need an opinion so feel free to browse.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...7/DSC05933.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...DSC02555-1.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ntitled5-4.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...7/DSC05596.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...7/DSC05618.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...7/DSC05305.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...7/DSC05163.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...7/DSC04382.jpg

[jacobovs]

I love the foggy header shot, it has a mystical quality about it. The composition seems good , I think I would have preferred they be a bit more off center.

The Cricket player picture: the batter( I think that's what they are called) is all the way at the end of the picture, try to leave more room between the edge and the subject. It feels as if he's batting against a wall. Also, (some may disagree) the spectators are a distraction for me. Had you changed the angle slightly could they be excluded?

The Judo picture: what equipment are you using? The picture is fuzzy and grainy, You may need a better indoor lens or camera that has better low light performance. The composition seems good , although I would have cropped it a little tighter to get less background in the picture.

The football goalie picture: nice shot, you cut off the head of the other player. It probably would have been better had there been more context. a little wider to understand the position.

The football header. the composition looks great, but it's fuzzy and grainy. This is probably an equipment issue( my guess). Also, not sure if others agree, hands and feet. they are in or out. I was always tod that there should be no partial hands or feet.

Football forward and goalie. Looks great, I would have had a tighter crop and the same fuzzy/grainy issue already mentioned.

Two footballers after a ball picture: the ball is right up against the edge of the picture, that's usually not done. Gives the feeling they are running into a wall. Also same fuzzy/grainy issue. Still a nice capture.

Footballer in air picture: Nice capture. I would have cropped a bit tighter around the two main subjects. The same issue around the fuzzy/grainy quality.

You may need a faster lens to shoot low light events. I imagine with all of the clouds in the UK that low light is very common than some other places.

Hope this helps, just my humble opinion.

Shal

[masdog]

Hello.

There is definitely potential there, but there is also plenty of room for improvement.

1. Check your horizons. It looks like the subjects of your photos are running up a hill instead of on a nearly level playing field. If you have trouble keeping the camera level, zoom out enough so you can correct the image later in Photoshop and still get a tight crop of the action.

2. The way you cropped some of your images leaves much to be desired. You want to crop tight enough to frame the action and/or imply movement. Your cricket shot would be a much better if the batter was on the right.

3. You need to be aware of heads, feet, other appendages, and equipment when you take shots. I've had to throw away a number of otherwise good pictures because I've cut off part of a head or an arm.

4. If you're serious about this, you need to practice. Take every opportunity you can to shoot as this will develop your ability to anticipate action and make you more comfortable with your equipment.

If you want to get into this as a career, be ready to work hard and spend some money. As many people on this board will tell you, fast lenses and decent mid-range DSLR bodies are expensive. But if you're serious about sports photography, you will need to start investing. I don't know if you are a Canon guy, a Nikon guy, or an Other, but you can find a number of threads on here about equipment for starting out.

To end this on a positive note, you have done a good job of capturing expressions. In sports photography, getting the expression of the athletes is just as important as capturing the action, and you've done a pretty good job of this. Your foggy header picture is amazing as well.