Cardiff Beach Volleyball

Ok, so I'm new here.. this is my first post, so be gentle with me :)

Cardiff (South Wales, UK) doesn't have a beach,so how do they play beach volleyball? Simple...dump 300 ton of sand in an open area, stick a court on it, way to go!

Here's some shots from last years event I covered...doing the same for 2008 in a few weeks time, touring the UK with the team :)

No reason to be gentle here these are great. We don't get enough of this sport here on PR. Great timing and some wonderful action. Thanks for sharing with us. Hope to see a lot more of your images.

Old Timer

Thanks :)

(makes mental note to increase the jpg quality level on the next batch!!)

I'd like to see more from the future games, the idea of taking a portable beach with you to play volleyball is mad !
I prefer the last one because it has the city environment and the action, something I think is important in summing up this event.

Mmm, the idea certainly is mad...Unfortunately 2008 is the last year the Urban Beach Tour will be running - no plans to carry in into 2009. Still, I'm praying for good weather for this years tour :)

I'll post some more images from 2007 up shortly.

Love that first picture with the sand kicked up from both competitors jumping. Used to be big into beach volleyball in high school. Even went to the AVP event in Boulder, Co when Karch Kiraly was the man. Just funny how you appreciate some shots vs. others.

Here's a few more from the same weekend...four days on the "beach" in glorious weather you could only dream of!

...and two more shots of "Zebedee":

great shots

Nice shots... I play more volleyball than I shoot with my camera, but I've shot enough to appreciate well captured images... Good stuff.. Colors pop, subjects sharp, etc..

My attempt at capturing some of the pros on the AVP tour last year in San Francisco with a loaner camera was okay.. Focus was a little hit and miss, was learning the gear as I went along.. Here's a folder full of 'em.. Low jpeg quallity and size.. http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/b...P%20SF%202007/

One sample from the womens draw...
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...7/DSC01326.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1EFE0437-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...4/1EFE0384.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...4/1EFE0331.jpg



no beach but I took these
please critique
please be honest
Im trying to learn

f 2.8 1/250 800 iso
I couldnt get the flash to sync faster

or

how do I take them wo flash indoors

any help is appreciated

Well, the primary thing for indoor without flash is the fastest glass you can get, and high ISO. f2.8 will get you some shots, but unless a gym is very well lit, you'll need higher ISO. Unfortunately not too many DSLR's can pull this off very well as they get pretty noisy at the higher ISO's.

Try some ISO 1600 shots, make sure you don't underexpose them (helps avoid noise) and plan on using some good noise reduction software in your post processing. It's easier to deal with blown highlights than lost detail when you are trying to avoid noise. And shoot wide open to get the fastest speed.

BTW, if you are using flash, you shouldn't need that high of an ISO, which would have helped cut out some of the noise you have in your shots. However, at least the few times around here shooting college vball indoors, they don't allow any flash... So, back to plan A - without flash.

thanks so much
Im trying to learn

I really appreciate it
any other words of wisdom are appreciated

thanks again

Pat Carrigan