Soccer at Meyer Park today

[richg99]

Moseied back over to the park. Sure enough, there were a few games underway.

Get it.. Girl !!!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/417868418_e274ece16d.jpg

Over the TOP !!!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/417868340_71f26ce0d8.jpg

Shot's coming....

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/417868498_78c8443328.jpg

Settle down, darn it...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/417868532_bcab8da17b_o.jpg

Surely... I can beat this girl....

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/417868712_c5abe1cd01.jpg

[Koru]

I can't believe how clear your photos come out. You must have an incredibly steady hand (or did you use a tripod?)

I love the goalie's reach photo. :)

[richg99]

I always use my mono-pod for shots like this. You know..the converted broomstick!!! that I suggested to you.

These shots were not as clear as I'd like them. I didn't use the tele-extender, so I had to crop them up on the computer. It was bad planning on my part. I should have used the tele-ext. and taken more time.

But, thanks for the compliment..these old arms aren't going to be hand-holding the tele-extender.... that's for sure..
Rich

[Charles Helm]

We had two games Saturday. Since Spring Break had begun, and it was my middle daugter's team's first game, we had a poor turnout and ended up drafting siblings to play.

http://www.pbase.com/image/75517836/medium.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/image/75517836/large.jpg)

Some of the other pictures I took are here (http://www.pbase.com/chelm/soccer2007).

[richg99]

Great shots, Charles, I especially liked "in the net". I find that soccer is fun to cover, since there's always some action. I can shoot a hundred shots... and only get one or two that aree truly worth keepig..bt it is worth it. Do you use a monopod? Rich

[Charles Helm]

No monopod -- just a lot of daylight and my folding camo chair from Academy. I also shoot a lot of pictures to get some keepers because the action can be so fast that you do not know which ones will catch the fleeting expressions that you will really enjoy.

I freely admit that most of my shots feature my children!

I do have a monopod somewhere in my closet that I hardly ever use. Do you find it slows you down when following the action?

Here are a couple of older ones I like:

Strung Out

http://www.pbase.com/image/61939961/medium.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/image/61939961/large.jpg)

...Smells Like Victory

http://www.pbase.com/image/61939959/medium.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/image/61939959/large.jpg)

From a gallery of test shots (http://www.pbase.com/chelm/sports) for our Candid Sports photo contest last year.

[richg99]

Well, of course, anything that is five feet long and has some weight to it, inhibits you somewhat. But, the trade-off for me is the higher "keep ratio" on my shots.

Once you get set up on a particular piece of sideline, you kind of "own" that spot. I let the action come to me...since I know I can't cover the entire pitch..even with a lot of zooming.

I guess birds and animals and sports are my favorites...There is always something exciting about those shots for me...regards, Rich

p.s. where are you located in the Dallas area? I have one son and his family in Lewisville. RG

[Charles Helm]

I live in Dallas proper and work in Richardson. Not really a short commute but I get to drop the kids off at school on the way...

Hard to say what my favorite subject is, but the only shots of mine my wife seems to like are the kids and the dogs, and maybe on rare occasion a landscape.

I will have to dig out the monopod and see how well it works for me. I tend to move a bit to shoot over or around other parents and coaches, and I usually sit a little bit back from the line so as not to get in the way, which means that people sometimes get in front.

For a challenge, try an outdoor swim meet. Plenty of light but all the shots tend to look the same -- some kid mostly underwater with splashing!

[richg99]

re The swim meet .... That 'd be the one of the rare times that I'd use my "burst" mode. Lots of shots, one after the other...I guess I can shoot as many as the memory card can hold. I usually just do three or four or five.

The negative is that the camera then takes an equal amount of time to put them into memory. In a swim meet, though, that time should be better controlled.

I guess I'd start out as they got ready to dive in..and then hope to catch the splash in the water... I rarely use the burst mode since I like to control when the shutter clicks...if I can anticipate everything correctly.

One of my kids joined swim team a LONG time ago ( the youngest is 35 or so now)...I found swim meets to be very hot and very LONG... regards, Rich

[Charles Helm]

Hot and long and if you have kids in multiple age groups you are there all day and each kid has five minutes or less in the water. Not my idea of fun, but made worse by over-aggressive, loud, and rude parents and coaches. I have come close to dunking a few of them.

Rant over.

I guess I'd start out as they got ready to dive in..and then hope to catch the splash in the water... I rarely use the burst mode since I like to control when the shutter clicks...if I can anticipate everything correctly. I do not use the continuous shooting mode but just keep shooting.

Hitting the water (a split second later would be better, but much later and you really can't see who it is):

http://www.pbase.com/image/55868920/medium.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/image/55868920/large.jpg)

I do like catching the water in the air.

http://www.pbase.com/image/55868923/medium.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/image/55868923/large.jpg)


Pic host is acting up again -- these are from my Bodies in Motion (http://www.pbase.com/chelm/bim) gallery.

[richg99]

Simply great, Where have you been hiding these shots??? Perfect timing..

I also don't like the burst mode..but I still use it occasionally when I am not confident of when to squeeze off the shot. Rich

[Charles Helm]

You are too kind. I may have posted them before when we had related contest topics. None is new as my kids got burned out with year-round swim team (practice every day and frequent meets).

For every picture I post I have fired the shutter a high mulitple of times!