tomburke
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Winner in Kids in sports Photo Challenge
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I shoot mostly local kid's sports - basketball, soccer and football - because I can get close to the action and there is always an endless flow of expressions and activity which means opportunities for some great shots.Time
Since this was a mid afternoon game, shadows were starting to form and you have to be careful not to shoot into difficult back-light situations.Lighting
This was a mid afternoon game so the lighting was not too harsh. These particular uniforms had a satin sheen to them that made for some great effects as the sun went down.Equipment
At the time, I was using a Canon 40D with 70-200 f4L. The sharpness that this lens offers is incredible. With good lighting, I can get action shots from across the playing field and then even with some very close cropping, retain excellent image quality. The lens is very lightweight, fairly inexpensive and easy to carry and I'd highly recommend it. I recently upgraded to the Canon 7D MkII and couldn't be happier. The amazing 10 fps of this camera gives you the ability to capture great action shots and I always use a monopod to help with the sharpness.Inspiration
This team was very talented and had been together for many years. At any time and any point in the game, there could be a great pass, catch or run so being aware of the flow of the game was very important so you can try and anticipate possible opportunities.Editing
I usually run the photos through Photomatix and try for different looks, it's very easy and quick. In this photo I was trying for a grunge look and I really liked the way the uniforms reacted to the processingIn my camera bag
With the Canon 7D MkII there's a 70-200 F4L, Canon 10-22 and Canon 24-70 F2.8 MkII. I sometimes use polarizing filters and would like to start using neutral densityFeedback
Photographing kid's sports of all ages and in all types of sports is a great, fun experience. With their complete freedom of expression and spontaneous reactions, every activity will mean a new, different and fun photographic experience...and you'll love it! As far as equipment, I've always tried to use the best I can and I've stuck with Canon for many years.