Missed Marks
Taken at the Glenn D. Loucks Games, this photograph captures the moment at which a pole-vaulter fails to clear his mark. Despite failing, this pole-vaulter reve...
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Taken at the Glenn D. Loucks Games, this photograph captures the moment at which a pole-vaulter fails to clear his mark. Despite failing, this pole-vaulter reverted to his training and assumed the graceful pose seen here that serves to minimize the risks to nearby people. Showing grace through failure is one attribute that I aspire to.
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Jan, 2015Views
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jefflaidlaw
January 24, 2015
Nicely caught, well executed and thanks for the explanation as well :) Good job
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at my schools main track meet- the Glenn D. Loucks Games. I am a member of the track team and I received the honor of competing in this prestigious meet that draws over 3000 athletes from the US and Canada. This photo specifically was taken at the pole vault event while I had the job of hoisting the bar up after it was knocked down. The athlete pictured here, unfortunately, did not clear the bar. He did, on the other hand, make for a very interesting focal point in this photo.Time
This was taken at about 3 in the afternoon as a thunderstorm was moving in- that made for the dramatic clouds in the background. Once the thunderstorm arrived we had to halt the meet for several hours- especially the pole vault, which consists of several tall metal posts above a puddle of water.Lighting
The lighting was just what was available- that being the bright May sun through thunderstorm clouds, which helped to create the silhouette.Equipment
I made this photo with just a quick draw of my Sony DSC-HX10V. I did not (no do I) use any other fancy equipment.Inspiration
This photo was not so much inspired as it is inspiring. The motivation behind the photo was to capture an athlete mid-vault, but this became much more powerful. Being on the track team gave me the access to get nearly beneath the athlete during the vault.Editing
The bulk of the post-processing that I performed was bumping up the contrast to make the silhouette more powerful and the whisps in the clouds more pronounced.In my camera bag
I always carry my camera in my pocket- beyond that I do not carry anything (except film, if I'm not shooting digital).Feedback
To capture an image like this, you just need to be patient. You need to get an angle that you like with your subject- here I chose to use on of the 'standards' or side-posts to frame vaulters as they came through. The main ingredients that allowed me to take this photo were a good eye, quick reflexes, access, and luck.
