[Kombisaurus]

Hey guys...
Sorry I have been a bit quiet lately - I think I owe a few ppl some feedback on their pics... so I feel a bit bad posting yet more of my own.

But I was given a work assignment today - to take some shots at the Ice Figure Skating National comps which are being held in Perth at the moment.

I'd never even seen Figure Skating in real life before, much less photographed it. I was a bit worried about how a reflective white floor might affect exposure, and also particularly worried about shooting a fast sport indoors that requires a decent zoom.
FWIW I exclusively used my 70-200 f/4 L lens.. almost always at f/4 and 1/500 sec and 1600 ISO... and occassionally switched down to a much slower shutter speed (1/80th second) and ISO to try some panning. Dispite hating 1600 ISO, I had no choice... I just had to bite the bullet and crank up noise-ninja later.

I didn't take that many shots today (it was mainly junior girls, but we had one of our scholarship holders competing who won her category).. but tomorrow the seniors have their finals where they basically pick who will compete at the winter olympics - so hopefully I will get some more.

Overall I am happy with the results, but it was running both the camera and lens on the ragged edge of quality and required a much heavier hand than usual in PS afterwards. It was a very delicate balance between a fast shutter speed, enough light, good exposure and minimising noise. And then during post, the high contrast between ice and shadows made it even more difficult to get decent looking pics.
I must say though that it is a lot of fun. Apart from being a great sport to watch, photographing it is a bit like clay pigeon shooting... it is a very simple task - just one person with nothing else to get in the way of the shot.. yet it is also very difficult to get right.








oooo... one of the few panning shots I managed to nail.


The selective b/w treatment is corny I know, but I think it works here (and the colours around the ice rink were disgusting, so I blocked them out whenever I could).

[noisynoodle]

Nice work, Kombi. I think my favourites are the firt and last as they seem to me to convey the feel and atmosphere of the event. Personally I'm not too sure about the selective B&W shot, but that's more about my taste than anything...for me it jars slightly and takes my attention off the shot as a whole (my small brain is moving from the B&W to the coloured parts ot he image and getting confused!).

Jan

[Zig]

Phew: action/sport pics without spending a fortune on lens hire? I reckon you've more than risen to the challenge here mate...(in a perfect world with loadsa cash and wider aperture and all that...) Number 3 for max interest in my book, but last one is simply stunning: sculptural light and that perfect poise...and you must have had to "open up" further with a couple of stops' worth of exposure comp?I reckon you took the lens to the limit there. I knew there was a reason I did landscapes(cowardice, I think).

[shuttertalk]

Wow, great series Kombi! I love the shots where the girls look like they really enjoy / or are passionate about what they're doing.

Congrats on your gig, and it looks like you've definitely given it a good go. Is this part of your work at the institute of sport?

[Schellamo]

These are fantastic, especially considering the tight working conditions you were under.

Sorry I have been a bit quiet lately - I think I owe a few ppl some feedback on their pics... so I feel a bit bad posting yet more of my own.

I'm feeling the same way. I have lots of photos to scan and edit and share, but I haven't had time to check out everyone elses recent work!