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Midleton V Barnhall AIB League Div. 3
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Hi,
Went to see Midleton RFC play Barnhall RFC today. First time photographing rugby. C&C appreciated.Denis
I like the first one, looks like the player has done well to take man and ball.
Have you tried shoting from the goal ends no.’s 3 & 4 would look great head on.Jonathan
Thanks for the comments Jonathan.
First time at Midleton’s home ground and should have done a dummy run earlier in the week to
see what the ground was like. There is not much room between the ditch and the field boundary.Will have another go in 2 weeks time when their next home game is on.
Denis
Sometimes, there is very little you can do about the background.
Try shooting more open (where possible) at f/2.8. This should blur the background more.
Also, I gather you are shooting from a standing position. If you get lower (sitting) it tends to give a better effect to the photos. The 1st image would look brilliant from a low angle, looking up at it.
Keep up the good work, and I’m sure you’ll have more fun at the next game.
What Paul said.
Your timing is very good. the shallower DOF will help a lot if you have a lens you can open up more. if not, keep zoomed in as much as you dare, the longer the lens, the shallower the DOF (pretty much).
Merv.
Some good shots there, particularly for a first attempt. The only thing I would add to the advice given here is to get in as tight as possible to the action. If you can’t do it in camera (lens not long enough) then I would look at a crop. For example in the last shot there is a lot of empty space in front of the player carrying the ball. The shot is of the player carrying the ball and the tackle, the other players are nice to have from a general interest point of view but do not add to the shot. In the first image I would look at a portrait crop – the empty space on either side adds nothing to the image either. In my opinion the closer you get the better the image when dealing with rugby.
Thanks Merv & Daky for that advice along with Paul’s I will keep them in mind when
I attend their next game.Rugby is a little bit different from a hurling or a gaelic football game, it seems to move slower
but the tackle is very quick. This is where the bit of experience comes in I would think – trying to anticipate the tackle.Also listening to the crowd of supporters is also something else. If they were shouting on the street what they shout at a game they’d
all be arrested !!!!Denis
Kenwood wrote:
Rugby is a little bit different from a hurling or a gaelic football game, it seems to move slower
but the tackle is very quick. This is where the bit of experience comes in I would think – trying to anticipate the tackle.I totally agree with you there.
It does take some practice. The more games you cover, the better you can anticipate the action. Personally, I’m looking forward to the Leinster game tomorrow.
Just FYI – I’ve picts on my website of many rugby games, and also a tip/advice section on sports photography, which might be of some use.
More than anything else – practice, practice, practice.
Kenwood
I maintain the photogallery on the Munster Rugby Supporters Club website http://www.munsterrugbysupporters.com/Photo_Gallery.aspx
These are submitted by supporters either pitch side or from the terraces. Take a look at some of the images there – some are good, some are bad but I guess they all serve a purpose as record shots of the game rather than good photos.I always find that looking at photographs, either my own or taken by others helps me figure out what I like or don’t like in a shot. I learn from them all and with this attitude the quality is improving all the time, even if it is far from where I want it to be. I can see a big difference between the shots I took, say a year ago (some of which are in the older sections of the above gallery) and what I am shooting now.
There can be plenty times when the action is slow, lineouts, mauls, scrums, rucks etc, which will give good shooting opportunities but it does get a lot trickier in open play. I try to mix my shots between the two. I also find that there are a lot of “failures”, a player, the touch judge (assistant referee) etc, blocks the action or there is an arm or leg in the way or whatever. At the All Blacks game in Thomond a few weeks ago I ended up taking over 1000 shots (quite often letting the camera whirl away and getting a decent shot out of a sequence) and have a handful that I like.
Language at rugby games does tend to be a bit colourful. Not for the fainthearted. As a coach or shooting pitch-side you tend to learn to keep your mouth clean in the case of the former and shut in the case of the latter, as you will be the one ejected by the ref.
Denis K
paul wrote:
Kenwood wrote:
Rugby is a little bit different from a hurling or a gaelic football game, it seems to move slower
but the tackle is very quick. This is where the bit of experience comes in I would think – trying to anticipate the tackle.I totally agree with you there.
It does take some practice. The more games you cover, the better you can anticipate the action. Personally, I’m looking forward to the Leinster game tomorrow.
Just FYI – I’ve picts on my website of many rugby games, and also a tip/advice section on sports photography, which might be of some use.
More than anything else – practice, practice, practice.
Paul
We seem to be doing similar things in different parts of the country. I spend my time pitch-side at the Munster games. Must have missed you at the Canada game in Thomond.
I really enjoy capturing images from pitch-side, the downside is that I do find it a strain at times keeping my opinions to myself. :wink: I usually end up watching a recording of the game afterwards as you get to miss quite a bit of it when viewing it through the lens.
Enjoy the Leinster game at the weekend. My next outing is Saturday week, when Munster play at home to Clermont.
Denis K
Daky wrote:
We seem to be doing similar things in different parts of the country. I spend my time pitch-side at the Munster games. Must have missed you at the Canada game in Thomond.
I really enjoy capturing images from pitch-side, the downside is that I do find it a strain at times keeping my opinions to myself. :wink: I usually end up watching a recording of the game afterwards as you get to miss quite a bit of it when viewing it through the lens.
Plenty of photographers in Thomond on that day.
Yeah, I totally relate to what you’re saying. You’re not watching the game, but watching for photo ops. I also tend to go home and then watch the match on TV (recorded). I guess that’s my way of getting the best of both worlds – getting the images and then getting to see the game.
I also tend to find that the higher the level of the game, the easier it is to get quality clean images.
eg – a kids game – they all run after the ball. An AIB League game – less running after the ball but a lot less clean action. Magners league – high quality running lines so better for clean shots.
The more professional the game, the more you can almost anticipate what’s going to happen. Daky I’m at all the Munster game, may be heading to Clermont on Sunday depending on work. Paul, I might see you tomorrow depending on how I feel in the morning.
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