Keep your eye on the ball!

[admirable]

 

[amb3rsil]

Nice shot. Doing a rugby match this weekend myself, subject to weather!

How were you positioned for this shot? Stood up, crouching etc? Also notice no details on the length. Guessing here you were using 70-200 or similar?

 

[admirable]

Yep, that was 200mm standing at the edge of the pitch.

 

[KIPAX]

Sorry but the OOF player takes up too much of the frame for me.. in fact he takes up an important part of one of the thirds that grabs the eye..

 

[GooGaBu]

Sorry but the OOF player takes up too much of the frame for me.. in fact he takes up an important part of one of the thirds that grabs the eye..

If the player would have been a little further from the camera and little less OOF - then I think it would have worked very well.
And after KIPAX's comments, I had few looks at the photo and it is true. Your eye first grabs the OOF guy, shame.

Still, caught a good moment nicely. Shame that the officials and other players do not always see the cameraman right behind them

 

[dazzajl]

Sorry but the OOF player takes up too much of the frame for me.. in fact he takes up an important part of one of the thirds that grabs the eye..

i've got to agree with that too but the shot has all the drama and action it needs and it's easy enough to rearrange the pecking order of the elements to it views as you'd want it too.

Like it lots.

 

[GooGaBu]

The cropped version does look better - despite chopping off some legs and stuff.

 

[dazzajl]

despite chopping off some legs and stuff.

I think there is a portrait crop in there too but I don't think it would work too well in that aspect ratio. You end up with the catching player right on the edge of the frame if you want the throwing player there too.

I don't mind losing the legs too much as it can be done without cropping through any knee joints.

All decisions like this are purely subjective of course and there can be no one right way.

 

[KIPAX]

Like it lots.

What do you like lots.. the original? if so then why change it? or you like the cropped one lots? It certainly is better .

 

[dazzajl]

What do you like lots.. the original? if so then why change it? or you like the cropped one lots?

Good question. I tend to see them both as the same thing, the crop is nothing more to me than the original distilled. All the elements are still the same, it's just the way that they are presented that I've changed.

For me, it's a great glimpse into the mood of the game at that very second. We can see 8 different faces of the team, in various states of sharpness of course but it's a shot with lots to take in.