Couple of my rugby shots

personally i like the first one, there are too many distarctions in the background for me in the others, but TIJMO
 
I'm assuming these are among the first you've tried in this area. Some excellent moments caught.

In this sort of photography I feel close cropping creates much more impact so in the first you'd crop out the legs on each side and the out of focus grass at the bottom. If for the media that's about all you could do due to paper's restrictions on having non-photoshopped images. If for yourself on the other hand or trying to sell, then you could clone out the legs behind/above them. It's a good shot as it is but I just feel the crop and clone would make it better.

With the second I quite like the background there - in this shot only - there's enough clarity to show the "ambience" or atmosphere, i.e. a typical grass roots rugby game. Great expressions too and a good story - he's nearly twice the size of the tacklers, will he burst through?

The third is the best shot and if you could zoom in a little (crop) and then spend a fair few minutes cloning out the post and rail, the leaf and then cover up the houses, that will be a cracking shot. The focusing is, as you say, slightly off but you can sharpening the scorer up in photoshop (or Lightroom) with a sharpening brush.

Re the focusing, I use the single spot in the centre for two reasons: first is to make sure I'm focusing on the subject I want and second on some cameras it is a quicker way (mechanically) for the camera to focus. Also (on Canons I don't know what it's called on other makes) AI Focus is good for this genre as the subject is moving towards/further away continually. And finally, a method called back button focusing will result in most photographs being in focus. With this you set one of your camera's buttons to focus and in practice when nearly taking a shot you hold this button down permanently and it will continually adjust the focus. Then press the shutter button and 99% of the time your subject will be in focus when the image is taken. Not using this button can lower the success rate very significantly.

Important bit now(!) - I've said all this to try and help - NOT to knock you for six!! I'm too frightened to play rugger, too old as well, but I do enjoy watching it and I like the set you've produced here. Good colours and clarity and plenty of enjoyable action.
 
Thanks for advice. Very much appreciated. Just not sure what to do with the 3rd in regards to the AF locking on the wrong player. I do use back button focus and on these I use 9 point focus and having the centre point on the player in question ( only lights centre point anyway). As its 9 point is it potentially jumping from blue to black player??? This has happened on a few shots
 
If I'm understanding you properly, you need to come out of the 9 point focus and have the camera set only to the single, centre focus point as this will stop the focus jumping around. In show jumping photography for example, if you use multi point focusing the camera might decide the jump is a better focus than the horse and it might sometimes decide on the nearest part of the fence or the furthest or, even worse, the background. With a single focusing point the camera is stuck with your choice.

I believe the back button focus is effectively just a switch to start focusing, irrespective of whether you're using a single point or multi points. With many focus points, any can be set to be single focus point (left, right, mid up, lowest, etc) I think, as you say, it must have been multi points in the try shot and the camera was biased towards the defending team :)

From here, I'd check the camera's manual and have a fiddle at home/garden and test different things. Nothing more maddening than having a great shot, holding the camera still, good exposure only for the photograph to be out of focus.
 
EdwardL said:
I'm assuming these are among the first you've tried in this area. Some excellent moments caught.

In this sort of photography I feel close cropping creates much more impact so in the first you'd crop out the legs on each side and the out of focus grass at the bottom. If for the media that's about all you could do due to paper's restrictions on having non-photoshopped images. If for yourself on the other hand or trying to sell, then you could clone out the legs behind/above them. It's a good shot as it is but I just feel the crop and clone would make it better.

With the second I quite like the background there - in this shot only - there's enough clarity to show the "ambience" or atmosphere, i.e. a typical grass roots rugby game. Great expressions too and a good story - he's nearly twice the size of the tacklers, will he burst through?

The third is the best shot and if you could zoom in a little (crop) and then spend a fair few minutes cloning out the post and rail, the leaf and then cover up the houses, that will be a cracking shot. The focusing is, as you say, slightly off but you can sharpening the scorer up in photoshop (or Lightroom) with a sharpening brush.

Re the focusing, I use the single spot in the centre for two reasons: first is to make sure I'm focusing on the subject I want and second on some cameras it is a quicker way (mechanically) for the camera to focus. Also (on Canons I don't know what it's called on other makes) AI Focus is good for this genre as the subject is moving towards/further away continually. And finally, a method called back button focusing will result in most photographs being in focus. With this you set one of your camera's buttons to focus and in practice when nearly taking a shot you hold this button down permanently and it will continually adjust the focus. Then press the shutter button and 99% of the time your subject will be in focus when the image is taken. Not using this button can lower the success rate very significantly.

Important bit now(!) - I've said all this to try and help - NOT to knock you for six!! I'm too frightened to play rugger, too old as well, but I do enjoy watching it and I like the set you've produced here. Good colours and clarity and plenty of enjoyable action.
Click to expand...

Shaking my head in disbelief at the above. CLONING? Are you serious? Are you a photographer or Photoshoper? How can anyone take your photography seriously if you seem to place such a big emphasis on PP? Word of advice OP, never clone, certainly not in sports photography. If you have distracting elements in the frame, live with them, or bin the photo and try again another time. Also, no amount of "sharpening the scorer up in Photoshop" will fix the try photo, unfortunately it doesn't work like that.

As for critique...

1. a slightly awkward looking photo, there's no real movement, it all looks very static, as though they're lying in the ground hugging. Was this a try? If so getting the scorer in mid-air or diving for the line would convey a lot more movement.
2. decent action pic, but where you stood up? If so, crouch/sit down, always. Background is distracting but not much you can do about that.
3. good action but discussed above, sort your focusing out.
4. good pic, just careful not to cut any body parts off like you have with his feet
 
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Thanks for the reply. I had read something about that. I use 9 point af so will take a look how to keep the lock on for longer before refocussing. Bit frustrating but onwards and upwards. Hopefully no rain this weekend so I can try it out
 
i have done a few pics for gilfach goch youth and first team but nothing this year as the weathers been rubbish.keep at it.


bledd
 
i might pop out saturday see if theres a game on if the weathers better.
 
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