London Prepares, Olympic Test Events.

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chimper

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Stew
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Just a few piccy's from the London Prepares Olympic test events that have been taking place over the last few months.

All comments & crit. welcolmed.

Stew.

1. Women's 200m Backstroke heats, Lizzie Simmonds starts.

British Gas Swimming Championships 2012. by ActPact

2. Anna Lindberg (SWE) competes in the Women's 3m. Springboard.

18th.FINA VISA Diving World Cup. 2012.Part of the London Prepares series for the 2012 Olympics. by ActPact

3. Sir Chris Hoy GB outsprints Gregory Bauge of France in the heats of the Mens sprint on
his way to the Gold Medal. .

UCI Track Cycling World Cup.19/02/12.Mens Sprint. by ActPact

4.Richard Kruse of the GB Fencing Team celebrates as Dmitri Rigine of Russia walks off
dejectedly after being beaten.
This secured the Gold Medal in the Team Foil event for Great Britain at the ExCel Center, London.

Mens Team Foil, London Prepares, Excel Centre 27.11.2011. by ActPact

5. Xu Xin of China competes in the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals at the ExCel Center, London on the 26th. November 2011.
This competition was part of the London Prepares Series of test events for the London Olympics 2012.

Xu Xin, ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals, ExCel Center, London. by ActPact

6. Leho Pent of Estonia celebrates after making his lift in the men's 94kg. class.

London Prepares, (Weightlifting) ExCel Center, London.10/11.12. by ActPact, on Flickr
 
A fantastic set,being a cycling fan i love the chris hoy shot..would love to see more !
 
Great set but im sure i just watched Gregory Bauge beat that other british guy in the final or is this a different event.
 
springer said:
A fantastic set,being a cycling fan i love the chris hoy shot..would love to see more !
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Thanks Liz, I'll sort a few more out later. :)

Hatter79 said:
Great pictures Stew. My personal favourites are 1,3 & 4.
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Thanks for taking the time to comment Neil, much appreciated. :)

Gary Coyle said:
Great set but im sure i just watched Gregory Bauge beat that other british guy in the final or is this a different event.
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Hi Gary, many thanks. (y)
Yes the event you just watched is the World Championships being held in Australia. Bauge actually beat another Brit. (Jason Kenny) in the sprint final with Hoy taking the bronze.

This shot was from the UCI World Cup series that was held in the London Olympic Velodrome in February as part of the test series for the 2012 Olympic games.

Luck, Stew.
 
taxi said:
Excellent set of photo's the swimers starting is excellent.
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Thanks Gerald,
As is often the case a large slice of luck came into the equation with this picture. luckily for me the competitors between the camera & Lizzie Simmonds didn't block my view. :D
 
springer said:
A fantastic set,being a cycling fan i love the chris hoy shot..would love to see more !
Click to expand...

A few more just for you Liz. :D

7.
Sir Chris Hoy of GB powers around the final bend in the 200meters Time Trial to secure his place in the sprint rounds.
He went on to win the Gold Medal.

UCI Track Cycling World Cup.19/02/12 by ActPact

8.
World Points Race Champion Edwin Avila Vanegas of Columbia goes on the attack in the points race at the new Olympic
Velodrome in London..

UCI Track Cycling World Cup.17/02/12. Mens Point Race. by ActPact

9.
Matthew Crampton (GBR) crashes out of the second round of the keirin at the Olympic Velodrome.

UCI Track Cycling World Cup.18/02/12 by ActPact

10.
Australian men's pursuit squad.

UCI Track Cycling World Cup, London.16th.-19th. February 2012. by ActPact

11.
Not sure what Aussie world champ Anna Mears was trying to say
with this gesture to me, but I think it may have been 'Men with
big lenses have got small tackle' :LOL:

UCI Track Cycling World Cup.17/02/12. Womens Team Sprint. by ActPact

12.
Jess Varnish of GB sprints up the outside to take the lead in the Womens Keirin race at the new Olympic Velodrome in London..

UCI Track Cycling World Cup.19/02/12. Womens Keirin. by ActPact

Cheers for looking,

Stew.
 
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Outstanding sports photography, very inspirational work.

thanks for sharing

kind regards

Tony
 
chimper said:
Thanks Gerald,
As is often the case a large slice of luck came into the equation with this picture. luckily for me the competitors between the camera & Lizzie Simmonds didn't block my view. :D
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Very lucky, but I'm guessing you pre-focused on the lane. If that is the case then you have been well rewarded for your preparation.
 
flavio said:
Outstanding sports photography, very inspirational work.

thanks for sharing

kind regards

Tony
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Many thank's Tony. :)

taxi said:
Very lucky, but I'm guessing you pre-focused on the lane. If that is the case then you have been well rewarded for your preparation.
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Yes Gerald, I did prefocus. (y)
I generally find if you leave the AF to it's own devices in situations like this it can get very confused with all the bodies thrashing about in front & behind the subject.

Stew.
 
Great to see all the extra cycling shots, all superb ! Thanks for sharing them .
 
Wow guys, many thanks for the compliments. (not sure I deserve them):LOL:

P-E said:
That's a great varied selection.
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Thanks Ian. :)

markleddra said:
Superb set Stew...everyone's a winner....pun intended....
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Cheers Mark. As David Bailey said 'even a monkey will get one good shot, with any luck & if I shoot enough I might get 2'. :D

hjwatso1 said:
Love 'em! Love 'em all!
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Praise indeed, :) Many thanks Helen.
whipspeed said:
Superb varying set of shots & I love the velodrome shots.
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Ahh! arn't you the cycling lady? I'm still smarting from the fact that you got better wet weather pictures than me from last years Brit. Time Trial championships.:LOL: I'm hoping to get to this years for the re-match. En guard. ;)

springer said:
Great to see all the extra cycling shots, all superb ! Thanks for sharing them .
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Glad you liked them Liz.(y)

All the best,

Stew.
 
Cracking set of images, cycling and weight lifting ones were my favs.
 
Mikesphotaes said:
Cracking set of images, cycling and weight lifting ones were my favs.
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Thanks for taking the time to comment Mike. (y)

Cycling holds a special place in my heart I have to say, it was the sport that first got me into photography. I don't get to shoot that much of it now but when I haven't got anything else on I do sometimes still creep down to the odd small event just to indulge myself. :D
 
Awesome set of shots. How did you manage to get such great locations to shoot from? I was concerned that general ticketholders wouldnt be allowed to bring SLRs into the olympic venues, but it seems they are, which is a relief.
 
Hi Sara,
I had photo accreditation,having said that half of these shots were taken from areas which could be accessed by the public, in 4 of the cycling shots I actually had members of the public stood next to me taking shots with their own cameras (picture No's 7,8,9 & 12).
The weightlifting shot (6) was taken with a 200mm lens from a photographers position but had public seating in front & behind so a 300mm from seating behind would have got the same shot (all shot on 1.3 crop sensors)
Fencing (4) was shot at 70mm from in front of public seating. That is a crop of half the frame as I originally wanted to include the small result board in front of the fencers platform to the left as well, lenses of about 200-300mm approx. would have got you the same shot from public seating, although come Olympics time the seating will stretch further back to cater for bigger crowds.

The shots that couldn't have been snapped without accred. were 1,2,3,(although you could have got a slightly higher shot & to the left a bit of 3.) 5 & 10. The Anna Mears shot again could have been got but a higher slightly different angle.

Lighting in the indoor venues at the Olympic Park were generally around the 800 ISO, 640s at f2.8 or variables thereof but are going to be brighter at the Olympics evidently.:)

Cheers,

Stew.
 
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Excellent set. The facial expressions you caught are superb.
 
Daverkl said:
Excellent set. The facial expressions you caught are superb.
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Thanks for taking the time to comment Dave.

I do try to position myself when I can, where athletes will be making a big effort as this will show on their faces, it makes the world of difference to a picture. The better the athletes the more of an effort they have to be making to get that expression generally.

I sometimes (though not always) don't even take a shot if they aren't doing a good impression of a gurner.:LOL:

Stew.
 
Ahh! arn't you the cycling lady? I'm still smarting from the fact that you got better wet weather pictures than me from last years Brit. Time Trial championships.:LOL: I'm hoping to get to this years for the re-match. En guard. ;)
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Yes, that's me, but only going out to 1 or 2 races this year, the cost of petrol and the time it takes to process everything, against the amount of shots sold is not worth it any more for me & don't have the time to travel all around the country shooting, doesn't fit in with day job & family

Have a 3up Team Time Trial this weekend & then on the 29th April, my favourite event of the year, the Rutland CiCLE Classic.

Thanks again for the kind comments about my wet weather shots :)
 
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Brilliant set.
I absolutely adore no. 1. It really brings out the motion and the dof is just right.
The cycling shots are amazing too. Hand panning or with a tripod?
I've been to one Olympics testing event too but that was at Earl's court and I didn't have my camera with me. Glad to see some pictures from the test events!
Can't wait for the real thing! :)
 
whipspeed said:
Yes, that's me, but only going out to 1 or 2 races this year, the cost of petrol and the time it takes to process everything, against the amount of shots sold is not worth it any more for me & don't have the time to travel all around the country shooting, doesn't fit in with day job & family

Have a 3up Team Time Trial this weekend & then on the 29th April, my favourite event of the year, the Rutland CiCLE Classic.

Thanks again for the kind comments about my wet weather shots :)
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You've got to go Sarah... I just ordered a torrential downpour for that day.:D

ryanyboy said:
Stunning work. (y)
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Cheers Ryan. (y)

uniquegardens said:
Excellent job!! - thanks for posting them
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Many thanks Graham. :)

juli11 said:
Brilliant set.
I absolutely adore no. 1. It really brings out the motion and the dof is just right.
The cycling shots are amazing too. Hand panning or with a tripod?
I've been to one Olympics testing event too but that was at Earl's court and I didn't have my camera with me. Glad to see some pictures from the test events!
Can't wait for the real thing! :)
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Thanks for taking the time to comment Julie. I never use a tripod to be honest, most sport snappers tend to use monopods for the longer lenses of 300mm & up. Personally I hand hold lenses up to 300mm even if using converters on them as I find this gives me more freedom of movement & use a pod for the 400mm f2.8. (cos it gets flippin heavy very quickly):D

With slow panning shots I always hand hold even the long lenses as quite frankly I'm useless at panning when using a monopod, although when panning using the 400 (fairly rare) I have a good old rest between pans. :D

stument said:
This set is great!

In every shot you can just see the talent and time that goes into each sport, the facial expression are priceless, mine would be the same doing something i love for my country
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Couldn't agree with you more Stu. :clap: I'm absolutely lost in admiration for these athletes. I was particularly impressed with the GB Women's Track Cycling squad, the sheer determination & never say die attitude was a priviledge to witness.

Stew.
 
simply excellent shots, re-iterate others comments. Be great to get myself some shots like this! Hope to get some outdoor cycle events done this year anyway.
 
uberdude said:
simply excellent shots, re-iterate others comments. Be great to get myself some shots like this! Hope to get some outdoor cycle events done this year anyway.
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Hi Tony,
Cycling is a great sport to shoot, you can get up close to it most times without any special accreditation & I see you're in the right area to shoot it, lots of great racing round that way. :)

The British Cycling Team are based in & around Manchester also & when they're not away racing they regularly train at the velodrome & in the Pennines I believe. (y)

All the best,
Stew.
 
chimper said:
You've got to go Sarah... I just ordered a torrential downpour for that day.:D

Cheers Ryan. (y)

Many thanks Graham. :)

Thanks for taking the time to comment Julie. I never use a tripod to be honest, most sport snappers tend to use monopods for the longer lenses of 300mm & up. Personally I hand hold lenses up to 300mm even if using converters on them as I find this gives me more freedom of movement & use a pod for the 400mm f2.8. (cos it gets flippin heavy very quickly):D

With slow panning shots I always hand hold even the long lenses as quite frankly I'm useless at panning when using a monopod, although when panning using the 400 (fairly rare) I have a good old rest between pans. :D

Couldn't agree with you more Stu. :clap: I'm absolutely lost in admiration for these athletes. I was particularly impressed with the GB Women's Track Cycling squad, the sheer determination & never say die attitude was a priviledge to witness.

Stew.
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Awesome. Hand panning is definitely something I want to learn and practice. I do some shots for my local longboarding crew and I think this technique will really bring out the sense of motion; most of my shots at the moment are still shots and I would like to try something new next time I'm shooting with the guys. :)
 
A great set, really enjoyed looking at these. Great captures of the moment. Can't pick a favourite and although #1 is a great image, I do like the story told by #4 & #6.
 
DaveDPhoto said:
Love the shot of the swimmers starting and also the panning shots of the cyclists. Great work. Thanks for sharing :)
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Thanks Dave.:)

juli11 said:
Awesome. Hand panning is definitely something I want to learn and practice. I do some shots for my local longboarding crew and I think this technique will really bring out the sense of motion; most of my shots at the moment are still shots and I would like to try something new next time I'm shooting with the guys. :)
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Hi Julie,
If you've never tried panning before it's definately a skill worth learning. The trick is to provide a stable, smooth as possible platform for the camera as you pan.
If you hold the camera to your eye with both hands & rest your elbows against your body just above your waist for support, then stand with your feet slightly apart (I find it best to bend your knees very, very slightly rather than stiff & straight). As your subject approaches pick them up in the viewfinder & pan with them at exactly the same speed as they are travelling,from your elbows up should all be locked fairly stiff, the movement as you pan with the target should be from your hips & waist your feet shouldn't move. Try to keep the subject at the same position in the viewfinder. As they pass in front of you press the shutter button smoothly, try not to stab at it as this will jog the camera & introduce camera shake.
When you press the button still keep the camera moving at the same speed tracking the subject, make sure you don't slow or stop (follow through).

Some people say they take a small burst of shots as the subject passes & this helps them get a smoother pan, I normally take one or two shots as this seems to work for me, nothing is right or wrong just find what is best for you.

As you get better you will be able to pan slower, so with your boarders I'd suggest starting at about 1/60 or 1/40sec (the cycling panning shots were at 1/40sec) then just viewing the back LCD to see how they look as you go along, adjusting the speed down as you improve till you get what you want.

Try to get a background that will streak out to introduce the feeling of speed (trees with small points of light shining through are good also different colours or shades work well)

Don't expect 100% success there will be lots destined for the delete button but that's the same for everyone to start with. :)


whipspeed said:
Not more rain!!! I'm sure I'm still drying out from last year!!!!
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Yep more rain I'm afraid....It's been ordered. :D

Neil. said:
A great set, really enjoyed looking at these. Great captures of the moment. Can't pick a favourite and although #1 is a great image, I do like the story told by #4 & #6.
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Many thanks Neil. (y)

Luck,

Stew.
 
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