Zero to Pro - Photo Blog 12
There were only a few events left to be played out by the time I got to London on the last weekend of the Olympic games. One of these events was the Men's 50km Walk.
There was a magical atmosphere on The Mall on the day of this event. It was a great pleasure to saddle up alongside other spectators and watch competitors trot up and down in the sunshine outside Buckingham Palace.
Here are the highlights from the main event...
As I began to take photos of the live action it became clear that photographers at sporting events are in the same position as the athletes themselves...they have one moment to get it right and they need to be quick or they'll walk away empty handed. The shots I've got to show for the day can't compete with those of the professionals but at the moment they are my personal best.
As I began to take photos of the live action it became clear that photographers at sporting events are in the same position as the athletes themselves...they have one moment to get it right and they need to be quick or they'll walk away empty handed. The shots I've got to show for the day can't compete with those of the professionals but at the moment they are my personal best.
The photo above is a front-runner for me, I like it for a variety of reasons. The flag in the foreground shows you the perspective I'm looking at things from...a British perspective, that's who I'm supporting. The flowers mirror the colour of the flag beautifully and take you further into the image. Now my eyes are searching for something more, they are drawn to the crowd - their gaze directs me to the competitor in the right of the shot. The walker's unnatural pose makes it easy to identify the event that he's participating in. The stretch of road in front of him suggests there's a way to go before the finish line. The colourful crowd, some wearing his colours (like the little girl in the blue hat) will cheer him on to the end. I like that every element of the photo is part of it's narrative (except, of course the cones and strap front right of the frame...which have no place in this image).
These colour coordinated images coupled together show two athletes making tracks in the competition.
The repetitive nature of the first image (the cones, the positions of the competitors, the Finnish flags in the background) give it a sense rhythm.
The second image sets the pace. This picture has a sense of motion because it feels as though the walkers are speeding away from the flowers (all the more static because they are in focus). I particularly like the detailing on the back of competitor 1722's top, it talks of the trail already travelled.
Once again, however, the strap front right of each frame is an unwelcome obstacle for the viewers' eyes to overcome.
I really enjoy looking at photographs, I also enjoy hearing about them. I love listening to the creator of an image express his/her thoughts on his/her work, after having interpreted it in my own way, to see if we share the same point of view.
Now, I see the solitude of competitor 1638. It makes me think about what might be going through his mind. Maybe it's...'I can't believe I'm here flying the flag for my country' or 'I've got the green light, I'm going to go for it now'. Maybe he's using the shadows on the ground as faux finish lines...'I just need to get to the next one as quickly as I can', or visualising himself further down the line 'I am alongside the leading competitor'. Basically, that's what would be going through my mind if I was in his position!
None of this was going through my mind when I took the shot! I like the thought that photographers need only rely on their instincts when taking photographs, safe in the knowledge that the brain is seeing the bigger picture!
In this image it appears as though the competitors, who are all jostling for pole position, are being supported in their efforts, not only by the crowds, but by a higher realm as the statue in the distance seemingly applauds them. I like that aspect of this image. I also like the fact that the athletes, representing humans at their fittest, look like mere mortals next to the force that is mother nature, represented by the trees.
If I were to alter the image in any way, I would crop it marginally all round.
These colour coordinated images coupled together show two athletes making tracks in the competition.
The repetitive nature of the first image (the cones, the positions of the competitors, the Finnish flags in the background) give it a sense rhythm.
The second image sets the pace. This picture has a sense of motion because it feels as though the walkers are speeding away from the flowers (all the more static because they are in focus). I particularly like the detailing on the back of competitor 1722's top, it talks of the trail already travelled.
Once again, however, the strap front right of each frame is an unwelcome obstacle for the viewers' eyes to overcome.
It appears that the stories which emerge from my images only do so when I sit down, after a day of taking photographs, to examine my work more closely. Only then does my brain begin to reveal it's reasons for instructing my finger to release the shutter when it did. I'm starting to think that maybe we see a lot more in a moment than we are consciously aware of at any one time.
Simply put, I took the photo above, for example, when things lined up before me in a way that was pleasing to my eye. When I look at the image now I see more than I did at the time when the image was taken.
None of this was going through my mind when I took the shot! I like the thought that photographers need only rely on their instincts when taking photographs, safe in the knowledge that the brain is seeing the bigger picture!
In this image it appears as though the competitors, who are all jostling for pole position, are being supported in their efforts, not only by the crowds, but by a higher realm as the statue in the distance seemingly applauds them. I like that aspect of this image. I also like the fact that the athletes, representing humans at their fittest, look like mere mortals next to the force that is mother nature, represented by the trees.
If I were to alter the image in any way, I would crop it marginally all round.
