hi all... i'm new around here, but i can tell i will be spending a lot of time perusing these forums. i just got my first dSLR, and i've had the chance this summer to take quite a few basketball photos with it. i've been very pleased with the results, for the most part, but i know there's a lot i can still improve on.
my specific question for you is about cropping. i struggle sometimes to decide exactly how to crop my action photos, because with basketball there are often so many people in the frame in addition to the main subject(s). sometimes i feel like the other people are needed for perspective purposes, but sometimes i worry that they're distracting. what's your take?
here's my main example, taken at the USA Bball Showcase:
(Nikon D90 w/ Sigma 70-200mm f./2.8 DG HSM II
focal length: 130mm
exposure: 1/500
aperture: 2.8
ISO: 1000)
i cropped the way i did because i like having the other guys lower than the two in the center, to illustrate that the central figures were in the air. but at the same time, i'm not so sure i shouldn't have cropped it at the waists of the two central figures. another similar example of this dilemma (from the NBA Summer League) is
here. my favorite thing about that picture is the expression on the face of the guy on the ground, but i fear it gets lost because the cropping isn't tight enough.
there are lots more photos from these events at
my smugmug gallery. i'd love any and all opinions or critiques that anyone has to offer!!
~Lara