Beach Volleyball

[summerbreezing]

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1/160 second
Focal length 46mm
f8
ISO 100
CPL

I am not much of an action shooter so not sure if this works or not. The light was a little extreme with storms about to hit (3 minutes later) while sun still shining from low angle. No PP as yet but I wonder if the emphasis on the girls training is strong enough? Should I crop closer and lose the atmosphere of the storm? Any other way to improve this shot please?

[jdepould]

I think losing the storm is a huge mistake. This isn't a long tele, in your face kind of shot. Wide angle sports stuff can work, and this one works because of the storms rolling in. If you want to crop, I'd crop some off the right, and a tiny little bit off the top and bottom. Right now the players are almost dead center, and putting them on that rule of thirds line could make the shot a little less static.

Also, you might try a single image HDR type thing, just use a contrast reducing curve in a new layer, and blend it down until it's not obvious.

[summerbreezing]

Thank you jdepould for the constructive comments. I did think of cropping to the right but I will definitely try the contrast layer. Haven't used curves and blending in this way before so will be interesting to see what I can do with it.

[jdepould]

Thank you jdepould for the constructive comments. I did think of cropping to the right but I will definitely try the contrast layer. Haven't used curves and blending in this way before so will be interesting to see what I can do with it.

Yeah, you can either create a new adjustment layer or duplicate the background and do it that way. Be sure to post the results.

[summerbreezing]

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jdepould,
Here is a rough version of my editing. I'm not sure this is what you had in mind but its a start for me. I also wanted to see how it looked without one of the people. Very rough clone but, done properly, I think it would be an improvement. Thanks for looking

[jdepould]

I like the changes, they're subtle, but definitely improve the image. I'm not much for cloning people out because of my photojournalism background, but that's a pretty personal choice.

[naqs]

I reckon if it was taken in a portrait format it would look a lot better

[whitemug]

i agree that still including the background helps retain the mood of the shot.

perhaps shooting from a lower angle, and having the two players as the only people in the shot would help. the spectator in the background (sorry, fella), for me, can be taken out.

[southernbelle]

Great crop! I wish I was out there playing right now!

[jsanders]

Hey nice shot.
If i could some critique i would crop it on the left as well. You can get rid of one bag over there ;-)

[waffles]

The second is definitely better than the first. And to me, the main reason is the other people. It looks like a landscape shot that just happens to capture some sport in it in the first version. In the second, the guy in the background looks like he's watching the girls. Creepy maybe, but that's a whole different discussion...

[Hugo]

SummerB,

What was your goal when taking the picture? Was it to capture the girl's training? Or was it to capture a pretty dynamic land, sea and sky?

If you were trying to capture the the dynamic changing beachscape, I'd say you succeeded. My attention keeps getting pulled upwards, from the beach to the water and sky.

However, if you were trying to capture the girls playing volleyball, I think you'd need to get in much tighter on them. The 2nd crop gets you closer to that goal.