Steeplechase Horse Racing

[JameyPrice]

I worked a steeplechase horse race as a track photographer on saturday. Got 700 images, of which this is one of my favorites. Love to hear your thoughts and opinions of it. The horse's name is Sunshine Numbers and the jockey is Irishman David Crosse. They were third in this race.



Exif:
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm @ 100mm
1/80th
f/13
ISO 200

It's OK, in my opinion... the background is blah and kinda cluttered with the dudes arm. The shutter is a bit too slow, showing too much motion, the angle is a bit too shallow not giving enough perspective ... overall it's... ok.

5/10

[JameyPrice]

Well I cant argue the rest of it, but the motion was exactly what I was aiming for. If you have never been to a steeplechase, its hard to describe the overflow to your senses. This horse is running along at about 30 mph clearing a jump thats about 52 inches high. I wanted to show that speed. Freezing the action is boring at times, and either way, that mans hand would have been there and I cant change that.

Choosing your background at a steeplechase race is a hopeless endeavor because unlike at a flat track (ie churchill downs) people stand on the inside rail so your choice of background is people, or more people.

Thanks for the feedback though. I appreciate it. Im learning all the time so I value any and all comments.

[lputman]

Per the critique forum rules, you should ask a specific question(s) that you would like critique on.

[thatedeguy]

I agree that you need the motion there, but it just doesn't quite feel right. Perhaps a shorter DOF would help blur some of the background out and let us focus more on the horse and rider. Also, I would try and play around with some different crops of this and get the horse away from dead center in the shot.

[JameyPrice]

Originally Posted by lputman

Per the critique forum rules, you should ask a specific question(s) that you would like critique on.

I understand the rules, but with all due respect, I did ask for something, a critique. What good is a critique if it only looks at ONE thing? No one learns anything from that.

[Chip]

Jamey - One of the ongoing discussions about critque forums is whether or not we have to ask specific questions (please note that more than one specifice question is allowed). While there are valid points on both sides, the bottom line is that the rules say we're supposed to ask at least one specific question. When posting in critique, I ask something like "Is the crop too tight on the left? And I'd appreciate any other thoughts or insights you might have." That sort of thing seems to comply. I don't agree with the rules, but I comply with them. Not worth it to me to fight that fight.

You're panning is quite good. Very nice job with the motion and clarity.

Did you crop? If so, and if you have any room at the bottom and the right, adding in these 2 areas might help create a better feel to the shot (if not too busy).

And to me, another problem comes from shooting more or less into the sun. While you handled it well, doing so still created a blown out sky and deep shadows in spots. Those things are distractions to me.

Finally, the background is a bit busy for my tastes. Not sure what, if anything, you could do abou that, though.

Looks like a steeplechase would be fun and challenging to shoot.

[JameyPrice]

Thanks Chip. I just dont agree with that rule. A critique is about the photo. Im fairly new at photography all things considered and when I post a shot, I may think its the best version of it, but obviously others disagree and feel I could improve in X area. Its just silly to boil all that down to one request per image. Thats like when writing a paper, who is my punctuation. I dont care to hear about the grammar, pronoun use, spelling or fluidity. All of which makes for a better paper in the end and a critique that helps me more in the end.

Anyway now that Ive ranted. That image is completely unmanipulated. So the crop is as shot. It was pretty tight. I was shooting with a 70-200 f2.8 so I wasnt able to zoom out quite as I would have liked to. Im hoping for a career in motorsport photography so Im working quite hard at panning. Its a difficult task to master but one that I feel Ive made leaps and bounds in. The background at steeplechases is unfortunately something youre stuck with. At this fence, there were fans lining either side of the rail. Unlike at most tracks, fans are allowed and indeed pay for spots along the rail just feet from the races. You can get FANTASTIC shots from non credentialed areas. I was the only photographer credentialed to be on the track but fans, as you can see, can get quite close to the races.

Thanks for the comments.I appreciate it.

[Chip]

Jamey - Let me repeat: It's NOT one request or question per image. I don't like the rule either, but it's not as harsh as you seem to think.

[JameyPrice]

Thanks Chip. Ill keep that in mind.