FedEx St. Jude Golf Classic another playoff

Sports and Action Photography is exciting and frustrating at the same time. Always trying to position yourself for the shot, then there is something in the background, someone moves, someone comes into the picture. Overall, action and sports photography is fun! I’ve been a big sports enthusiast since a child, and it amazes me the ability of athletes in all sports to compete at a high level.

It was another hot tournament in Memphis for the golfers and fans, which they have come to expect. Another playoff, the 3rd in the last 4 years. Robert Karlsson of Sweden was in a playoff for the 2nd straight year, only to lose again. This time to Harrison Frazar on the 4th playoff hole.

Robert Karlsson & Harrison Frazar

This sports photograph was taken from the 18th tee box where they played the 1st playoff hole. Interestingly enough they would be back again at 18 since they tied on the first playoff hole.

Robert Karlsson tees off on 18

Harrison Frazar tee shot goes wide right on 18

These sports and action shots are typically set on shutter priority going from 500th of a second for them standing still, to upwards of 2000th of a second for a bunker shot. Those shutter speeds will freeze the action, and eliminate the blur.

John Daly

John Daly has lost quite a bit of weight and has had gastric bypass surgery. Even though he has lost quite a bit of weight, he still can drive the ball a mile, and there are a group of fans that seem to still love the guy considering all his flaws. Don’t you just love his pants?

John Daly in HDR

This sports photograph was enhanced using HDR – High Dynamic Range techniques in post processing. I created a more old time feel to this. What are your thoughts?

Remember when photographing Sports and Action, to utilize your shutter priority and after some test shots blow them up in your LCD screen to see if your shutter speed is freezing the action.  Happy Action and Sports photographing.

HDR a New Tool for Old Photographs

HDR has had an interesting impact in the world of photography, and gaining in popularity daily.  HDR has allowed us as photographers to go back to some old film negatives or slides and be able to save them and make some outstanding pictures. Today, in the digital world, photographers are taking 3-9 images of the same subject, and combining them with HDR software. To create HDR images:

• Use a tripod.
• Use a cable release.
• Set your aperture to the same for each image.
• Most DSLR cameras allow for 3-9 images to be taken automatically with a 1/3, 1/2, or 1 full stop. This maximizes the range of light for the images.
• You can even do HDR with single images. The one shot below was just a single image.

There are several HDR software packages available:

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 
• Photomatix
• Nik Software HDR Efex Pro
• Artizen HDR
• Dynamic Photo HDR
• HDR Photo Studio

What is HDR? It stands for High Dynamic Range, is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

The two main sources of HDR imagery are computer renderings and merging of multiple photographs, the latter of which in turn are individually referred to as low-dynamic-range (LDR) or standard-dynamic-range (SDR) photographs.

Tone-mapping techniques, which reduce overall contrast to facilitate display of HDR images on devices with lower dynamic range, can be applied to produce images with preserved or exaggerated local contrast for artistic effect.

Consider the Dynamic Range of the following:

• 5-6 stops for slide film and digital.
• 6-7 for negative film.
• Just over double for the human eye… 13-15.

Here are some examples:

Motorcycle Burning Rubber

Motorcycle Burning Rubber HDR Black & White

Motorcycle Burning Rubber HDR

What are your thoughts about HDR? Do you like the B&W or color better?

Photographs from Race for the Cure 2010

The Race for the Cure was a hugh success this year. There were over 19,300 people registered to run/walk in the 5k race, and raised $1.1 Million dollars. Hundreds of TEAMS. WOW!!!

Methodist Hospital Group has over 1300 employees and 40+ groups registered for this race. Memphis Camera Club volunteers photographers every year to photograph the event. I was one of the fortunate volunteers and this was my 6th year.

Methodist Hospital Group

Susan G Komen Race for the Cure

Methodist Hospital Race for Cure Balloon

One of the teams "Race for the Cure"

 

Kevin - Saxaphone player from Bouffants

Singer from the Bouffants

The Bouffants

The Bouffants singing to crowd

Jay Barzon on Drums "The Bouffants"

Rusty Stavely on the keyboard

Share with me your experience from the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure here in Germantown, TN.

Race for the Cure

Every year in October in this region, “Race for the Cure” is held in Germantown, Tennessee drawing thousands of participants.

• Their goal this year is to raise $750,000.
• Each year the Memphis Camera Club donates all the photographs from 20+ volunteer photographers to the Susan G. Komen chapter here in Memphis.

Their mission statement:

Our mission is to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. The Memphis-MidSouth Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation raises funds to support a variety of programs in Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, Tunica and DeSoto counties.

Kroger is a major sponsor of this event and has been over the past 10 years.

Runners get ready at the start "Race for the Cure"

Bouffants and Breast Cancer Survivors

Teresa Davis AKA Betty of the Bouffants

Volunteer from Kroger handing out gifts

Mark Prestidge President of Kroger Delta Division Presents Award

Carolyn Furlotte Accepts Fund Raising Award on behalf of Team

Race for the Cure Team Photograph

Come out this Saturday the 30th and support Race for the Cure. 🙂

Tell me some of your stories. Let me know your comments and thoughts around this great cause.

Share this with your friends and breast cancer survivors.

Bike Night on Beale

It’s always fun and exciting to photograph the people and bikers on Beale Street in downtown Memphis. This particular night was extremely busy, motorcycles were lined  up from BB Kings down past the Daisy Theater on both sides of the street. WOW…what a rush it was.

When photographing in the dark, you really can’t use a flash for this. It wouldn’t project very far unless you are shooting a close up of a bike or individual, and then have to worry about shadows. So, open up your F stop all the way, and shoot at 1/125th of a second if people are not moving. Kick it up to 1/500th of a second if they are moving. You can choose Auto white balance and deal with color balance in post processing.

Some really get into custom painting like this bike.

Bikes lined up for blocks while everyone gets off their bikes and guess what…checks out everybody else’s bike.

Of course you have to see and talk to the people, it’s all part of a fun and exciting experience. Did I mention the PINK bike?

Tell me what you think of Beale.

Rory Mcilroy leads British Open with record 1st. round

No one took greater advantage of the benign course than 21-year-old Irishman Rory McIlroy who set the lowest first round score in the history of the Championship with a nine-under-par 63.

It was a tale of two halves over the St. Andrews Old Course on the first day of the 150th Anniversary Open Championship. The morning starters were blessed with flat, calm conditions, while those who played in the afternoon had to contend with rising wind and blasts of heavy rain.

Here is a recent action photograph of Rory McIlroy at the Memphis St. Jude Classic teeing off.

I photographed Rory McIlroy jogging off the 18th tee at TPC Southwind course in Memphis at the St. Jude Classic.

Carl Edwards wins Nationwide…again

Carl Edwards must like Wisconsin, he has won each of the past three years, including this weekend as he dominates the Road America race.

When Memphis Motorsports Park was still open I was fortunate to be able to photograph Carl Edwards and several other NASCAR drivers. It was always exciting to get to meet the drivers, their teams and family members. They are a pretty down to earth bunch of guys. It truly is a team effort to do what they do at a high level. Also pretty expensive, and the sponsors play a key role in their success.

Carl pulls up to finish line after winning

the Nationwide Series Kroger 250

Carl Edwards being interview by MRN

Carl Edwards rounding turn 3 at Memphis Motorsports Park

Carl Edwards team celebrate win at Memphis Motorsports Park

Carl Edwards celebrating Nationwide Series win

with the Elvis Trophy

5 tips for taking better golf photographs

Photographing action and sports shots of golfers requires different angles, and anticipation. The stamina to walk all over the course to get different action shots on different holes. Know when your favorite player is teeing off, a round is typically 4 hours. Scout out some good golf holes, and when photographing the swing try to get a good background.

Here some tips when shooting golf.

1. Wait until the golfer swings before you take your photograph. You will get thrown out if you don’t, and you will have a golf marshall coming at you.

2. Do a horizontal photograph to capture the back swing and upper portion of their body. (This is Camilo Villegas)

3. Do a vertical photograph to capture a full body shot. ( This is Vijay Singh)

4. Your shutter speed on a bunker shot should be 1/1500 or 1/2000th of a second with an f-stop of 5.6.  This will stop the motion of the sand and ball. Depending on lighting conditions you may need a faster shutter speed. (This is Brandt Snedeker)

5. Try and capture emotion, it requires patience, anticipation and being ready to take the shot. Here is Trevor Immelman British Open Champion celebrating his birdie putt on 18 at Stanford St. Jude Classic to force a playoff with Justin Leonard. This shot was picked up by CBS sports.

For fun…try and capture a photograph of the local town hero. Big John Daly is the one for us here in Memphis who draws quite a crowd when he plays.

Go out today and take some action and sports photographs. Have fun, and enjoy the adventure!