# 6th Grade Girls Volleyball Game C&C Welcome



## CMfromIL

Took some more shots.  Worked a bit more on post production, and did more cropping than I normally do for these shots.  Girls lost in the 3rd match.

Enjoy.

1. Incoming







2.  Blocked






3.  Huddle Up






4.  Get Set






5.  Jump


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## gsgary

They all look very soft


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## CMfromIL

^^I think in the next game I'm going to up my f/stop.  All were around 3.5-4.0.  I may bump it up to 5.6, but the big challenge at that point is the lighting which is very poor.

Thanks for looking.


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## The_Traveler

I like this one the most but the players are underexposed (and the crowd is too bright, IMO)


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## polymoog

I think the composition is good in these, the series really tells the story  Some images are maybe a little soft and/or grainy, possibly due to cropping and/or high ISO


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## The_Traveler

IMO, in several of these shots, the framing is off and the shot was not well timed.
The ball shouldn't be on the edge because that is one center of interest and the people involved are the otehr - they need to be related in some way.
In the left most and right most, the ball was on the edge virtually out of the shot, the shot was mis framed.
In the center one, the entire interest is where the hand meets the ball, that should be in an important spot.


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## CMfromIL

The_Traveler said:


> IMO, in several of these shots, the framing is off and the shot was not well timed.



Give me some time.  Seeing as I've never shot sports, much less v-ball...I'm working on it.  For that matter, aside from the occasional picture at a birthday party with the point and shoot, I've never shot photography, let alone a DSLR.  

As far as the framing, I can't win for losing.  I cropped away plenty of area, because on my last series commenters said I left too much in the picture.  Now I cut out the excess, and I'm dinged for that.

Thank god the parents are a little more forgiving!

Thanks for your comments though.  I'll try to incorporate the suggestions on Saturday at my daughters next game.


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## jowensphoto

I agree with the Traveler and Gary, but I think you're improving a bit every time you post. The composition, while still not perfect, has come quite a way.


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## CMfromIL

^^ Thanks.  I'll be happy for some outdoor sports.


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## The_Traveler

CMfromIL said:


> Give me some time.  Seeing as I've never shot sports, much less v-ball...I'm working on it.
> As far as the framing, I can't win for losing.  I cropped away plenty of area, because on my last series commenters said I left too much in the picture.  Now I cut out the excess, and I'm dinged for that.
> 
> Thank god the parents are a little more forgiving!



Don't take it personally.
I don't follow individuals so I have no idea what you did before and my comments are what I see in the pictures as presented.
I've never shot volleyball but I've shot a lot of plays and my behavior there might be of some use.
I watch a rehearsal and look for parts where the action is particularly 'photographable' and make mental notes.
Then when I'm actually going to shoot, I prepare myself and the camera for that kind of shot, change angle, get f stop and shutter speed ready, etc.

In volleyball, most of the time the action is fast but also, most of the time, the interest is where the ball is, so set up to shoot when the ball and the person meets. When you get enough of those kinds of shots, the 'money shots', then you can let your camera roam and get person shots, the kinds of shots mommys' love.

Re '_trimming away space_' doesn't mean arbitrarily cutting off emptiness; it means getting the important stuff in important places in the image and then framing around that.
You don't need to include the entire bodies of players irrelevant to the action, get the action on the money shots and get the players at other times.  

(If you crop to a non-standard dimension, always give the purchaser an image with space added so It will print on a standard size and fit easily into a standard frame. No one wants to buy/get a semi-casual picture that requires a $80 framing job just to stand on a table)

Rearents are more forgiving. Most parents are just ecstatic to see their kids in the frame and in focus.  Don't use them as a measure of how good your shots are.
To quote Gene Wilder in _*Blazing Saddles*_:"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are  people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons. "


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## CMfromIL

^^^Thanks.

For the record, I take these pictures because I enjoy it.  I harbor no illusions of selling the images.  I do however let the schools/coaches/parents free use of the images as they see fit.

I'll keep working on technique.


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## gstaska

You have a few more years to practice! I just started this year with basketball and I see a difference from the beginning of the year to now. I wish I could have started in jr high but better late then never. I'm sure you are sharing these with the other parents and that they appreciate the pics very much. Have fun!


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## imagemaker46

Personally I don't really see anything wrong with these shots.  A couple look a little soft, I think the cropping is great, and having the ball sitting on the edge in Volleyball is not a problem.   Your timing is getting better, just keep doing what you're doing.

@The_Traveller, as someone that has admitted never shooting volleyball, how does one "setup" where the ball and person meet?


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## CMfromIL

imagemaker46 said:


> *Personally I don't really see anything wrong with these shots*. A couple look a little soft, I think the cropping is great, and having the ball sitting on the edge in Volleyball is not a problem. Your timing is getting better, just keep doing what you're doing.
> 
> @The_Traveller, as someone that has admitted never shooting volleyball, how does one "setup" where the ball and person meet?



I'll take that!  

As far as the setup thing goes...not sure either.  I'm getting better at tracking the ball's trajectory though off the serve, and it's helping.


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## Hussain Frutan

coool shots maate  


amazing work


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## imagemaker46

CMfromIL said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> 
> *Personally I don't really see anything wrong with these shots*. A couple look a little soft, I think the cropping is great, and having the ball sitting on the edge in Volleyball is not a problem. Your timing is getting better, just keep doing what you're doing.
> 
> @The_Traveller, as someone that has admitted never shooting volleyball, how does one "setup" where the ball and person meet?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll take that!
> 
> As far as the setup thing goes...not sure either. I'm getting better at tracking the ball's trajectory though off the serve, and it's helping.
Click to expand...


It is a tough sport to shoot, I've shot volleyball from high school, Olympics and at the pro level and it just gets more difficult.  The ball speed at the elite level is amazing, between 50-80 MPH, and then try and get the ball hitting the hands of the player trying to return it.  I started shooting volleyball on film, and manual focus, it was a miracle I ended up with anything at times.  It all came down to watching and timing and pre-focus on one player, then it was hope the ball was going that direction. Keeping both eyes open and watching where the set is coming from and then where the spike might be going.  It's a challenge.


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## CMfromIL

Probably have to talk the wife in a couple of years to let me trade in the T3i, for something that shoots a few more fps than 3.5.  You know...to keep up with my daughters abilities!:lmao:


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