Project 52 by Mal Schulstad

[FrankMi]

An impressive set of action shots Malcolm! The last one, in particular, is poetry in motion. Well done!

[Donald]

Sports action as well. Is there no end to the abilities in that household?

Super stuff Mal. And you're right, the last one is a belter - an athlete in action..

I'm going to be breaking my own mould in a big way in the next few weeks. More about that ... if it works. Suffice to say I've ordered the 5-in-1 reflector and the CD is due to be released in May or June.

[jprzybyla]

As Frankie said "nice set of action shots". I am a little behind but a lovely set of photographs of your daughter recently.

[Teton Chuck]

Mal, these are great shots. And your story of the photo shoot is superb. I think capturing the fleeting moment in the photos above is far more important than having the "perfect" photo. You seem very happy with the recent events. Congratulations.

Chuck

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Mal,

Great instructional series.

~ I had a habit of cutting off feet while the kids were at full sprint. It's something I need to make sure I keep an eye on next time.

I agree - it is hard enough to keep the focus point on the subject - and that sometimes encourages you to zoom in a bit too far, plus you can always get caught out if the action gets too close and you run out of 'wideness'. So keeping an eye at the bottom of frame to is tricky - I do the same thing with ground shots of wildfoul far too often (and they usually ain't going this fast)


I also enjoyed reading your week 9 post about the trials and tribulations of shooting with flash - something I must try in my P52 one day, as I have a decent large (s/h) flash, but it'll be full manual for me as it is not a Nikon TTL model - not sure if that will make thing easier or harder just 'different' I expect.

Anyways, apologies for not giving more feedback in this thread, but you're doing an excellent job yourself.

Cheers,

[Bunty Plumchip]

Your favourite s my favourite too, although they are all impressive (of course). The facial expressions you uhave caught along with the action just say it all.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

An impressive set of action shots Malcolm! The last one, in particular, is poetry in motion. Well done!

Thanks Frank It's never a chore taking these as long as you don't mind walking around the field in anticipation of the right shot coming up.

Sports action as well. Is there no end to the abilities in that household?

Super stuff Mal. And you're right, the last one is a belter - an athlete in action..

I'm going to be breaking my own mould in a big way in the next few weeks. More about that ... if it works. Suffice to say I've ordered the 5-in-1 reflector and the CD is due to be released in May or June.

Underwater photography to be added to the household in the coming months

That sounds very exciting Donald. Mind you, I've had my 5-in-1 since last November and I think I've used it twice in my people shots You might want to consider getting something to hold the reflector up as well, or at the very least make sure you have a decent assistant as well (Jazz unfortunately gets distracted very easily).

As Frankie said "nice set of action shots". I am a little behind but a lovely set of photographs of your daughter recently.

Thanks Joe. As for Jazz, she's very photogenic so you have to work pretty hard to mess a photo up of her

Mal, these are great shots. And your story of the photo shoot is superb. I think capturing the fleeting moment in the photos above is far more important than having the "perfect" photo. You seem very happy with the recent events. Congratulations.

Chuck

Glad you liked them Chuck. I've found as the year has progressed with Project 52 the story behind the photos is just as important if not more so than the photos themselves. I think it helps to complete the learnings that come out of each week.

You're right about the fleeting moments. Whenever I go back and look at the photos I've taken - particularly of candid ones, it never ceases to amaze me as to what's been actually captured. Without the aid of a camera, these moments would just be forgotten completely in life's hustle and bustle.

Hi Mal,

Great instructional series.

I agree - it is hard enough to keep the focus point on the subject - and that sometimes encourages you to zoom in a bit too far, plus you can always get caught out if the action gets too close and you run out of 'wideness'. So keeping an eye at the bottom of frame to is tricky - I do the same thing with ground shots of wildfoul far too often (and they usually ain't going this fast)


I also enjoyed reading your week 9 post about the trials and tribulations of shooting with flash - something I must try in my P52 one day, as I have a decent large (s/h) flash, but it'll be full manual for me as it is not a Nikon TTL model - not sure if that will make thing easier or harder just 'different' I expect.

Anyways, apologies for not giving more feedback in this thread, but you're doing an excellent job yourself.

Cheers,

There's so many Project 52 threads that I'm having trouble keeping up - and they're the ones I'm focussing on replying too at the moment! So no apology needed.

The flash work is quite interesting. I think getting to know your flash, whether you're using it TTL or on manual is important given they have different light patterns and power outputs. I'm just not use to having a flash throw off so much light so far off into the distance so I'm still trying to get the hang of that. Still haven't done too much work with it yet - just been too busy! But I'll get there.

Your favourite s my favourite too, although they are all impressive (of course). The facial expressions you uhave caught along with the action just say it all.

Thanks Carolyn. I can't get over the facial expressions that are on all of the faces of the kids (all of the kids on the team have photos taken similar to the ones you seen in this post). Makes me wonder what faces I'm pulling when I'm concentrating playing sports!

[kezmal]

Thanks Carolyn. I can't get over the facial expressions that are on all of the faces of the kids (all of the kids on the team have photos taken similar to the ones you seen in this post). Makes me wonder what faces I'm pulling when I'm concentrating playing sports!

Well Alex doesnt get the tongue thingy from me LOL....
I think I've seen these photos 100's of times now and I never tire of them, seeing these kids in motion and concentrating on their game is wonderful....I love seeing their determination and drive (even if their tongues are hanging out)

[johnbharle]

Does anyone else have children that stick their tongue out when they're focussed on their sporting activities?

Not only in sports. I've noticed guitarists and other musicians doing it when they are focused. I know I've done it but I can't remember the activity (not sports :-0)

These are some great photos. Good job and good work!

[Letrow]

The last of the series (in B&W) is very nice Mal, just the right action moment captured. He looks thoughtful and is in action at the same time.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Well Alex doesnt get the tongue thingy from me LOL....
I think I've seen these photos 100's of times now and I never tire of them, seeing these kids in motion and concentrating on their game is wonderful....I love seeing their determination and drive (even if their tongues are hanging out)

Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I don't run around with my tongue hanging out

Not only in sports. I've noticed guitarists and other musicians doing it when they are focused. I know I've done it but I can't remember the activity (not sports :-0)

These are some great photos. Good job and good work!

The last of the series (in B&W) is very nice Mal, just the right action moment captured. He looks thoughtful and is in action at the same time.

Thanks Peter. I tend to shoot in single shot mode so i can see the moment that I'm actually capturing but it doesn't always work out this well.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Here I am! I've been fairly busy with a bunch of other bits and pieces and Kerry's been giving me friendly reminders to get my Week 11 photos up.

So I'm afraid I don't have much commentary this week. This was more of an opportunity shot with an able assistant throwing food. Technique wise? Same as taking photos of children - get down low. Sure, the people walking around the theme park look at you very strangely, but who wants to be part of the crowd anyway?

I'm pretty sure this is the photo Kerry wanted me to post. It's the sort of thing you would see a kid do with their food. We just didn't realise that lizards did it as well.



On the other side of the theme park we were visiting I found another one that was equally as tame. Kerry was busy getting drenched on a water ride at the time so I didn't have the advantage of an assistant to distract the subject this time. I thought it would be fun to get a portrait shot - although I was missing Kerry's macro at this stage. I had to settle for the Sigma for the close up.



Same picture but cropped down tightly just so you could see its eye close up.



Looking at it in Light Box now, it's probably a touch over sharpened for this crop.

[FrankMi]

Great set, Malcolm. I'm seeing a sharp image but no evidence of oversharpening that I can tell so a very impressive eyeball, for sure!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Thanks Frank - but apparently I put the wrong photo up! Here is the one that Kerry wanted me to share...



While I'm at it, you should check out the teeth on these guys - a little blurry 'cause he was chomping pretty quickly. All I can say is I'm never sticking my fingers anywhere near their mouths!

[Donald]

Looks like he/she is quite proud of his/her eating habits and wants to show what's on the menu.

Quality images, Mal. Well done.

[kezmal]

I just love these photos. Its like he is showing of his food, but with a smile of appreciation LOL.

[Teton Chuck]

Mal, great shots. I really enjoy seeing all the detail. Thanks for sharing.

chuck

[PhotoRob]

Real nice Mal...

[JakeKait]

Not much of a reptile fan myself , but these are really nicely done! Very nice photos Mal

[johnbharle]

Here I am! I've been fairly busy with a bunch of other bits and pieces and Kerry's been giving me friendly reminders to get my Week 11 photos up.

So I'm afraid I don't have much commentary this week. This was more of an opportunity shot with an able assistant throwing food. Technique wise? Same as taking photos of children - get down low. Sure, the people walking around the theme park look at you very strangely, but who wants to be part of the crowd anyway?

I'm pretty sure this is the photo Kerry wanted me to post. It's the sort of thing you would see a kid do with their food. We just didn't realise that lizards did it as well.



On the other side of the theme park we were visiting I found another one that was equally as tame. Kerry was busy getting drenched on a water ride at the time so I didn't have the advantage of an assistant to distract the subject this time. I thought it would be fun to get a portrait shot - although I was missing Kerry's macro at this stage. I had to settle for the Sigma for the close up.



Same picture but cropped down tightly just so you could see its eye close up.



Looking at it in Light Box now, it's probably a touch over sharpened for this crop.

I really like the lighting on these. I'm guessing these were all natural light? Did you use reflectors, etc? Wonderful job!