The Big Easy

[dubaiphil]

Good old Ernie Els - I always followed him in the early '90s. He was going through a bit of a rough patch through the last few years so it was fantastic that he won The Open in 2012.

He was playing at a tournament in Dubai at the end of last year. When I arrived he was on the driving range so I hung around to follow him for the first few holes. Everywhere I went he seemed to find a bunker, so I left him alone after a while! I stuck to my 85mm f1.4 for the day for some shallow DoF shots, bouncing around near 1/8000th sec.

Still one of the best swingers in town!

[Donald]

High quality stuff. That first one, in particular is a magnificent shot.

[dubaiphil]

Thanks Donald. Without PP'ing, the easiest way to get rid of construction cranes is to obliterate them with bokeh!

[Mike Buckley]

Great first image! Is it possible to bring out the detail in the golf balls? Maybe not if the highlights are blown.

[Dave Humphries]

#4 is the best for me; player and club, his shadow, sand arching up to the ball

Excellent (as usual)

[dubaiphil]

Thanks Dave - I'm trying to watch for shadows in compositions these days - it can make quite a difference

[RockNGoalStar]

That last part of Ernie Els's backswing, where the club decelerates so smoothly and easily to its resting position is one of the finest things in sport. You have captured that moment perfectly in number 1. I love it.

[oldgreygary]

Well, I enjoy sports photography and these are great images. Ernie Els comes across as a fairly laid back character who has got a languid golf swing. This is very much reflected in these images. I'm sure I read somewhere that with golf shots there is a sort of unwritten rule that you only take pictures after the ball has been struck? That seems to be the case with these?

Cheers for now

Gary

[dubaiphil]

Well, I enjoy sports photography and these are great images. Ernie Els comes across as a fairly laid back character who has got a languid golf swing. This is very much reflected in these images. I'm sure I read somewhere that with golf shots there is a sort of unwritten rule that you only take pictures after the ball has been struck? That seems to be the case with these?

Cheers for now

Gary

Hi Gary

I play a bit and wouldn't dream of shooting before the ball's struck. However if you're far enough back with a long telephoto you may be able to get away with it. Some of the pro's covering the event were far enough down the fairways, looking back towards the tees, with 400mm or 600mm lenses so it's not a bother. The stewards were pretty overbearing with the 'no photography' rule but that's understandable as the tournament was free to attend for anyone, and people with less understanding of the game could put the players off.

[dubaiphil]

That last part of Ernie Els's backswing, where the club decelerates so smoothly and easily to its resting position is one of the finest things in sport. You have captured that moment perfectly in number 1. I love it.

Thanks Tommy - the true greats make everything look so effortless and easy! Ronnie O'Sullivan with a cue for example.

Cricket is close to my heart - the truly great technicians didn't necessarily end up with the best career stats, but Mark Waugh, Carl Hooper and David Gower were some of the best to watch over the last few decades.