Monday, October 13

Go Speed Racer

Contributed by A McComb

I took this picture last year at a cross country race. It was a bit of a lucky accident - I actually meant to get a shot of our runner, but sort of missed... Giving me this. The biggest change I made was getting rid of a bright orange tag on the shirt using the patch tool. It was very distracting. I also played with saturation, levels, and contrast. There's a grainy texture that I couldn't quite get rid of; but it sort of grew on me so I left it.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the movement of this photo because it shows what is going on. I like how the leg is not in focus because it shows that the person is running. I like the contrast of the red clothes against the green grass. The subject stands out well against the background. I like how the story of the person running is shown well in this photo. Nice job!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, a really lucky shot that turned out great.. In my opinion, the exposure is pretty good and I like how interesting your focus is with the blur to show movement at the legs , but at the same time, the top part of the figure is clear. Just like ali h. above me, I like the contrast between the red and green that makes the subject pop out more. All in all, I think you did a great job in fixing up the photo.
-m.c. sphs

Anonymous said...

This is great! I love how you only got half the runner, and the crisp focus of the runner against the blurry grass really makes him stand out. Because of this, it creates a desired effect that you would want with a picture like this. Especially how at about the calf muscle it starts to get blurry again. It creates great movement, and really draws you into the photograph. The clearness of the bar in the background really adds to the movement of the runner.

SPHS

Anonymous said...

In this photo I like how only the runner is in focus, and the background is blurred. It brings your eyes right to the main focus. I think the lighting could have been more enhanced, this photo feels dark to me. And also since most of the runner is in focus, the bottom of the leg should have been I focus too. It kind of blends in with the background instead of standing out. All in all good picture :]

Anonymous said...

Action shots are difficult to shoot. This picture is a great one because you got the person in focus and the background blurred. I can’t even tell that there was ever an orange tag on the person. Great job on this picture!

Anonymous said...

This is a good shot. The lack of a face on the runner bothered me at first, but that is just because this photo is so different from what I’ve come to expect from photos of runners. I‘ve since come to appreciate this picture all the more because it is unique.
Great panning effect. Panning is very difficult to get right, but the effect is definitely present. The blurred background and foot give the sense that this person is moving very fast. This sense of speed would be better communicated if the photo was in brighter colors. The muted tones all go together, but they don’t give the sense of excitement or energy that you get from a race.

Erica W. - ERHS

Anonymous said...

I like this photo a lot! I definitely feel like I am running when I look at this photo. It looks like you tried to make the photo look a little older, it gives it an old school 1975 yearbook track page picture. If I was to have taken this picture though, I would have gone for a Nike ad feel. I would have enhanced the temperature and the hue. I really do like this picture though, I feel like the Nike swoosh could fit in perfectly on the right side of the picture!

Anonymous said...

At first glance, this photo looked like a perfect mess. However, as I looked it over, I came to like it more and more. I think that I would have liked to see more of the scene; I wonder how the other arm and leg would have looked. Still, this shot turned out pretty well. You did a great job with patching out the tag; I haven't a clue of where it used to be! I'm also interested in the metal barrier in the background. The two horizontal bars are clearly visible in the photo, but I'd bet that most people have missed the vertical bars that nearly disappeared due to the motion of the shot. Anyway, as I said before, I've come to love this shot, and I'm waiting to see your next "lucky accident" ;]
- E.M., SPHS

Anonymous said...

I really like this picture a lot. It gives the feeling of the person running. Even if it was a lucky picture, it looks great and professionally well done. You are absolutely right about the tag. It would be very distracting if it were in the picture. However, you managed to get the perfect shot!! I love how the picture focuses on the runner and how the background is a bit blurry. Altogether, the whole picture works out perfectly!
CA SPHS

Anonymous said...

This is a great photo. This accident of a photo really made it turn out very well. The fade of his foot and leg shows that the man is running. The blurry background is great.
JM Sphs

Anonymous said...

I do like this photo, the movement of the legs show activeness in the picture. It draws your attention, and also the hamstring muscle is bulging out which is on the thirds. Overall, this is one great and lucky shot, good job.

Anonymous said...

I love this picture because. I also am in cross country(:
I love how the body is in focus, but the foot is blurred so you can tell that they are running fast.
I also love that it fills the whole frame, and its unique because it doesn’t show the whole body, jut the lower body, which is most important in running.

ChelseaMarie said...

Wow, this picture shows stopping motion extremely well! Lucky accident i would definataly agree.. if there was one thing i would consider changing about the photo would be to de-saturate the grass in the background a little bit more, so it barely distracts from the runner at all. Really nice photo though, overall.