After 3 years I've grown tired of shooting my son's swim team...except for the butterfly stroke. (This is he winning the 100 IM.) Very challenging with my Pentax A*300/2.8 manual focus lens. Shot this with a K10D in manual mode. I've got another version with the legs at the top cropped a bit. Helps, but not much. How I hate legs; they're the bane of photographers at community swim leagues.

Posted by Stu on Tue, 07/29/08 01:33
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Comments by Stu on Tue, 07/29/08 01:35 "This is he..."? Let's try, "This is him..." Comments by Rory Hudson on Tue, 07/29/08 01:55 The legs are rather intrusive, though I take your point. You might try elongating the image by cropping to just above/below your son's head (in the reflection as well). Anyway, the colour scheme is very nice in this; combining a good action shot with good abstract design. Comments by Arfon John on Tue, 07/29/08 04:30 Ok the legs etc are a nuisance but its still a super action shot. Thanks for sharing it. Comments by Jan Bjorklund on Tue, 07/29/08 08:41 I like Rory's suggestion about cropping down to the railing and cutting off the legs of the people standing at the edge of the pool but I would leave them in the reflection... the legs are intrusive in the above water portion but in the reflection they seem to create the sense of your son swimming into a forest of legs. And a great action shot!! Comments by Julie M. Dant on Tue, 07/29/08 11:12 I, too, like Rory's crop suggestion, Stu. I love this shot! Your son has perfect form here, does he not? Beautifully shot!!! Comments by Stu on Tue, 07/29/08 12:25 Thanks for the kind remarks. I'd often rather be lucky than good and this shot proves why. Butterfly is tough to shoot because you have to get the rhythm of the swimmer submerging and surfacing in order to get the precise moment. The older/faster kids often take the 1st 5 arm pulls without a breath, i.e. no face showing. Couple that with blindly racking the manual focus lens to try to keep pace with the swimmer's approach and you'll see why the keep/delete ratio is so tiny. Jack says his wrists/fingers are needlessly turned up, but I liked how they resemble the winglets on the tips of airliner wings. His fly stoke has improved greatly. He's 12, in his 3rd year of year-round swimming (this event was in his summer league) and has certainly developed upper body strength and a competitive drive. If I get ambitious I may try to clone away those bothersome people in the background. Cropping them away puts the top of his head on the upper border of the photo. Comments by Linda Frey on Tue, 07/29/08 12:44 I'd crop right into his head. (in the picture only!). Go right to the edge of the pool. I'd leave the reflected legs. Really nice shot. Comments by Alias on Tue, 07/29/08 14:06 Excellent timing, good focus, and composition, and great action ! The reflection is a decided plus. I am ambivalent about any further cropping. Although I can certainly see them as clutter, the legs are integral to the event, and I see the droplets of water, (especially the highest directly above his head), as valuable in indicating action. I wonder if selectively burning in the background might not de-emphasize it and retain, or maybe even enhance the explosive droplets. ------WebKitFormBoundarym1XikkBrkJ+2zkC8 Comments by Rick Longworth on Tue, 07/29/08 22:34 good shot. Comments by Angie Taylor on Tue, 07/29/08 22:55 Awesome Action!!