Professional Bull Riding

[ldhrads]

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I was Invited to a PBR event this weekend, this was my first time going with some people who love this sport. It's definitely a unique sport and the riders are surely athletes. The sport is dominated by Brazilians but last week a young local from Florida won that weeks event.

A Qualified ride lasts just 8 seconds, but from what I saw that's a long 8 seconds. In the finals at this event only one rider made the full 8 seconds!

 

It all culminates with the world championships next month in Las Vegas.

 

I wasn't sure how this would shoot. I was in the 4th row and shot with the M9 Elmar M 50mm combination just to keep a low profile. I would take my 90 cron next time, but I think at ISO 640 and some heavy crops these stand up and hopefully show the energy of this sport.

 

Thanks for Looking

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[ldhrads]

Here's the Last two

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[Rona!d]

Too many shots, a lot of advertising but the bull/rider to me is not seperated enough from the background. Don´t get me wrong, audience in the background is ok, but this way it´s more or less too much irretating stuff in one picture. Aside that, you could try to work on the white-balance.

[ldhrads]

Thanks for the truly constructive criticism!!

There were some things that I liked about these, the motion etc, and some things that I did not!

You've definitely given me a much better feel for what I didn't like but really couldn't put my finger on.

 

Unfortunately I shot these with a 50mm lens so these are crops from the full image. I'm not used to doing this kind of photography so your input is greatly appreciated. As for the white balance, it's actually bang on for the situation. I used a gray card on location, it was just very "yellow" there due to the color of the dirt trucked in for the event.

[Rona!d]

Lawrence,

 

your shots show the potential the situation had. With the whitebalance you could be right, it looks yellowish but the other colors seems quit natural. Somehow I got the impression of a color cast under artificial light.

 

Next time you shoot there, I would encourage you to not only take the 90mm with you, but also - if you like speed and motion-blur - also move the camera while using a long exposure time of around 1/15th sec.. If you are lucky, you get some astonishing motion. You could also try to use a tripod or monopod and freeze the surrounding, but only motion-blur the riders/horses.

 

With a good cropping also a 50mm or 35mm shot could look very nice. With a more wideangle lens you could go the "audience in the foreground" way, shooting to the left or right side of you. There are so many things to try out. Why not trying to avoid "standard" framing?

 

Kind regards,

Ron

[ldhrads]

One example of the series redone

And again,

Thanks for the criticism!

 

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[abrewer]

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I think a faster shutter speed to stop action would have suited you better, but perhaps the lighting wasn't enough to allow; or you're using some auto-exposure setting and this is what it gave you?

 

I don't ever remember going to a dustbowl in West Texas with "golden" dirt like that

[stuny]

Lawrence -

 

That's much better.

[epand56]

I think a faster shutter speed to stop action would have suited you better, but perhaps the lighting wasn't enough to allow;

 

Lawrence, given the DOF (people in the background is almost, if not more, in focus than the rider) i think you shot at f:5.6 if not more. Shooting wide open would have given you the audience blurred and the rider in focus and well separated from the background.

And I agree with Ronald that the WB should be adjusted.