Two weeks ago I posted a shot I took of James 'Binky' Jones after being defeated by Kyle Baker during UWC Confrontation. Tonight it's Kyle's turn.
One thing was immediately obvious when Baker entered the ring: he was absolutely chiseled. He was also phenomenal to watch, technique-wise. He landed several spectacular kicks that took the wind right out of Binky and, as I mentioned earlier, the other photographers and I kept exchanging looks of disbelief as he relentlessly and ruthlessly took Binky apart. It was a great fight to shoot with two extremely athletic fighters, devastating blows, and amazing heart shown by both. I enjoyed it immensely.
I love this shot of Kyle, except for one thing: it cuts off his legs. Aaarrgh! I didn't realize it until later, but I should have used the select mode and set a different focus point toward the top of the viewfinder, not the center (spot) one. If I had done that, I could have focused on his face and still had room in the frame for his lower body. Instead, I focused (and centered) on his tattooed shoulder and cut off his legs.
I even remember complaining to one of the other photographers, "It's so hard to focus on their face and then recompose when they're moving so fast..." (And it's next to impossible to do this if you're using continuous autofocus.) Nobody offered me a better technique so I struggled through taking shot after shot of fighters chopped off at the knees. It never occurred to me to use a different focus point towards the top of the frame and avoid the problem altogether.
So that's why I'm including this picture. If anybody else out there is just learning to photograph MMA (or boxing, or any fast-paced sport) and you're trying to get a full-body shot of some totally ripped athlete (like Kyle Baker), play around with selecting different focus points. I've tried it now several times at other sporting events and it works beautifully. I can't wait to put it to use at the next fight.
Edited to add... Just found out the next UWC fight is scheduled for Feb 21. Yeah baby! No card yet, but who cares? It's a cagefight!
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2 comments:
Hi,
I've been reading your blog since you were mentioned somewher on the CrossFit website (Affiliates page maybe?, don't remember..) and I just wanted to say that your advice and posts really help me. As a semi-literate amateur shooting for a CF Affiliate's blog (www.crossfitfortmeade.blogspot.com) I'm always in need of tips and yours on photography have helped. My pics are nowhere near as good as yours, but with your advice I think they look much better!
So-just wanted to say thanks!
-John
Thanks for writing in, John.
I already visited the CrossFit Fort Meade site and left a comment there, but I wanted to acknowledge this here as well.
First- you're too kind. My shots are still works in progress and the more I learn about photography, the more I realize what a novice I really am. Still, it's nice to know that other people follow this blog. On days when I don't feel like posting, it's encouraging to know that there is someone out there who would like to see what I'm going to post next.
Second- it's Veteran's Day so THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! I've added the Fort Meade website to my blogger links on the right.
For all you gymagery lurkers- Be sure to stop by their pages and give them some love.
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