P52 - Week 42

This week I want to share a photo with you that is all about the motion.

I find it hard to get the right amount of motion in a picture (usually displayed by blur). Too much and it's just another out of focus shot. Too little and you lose the impact that motion adds to the shot.

This is one of those shots where I think I at least came close to maintaining a proper balance. My main subject is the young man in blue (our dear friend AJ). Most of his body is in focus. His surroundings (the mat, the mirror, the flags) are all pretty crisp. But the other young man, the one about to hit the mat, is all a blur.

Judo is actually a pretty fast sport. Motion comes in quick bursts. Many is the time that I miss it all together. While other times I completely freeze the moment. I don't mind the complete freeze, but there are times when just the right amount of blur has a much greater impact.

I love this shot since it captures an exact moment while still managing to imply the velocity at which things move. I hope you will too.

P52 - Week 41

I think, if I could, I would specialize in sports photography with a leaning toward martial arts photos. Perhaps as a life long student, I am a bit biased towards martial arts photos, but I love the action and the unanticipated angles you see in a martial arts class.

This is one of those photos. The guy in grey is about to meet the mat. As someone who is on a first name basis with that mat, I understand the total loss of orientation that must have been going through his mind in the split second before he hit the ground.

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to sit in on a lot of the classes at the Academy over the last few weeks. And I look forward to the few I have yet to work into my schedule. Hopefully the dojo's web master will have plenty of images to play with as they update the website.