Photoshop and Cincinnati Sports Photography

I'm not a big fan of blowing up every sports photography with Photoshop. I have seen some really good sports action pictures that lose the impact of the action or the moment by an over zealous photoshopper that converts every picture into color / black and white combos.

Actually, I don't know enough about photoshop to be a pro at it. So far I can whiten teeth and remove blemishes. A skill that would have paid of handsomely in high school

I used the technique on this sports photograph during a Monroe High school football game, only because I caught a great stop action shot of the Monroe Hornet quarterback, however he was lost in a cluster of dark blue uniforms, and I wanted to draw emphasis to the actual player himself.

In shooting sports photography in Cincinnati or Dayton, Ohio, I try to think like a photojournalist first and a trendy artist second.

It's always important to remember your niche and play within your game. Fancy color "popping" techniques make for some visual eye candy, but you don't see much of it in Sports Illustrated or other sports magazines.

This photograph was shot with a Nikon D200 and a Nikkor 80-200 2.8 lens. A Promaster Monopod was used with the camera and Photoshop CS3 was used to edit the picture.
Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Can You Spot Me Some Gear?

Here's a great twist on an old scam that has been around the net for a few years.

On August 20th I get a random email from Jason. (I figure he came across my site)
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Hello,
My name is Jason B. Clark and I wanted to contact you as I am 7 classes short of my associate degree and I am at a crossroads in my academic future. Do I continue with my marketing plan or do I pursue a photojournalistic approach and considera sports photography career. I have always wanted to use my passion for athletics and desire for capturing the big moment. I would like more information on how everythign works and if you think I would be an good addition to your team. I am located in Illinois right outside Saint Louis, Missouri and I would love to start a team here..

Jason B. Clark
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Now, I'm always willing to talk with someone about photography. I'm in Cincinnati, Ohio and he is in St. Louis, so I emailed him back and asked him for a phone number. And I promptly recieve a reply.
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You can reach me at 6183983431 and if I am not available just leave me a message and i will get back with you. Thank You

Jason
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So I called and left a message. I called as soon as the email came through because I just happened to be sitting at my desk the minute it came. And then last night I get this email
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What are the steps for us? I got your call the other night and had to work all weekend. I might be able to develop a event portfolio easy as I will be covering a concert series next spring possibly. I wanted to see if you would be willing to spot me some equiptment to get things rolling? I know this is something that is unheard of but we will be working with some major stars that will be visiting our location and i will be setting up the meet and greets.

Jason
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Now Jason must have not went to the Nigerian Technical College for email scams, because he left out a few of the romancing steps and went right for the hook, but he did pay attention in the classes that taught poor sentence structure, missed capitals and poor spelling along with using a hard to trace email account like Yahoo.

I keep an update running if there is future requests. I told him that I would only "spot" equipment if he was bonded for $5000 cash and asked who the big name celebrities would be.





Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Average Joe

I often say that the difference between Sports Photographers and Picture Takers is the understanding of the game and the ability to work for the shots that most people never get.

This is a good example of what I see at most sporting events in and around the Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio area. This "Sports Photographer", covering a baseball game in Dayton, Ohio stood at this position and shot from this one angle the entire game. He never moved and never even changed his lens position.

As it turns out, this was one of the most exciting Little League Baseball games of the year. You can see my shots at www.CincinnatiSportsPhotography.com under Sports
/ Baseball / Eaton vs. Shelbyville

These are the guys that think they are sports photographers, but in reality are nothing more that picture snappers.
Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Down the Line

Saturday August 8th, had me providing sports photography coverage for the Cincinnati Metro Softball tournament.

This was one of the top sports photos of more than 600 shot on this muggy August afternoon.

Good sports photography is a lot about timing and anticipation as well as luck. I had noticed that the one team in particular was pulling a lot of balls down the 3rd base line. I positioned myself on one knee and focused on the 3rd baseman.

It took about 5 batters but I finally got the fish that I had been casting the line for.

I use Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses for clarity and high shutters speed for all of my sports photography.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Penthouse View

Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds home, Great American Ballpark, shot from the penthouse of The Ascent in Newport Kentucky.

One of the challenges in shooting sports photography is to come up with something new. This sports photograph in Cincinnati is one that I knew very very would ever get.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295