Thank you for both your comments and advice! And don't worry about sounding overly critical, you were far from it.
I do agree w/ you about the DOF being too deep. The spectators are too distracting. At the time of this shot, I had my camera set on shutter speed priority...in other words I was not worried about the background but stopping the action. I now see that in order to have a better quality pic, you need to focus both on the DOF of the background and action.
Thanks again for your comments and adive. Be sure to check in later on in the week for more pics.
Nice stop action shot, but I would offer these comments:
The DOF is a bit too deep. The spectators are distracting in this case. Sometimes spectators can actually add to this style of photography, if they are reacting to a wreck, for example. In other words, if this guy were getting bucked off and was in mid-air and we could see the expression on the spectators' faces, then we'd have a reason for them being so clear. As it is, they are a bit distracting.
Another advantage to a shallower depth of field is that the larger aperature would allow you to speed up your shutter even more and might have gotten this a bit sharper. Hand holding with a telephoto can get really tough and your sharpness falls off as a consequence.
That larger aperature also might have allowed you to brighten up that shirt and the rider's face. Then again, some fill flash would have done the same thing.
It's a good shot, Holly. I don't mean to sound overly critical. As a former bull-rider and a guy who shoots equine and nature shots almost exclusivley, I know how fast these shots present themselves. Sometimes, I think my reaction time as a photographer has to be faster than it was as a bull-rider!!! Then again, my camera isn't going to try and stomp me in the dirt!!!
Keep posting from the rodeo, I can't wait to see what other shots you got. Love what you have so far!
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