A Natural Beauty

[Ottrott's Human]

This is one of the 10 year old girls I coach. A truly phenomenal athlete. Her nickname is Gazelle......she has the most gorgeous stride.

Anyway.....this was shot with the D2Hs and the 180mm f/2.8 at 2.8 in bright sunlight for her MVP award photo on our team website. I used a regular rain umbrella to shade her from the harsh sunlight as it was the only thing on hand at the time......I really like the way the baseball field behind her blurred into a multi-color gradient.

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[Gale]

Very nicely done
Pretty gal

 

[frede]

Very nice Stuart - seems the 180 would give the 85 1.4 a run for it's money with the DOF.

 

[Ottrott's Human]

Very nicely done
Pretty gal

Thanks Gale.....you always say the nicest things!:smile:

Very nice Stuart - seems the 180 would give the 85 1.4 a run for it's money with the DOF.

Fred,
With portrait photography being your primary passion I really can't recommend this lens strongly enough. They are so reasonably priced too. I think I paid about $400.00 for mine used.

I knew I wouldn't have time to shoot the game today since we were playing a very good team that had already beaten us once this season, but I also knew I had to take the MVP photo. The only thing I took with me was this lens attached to the D2Hs.......which is my new/used backup body.

The harsh/direct sunlight worried me a bit, but I think sheltering her with the umbrella worked out okay. It was a spur of the moment thing and I didn't really know what to expect.

Get this lens either new or...... look for a used one. Scott Watters recommended it and I owe him for that!

It is simply fantastic.

 

[j_b_l]

Beautiful impromptu shot, Stu...just enough light to bring those eyes out...well done!!

 

[Ottrott's Human]

Beautiful impromptu shot, Stu...just enough light to bring those eyes out...well done!!

Thanks John! She's an easy subject!

 

[Jetta32696]

Great shot!!! Who would have thought to use an ordinary umbrella to block the sun? Question - was she holding it, or was it someone else? :biggrin:

 

[LauraJohnston]

she reminds me of nicole, the one that woody shot ...... freckles. haha. nice job, i need to steal your lighting in sunlight tricks. i would have never thought of an umbrella....lol!

 

[4labs]

Hey Stuart ,really beautiful portrait of a beautiful little athlete.

 

[DanielD]

Beautiful girl and shot!!
Is it me? I find her face a little too red, but maybe it actually was (read something about harsh sun!).

 

[Graeme]

Stu, I love your NL images................... and this one is NO exception.............

Cool......... just too cool!

G

 

[Ottrott's Human]

Great shot!!! Who would have thought to use an ordinary umbrella to block the sun? Question - was she holding it, or was it someone else? :biggrin:

Thank you Keith. I had one of the other girls hold it for me. It was blazing bright and upper 80's so a couple of the parents had dug golf umbrellas out of their trunks to use as parasols. One was lying on the ground next to us and I just grabbed it. If I had had my SB-800 it would have really worked out beautifully.

.... i need to steal your lighting in sunlight tricks. i would have never thought of an umbrella....lol!

Something tells me you would have thought of it. You're awfully sharp behind the lens!:smile:

Hey Stuart ,really beautiful portrait of a beautiful little athlete.

Thanks Eric. Why don't you post the improved version you sent me via PM along with the method you used to create the fill flash. Let's learn something from this post!:smile:

Two more weeks left in the regular season so come shoot a game!

Beautiful girl and shot!!
Is it me? I find her face a little too red, but maybe it actually was (read something about harsh sun!).

Yes....her face was very flushed from heat. This photo was taken immediately after a 50 minute game and it was in the upper 80's (Fahrenheit:smile: ). She had just come off the field. She doesn't sweat much, but she does get red as a beat!
This was our first "hot" game of the season and none of the girls are really acclimated to the heat yet.

Thanks Daniel!

Stu, I love your NL images................... and this one is NO exception.............

Cool......... just too cool!

G

Thanks Graeme. I have several gorgeous girls on my team.....a very photographic group.

Funny story that you might enjoy.....we won this game 4-0, but the day before we were thoroughly thrashed 7-0. I knew we were in trouble when the other team showed up with jerseys that read "Triangle Futball". When I heard their coaches British accent I *knew* we were toast.

My girls are very good, but those girls were freaks of nature.

I think my girls learned an awful lot from that game!

 

[4labs]

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I downloaded tracy's Fill flash action from www.atncentral.com. It is a simple action that allows you to brush over and area that you want lightened.

 

[Ottrott's Human]

I knew when I was processing this photo that if I had had my SB-800 the photo would have been much better. Your version solves that problem Eric. Well done and good find on this action.

Thanks for posting so we could all learn something!

 

[greyflash]

What a pretty young lady, it is good to see them excel at athletics.

 

[Czechman01]

This is very nice, but I think it would be even better if you ran that defog light action on it.

Excellent awareness of your shooting environment and your clever improvised open shade... the only way to do portraits in direct sun.

 

[Haibane]

Its interesting first shot seems like there is too shallow of a DOF, but with fill flash it looks a lot better.

 

[renaud]

Very very nice
Superbe Bokeh this Nikon 180 its a fantastic portraiture lens...

 

[Ottrott's Human]

What a pretty young lady, it is good to see them excel at athletics.

Gordon....coaching youth soccer has been one of the best experiences of my life. Working with young kids who enjoy athletics and seeing them grow through sports is an amazing thing.

This is very nice, but I think it would be even better if you ran that defog light action on it.

Excellent awareness of your shooting environment and your clever improvised open shade... the only way to do portraits in direct sun.

Thanks Woody. I think the umbrella was just a lucky shot-in-the-dark. The sunlight was too bright to chimp the image so I just hoped for the best. I guess I could have used the umbrella to shade the LCD too! :smile:

 

[TOLady]

Stuart, a wonderful portrait of a very pretty girl. She looks like there's a lot of personality behind that face. You've done a great job on this one.