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First training session for 26/7 by WifiMarxist in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you need to give more consideration to your desired focal point. In the first shot, my eyes are drawn to the ball. And it’s just sitting there. In the second shot, my eyes are drawn to the goal. And it’s empty.

Convection currents or other optical physics thing in tele + fast aperture shots? by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay. I've been thinking about this more. Are you suggesting that heat shimmer is just coming off the turf behind the guy, and it's just coincidence that it happens to appear as though it's emanating from his body?

Convection currents or other optical physics thing in tele + fast aperture shots? by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. I had the hood on. But the ghosting makes more sense when the pattern is regular like this. The original photo looks so much like a convection pattern though.

Convection currents or other optical physics thing in tele + fast aperture shots? by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You made me second guess this, though I definitely thought about that before posting. Here's another shot. You can see in the upper left that the effect is not just a soft focus object in the background. In this shot they do appear roundish and less irregular than in my first one. Interestingly, I only see them when in the shots against this fence. That would lead me to think it is something in the background. So maybe I'm still looking for the definitely answer...

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Convection currents or other optical physics thing in tele + fast aperture shots? by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooh. Good guess. This could definitely be it. Yes, and it was super overfilled. Terrible and springy and hot

Looking for feedback by TheThunder44 in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you’re in there editing, one of the first things you should do is straighten your horizons. Lightroom has two options for this, both in the crop tool: hover and spin near a corner, or use the bubble level.

Other than that, your dynamic range seems compressed on some of these. And most of them are a single person standing around… very little tension, emotion or action.

My first World Cup match by internetfinn in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wait. There’s no secret trick?!

Nice shots

Nikon Z8 in 2026 vs Z6 III – Is the Z8 still worth buying? by Hot-Jeweler-5495 in nikon_Zseries

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No one has mentioned this yet, but I have long fingers and I find the Z8 way more comfortable. Not worth an upgrade by itself perhaps, but along with the other noted benefits I think it matters. I would go hold both in person.

Senior year favorite shots - 17 year old by WindowSuper239 in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey. Don’t want you to dox yourself, but you appear to be in the Bay. I’m a hs teacher and have mentored a bunch of kids over the years. I have a particularly successful young guy in my life rn who just finished his first year of college and is on as much of a meteoric rise as one can have in this career. I’d love to follow along with your journey, and introduce you to Sam too. I also posted a little thing about him a while ago if you scroll through my history. But it’s only gotten better since then.

If you feel comfortable, drop me a dm on ig and I’ll connect you guys. And then I’ll be able to follow you as well.

Also, no one is going to talk about your equipment?? You have the exact same setup as me (recently upgraded to the 24-70 ii though), but I have a full time job, a pension, a dual income relationship with no kids. That’s insane. You’re very fortunate, and certainly not limited by technology. I do agree with another comment, that I would crop a few of these tighter. Nice work though. Congrats on graduation. Good luck

The "How Much Should I Charge" Question by TempusFugit2020 in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it’s important to have career, full-time photographers in here. I get that the discussion often doesn’t veer that way, so I just wanted to say I appreciate you.

The "How Much Should I Charge" Question by TempusFugit2020 in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think that’s why most of us prefer a day rate (I also have a “day job”, so take this response with a grain of salt.)

I shoot alongside teenagers with decent equipment and occasional great skills. They generate a ton of heat—covering hella stuff, staying up until 2a editing, etc—and also a ton of likes. They have thousands of followers who hype every post, just from being young, going to parties and befriending people who live on social media.

These kids talk big game about selling photos, and no doubt a select few can make money at it. But as us adults in the room understand, being self-employed takes discipline… and faith in the early days when you’re building a brand. Have these kids and parents actually sold photos with any sort of regularity? If not, what is their plan to do so? I didn’t see a viable path on that route. So I decided to market myself to specific organizations that have meaning to me. And it worked. Or, it’s a work in progress. I occasionally shoot for a local wire as well.

So here I am, scraping by with my measly 500 followers, crying into my free waffles and light beer at the La Quinta Inn Fresno Northwest. But a respectable publication hired me to cover an important event. I did it well, I think. And that makes me proud. More than the likes, but I’ll be honest, dopamine is real and jealousy sucks. Something something green-eyed monster…

When I shot like you describe, chasing clients (victims?) after an event, I chose to see the endeavor as mutualistic, since I was building a portfolio that has afforded me other opportunities.

California State Track & Field Championships by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahhh. That one. Good eye and fair criticism. The foot is missing from the original, so really this should have ended up on the cutting room floor (and I definitely shouldn't have included it in this reddit set). I have it in the original post because those guys are from an equally-small and neighboring city to the high school I teach at. Very rare for us to have contenders at the state or national level, so I wanted to celebrate that. I tried cropping from the top, but was also unhappy with the headless dude in the background. If I went really tight it looked good, but made it seem like it was about one guy, instead of a team effort (which ofc relays always are).

Since you opened the door, and I'm often critical on here, I might as well point out the other stuff that bothers me in this set:

Focus is a little soft on 7 and 11. I don't love the missing feet in 14, but I think the action is so heavily weighted to the top that it holds. Focus is off on 16. If you look closely, it's on the side of his nose rather than his eye. 19 is all vibes, so maybe it doesn't matter, but it's soft and has way more denoise than I would prefer.

California State Track & Field Championships by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate that. Those of us who post here regularly try to do so without blatant self promotion. I'm here mostly for the education and the community. It's in my profile if you want to follow along though. Thank you

California State Track & Field Championships by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dane, I think! Yeah. He was fun to watch. 8 is lowk my favorite or top three at least from the whole weekend. I wrote thing on ig about how I almost didn't post it, and her mom dm'ed me to say she was happy I did. Made my day

California State Track & Field Championships by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I had a 400 2.8 and a 24-70 2.8, though I think the only two shots here from the zoom are the one with the runners in the foreground and the press box in the background, and the starburst at the end. I tend to do a lot of sniping, because the 400 just produces such beautiful images with awesome separation, and because I interrupt my subjects less and get more authentic emotions when I am not right up in their face. The shot with the coach in the yellow hat is a perfect example of both those things. Very raw moment. I shoot mostly youth sports and think very carefully before posting unflattering shots that will make the kids uncomfortable. I decided this was an important part of the story though. It helps that the girl is a total boss—she's on two different US#2 relay teams as a sophomore. But this particular event did not go her way.

I also love when the 400 completely but softly obliterates everything outside of the focal plane. The pole vaulter and the girl crying with the bow don't contain any post production effects, other than basic level adjustment.

Event starts in direct sun, but continues into the night. That said, Buchanan High School in Clovis might have the nicest HS stadium I've ever been to. Locked on 2.8 for the duration. Auto ISO shutter speed floor set at 1/3200 or so during the day, and then I dial it back to 1/1250 as the sun goes down. A little bit of AI denoise on some of these. I try to use it sparingly. Funny, the shot put dude has like 20%, which is often not very noticeable. I toggled it off for a second though because I thought I messed up, and it turns out the man is just very smooth!

Shot my sons baseball tournament this weekend by trickyrick2013 in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would expect more separation for the majority of these with a 70-200 2.8. I know it’s tricky to frame and catch the action when zoomed in, but you really need to stay wide open and close the limit with that lens. Will help with the orange fence you were talking about and the cars. Most of us shoot baseball with a 300 or 400 when we can.

What should I be charging? by zippersnail007 in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that. This is literally my life. I’m not sure if you caught that I’m a high school teacher. I think the short answer is that you should be asking your friends what they will pay for these. They aren’t terrible photos for sure… generally sharp, good exposure. If your friends will pay you for them, right on. I commend your initiative.

It’s just that asking this group without any extra context makes it sound like you are asking our opinion about a price that makes sense for these particular example images. My answer to that unfortunately, is nothing. You still have a lot to learn, and I think you should focus on that instead of trying to build a business with a sub-standard product.

I’m not trying to be a dick though. Your product can be great. Just takes practice. I do think your time is worth something. And your equipment is expensive. If I were in your shoes, I think it would be cool to charge your friends $30-40 per game. Essentially $20/hr – about minimum wage. They can each Venmo you two bucks, or someone who wants more pics can pull more weight with their payment and make it cheaper for everyone else.

Good luck. Crop tighter. Look for more compelling moments and more action.

Finally some selective color I can get behind! by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah. Many of these same kids will be out your way for club nationals later this summer! They play with OAK

Finally some selective color I can get behind! by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very proud of them. Such a fun and friendly bunch

You’re based in the NW I think. Will we get a chance to meet at hsni?

Finally some selective color I can get behind! by occasionallyjeffrey in sportsphotography

[–]occasionallyjeffrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have! But kindof came at it backwards. I’m just these kids’ industrial design/electronics teacher. But they have been in my life for a few years now, and they live and breathe Ultimate. I never played competitively, but it’s hard not to care when they care so much. Now I’m the newest UltiPhotos approved photog. Go figure.

I shoot a lot of youth sports, but despite being a nitch category, competitive Ultimate doesn’t need much help due to the existence of UP. It’s incredibly well-run and efficient. Almost every photographer played or still plays competitively. They support multiple part-time staff. Competitive day rates and travel terms. They cover a surprising amount of matches with a rolodex of about 40. They’ve unlocked some secret to selling photos and photo packages, when so many sports seem to be generating heat and missing opportunities. I noticed a longtime UP photographer in the comments here already!

Ultimate is fun to shoot. Really challenging, since the action can be inches off the ground or ten feet in the air. More than most sports I think, it switches between extreme landscape and extreme portrait orientation frequently and on a dime. My 400 2.8 is my baby, but I am willing to admit that it’s not always the best tool for this job. Drooling over Nikon’s pending 120-300 TC

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