Dennis Murray Photography - Atlanta, Georgia » Sports Photography

Giving the Stiff Arm

admin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 07:00:12 +0000

Alternately referred to as “The Heisman.”

Fall Softball

admin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:00:39 +0000

Believe it or not, before this past August – I had never photographed any of Greater Atlanta Christian School’s many softball teams in the past four years I’ve worked with Martin Photography. So it was a new experience – although my photography at Midway Park has given a wide range of softball experience.

Multi-sport athletes are the norm at GAC. She’s also been prominent on the basketball court.

That’s the pitch passing in front of this fielder.

It’s actually more difficult to frame the low delivery of a fast pitch pitcher than a baseball pitcher.

Safe at the plate as the ball bounces free!

Firing Off

admin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 03:01:52 +0000

This is what coaches call “Firing Off the Ball.”

Portrait of a Catcher

admin — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 06:00:52 +0000

The big telephoto lenses – like Canon’s 300mm F2.8 IS – aren’t just for taking pictures of things that are far away. They also do great with nice tightly framed shots.

Waiting for the Drop

admin — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:37:49 +0000

The Catch II

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:00:26 +0000

Following up on yesterday’s post, how great is the look of surprise on this young athlete’s face?

The Catch

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:00:10 +0000

The difference between making the catch and not making the catch doesn’t matter – it all goes down the same in the box score.

Gunned Down at the Plate

admin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:00:49 +0000

It’s rare to see a real play at the plate in 9 year old Baseball, and even rarer to see them get the out!

The Moment Before Impact

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:00:30 +0000

What do you think goes through a six year-old hitter’s mind right before the ball hits the bat? Is he worried about whether he will make contact, where the ball will go, or what to do next? Is he running to first in his head?

Or are the team parents more worried, and it’s just a simple reaction to him?

Baseball Portraits

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:56:35 +0000

How do you make your 6 Year Old look like a star for his Baseball Portrait? Move beyond basic poses and spend more time in the portrait session than what a photo shoot with hundreds of kids allows.

During Spring break, my Son Aidan and I did some portraits in the setting sun at Midway Park.

My recipe for Sports Portraits is simple. Work with the young athlete, and put them in the familiar situations of their sport. Keep lighting changes quick to minimize change over time and maintain the focus.

With the sun setting, it also gives me some additional control over the light, shadow and backdrops.

And throw in some variation with lighting and posing to bring variety to the finished product.

Incoming!

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:33:18 +0000

Back Outdoors!

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:42:07 +0000

Last week was not only the official start of Spring, but was also what I mark Spring with: returning to Outdoors sports after several months of indoor sports. My first assignment this spring was back to Greater Atlanta Christian School to photograph a Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer doubleheader.

St. Pius X jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, which left GACS in a position of attempting to battle back. As in previous years, Madeline Barker (now a UGA signee) was heavily involved with leading the attack and contributed a goal. GACS ultimately brought the match to a 3-3 draw against the AAA St. Pius X.

Boys Slam it Home

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:21:51 +0000

Following right behind the path the Varsity Girls had blazed, the Boys stormed out quickly to a big lead against 6-AA Avondale and won 93-35.

Girls Basketball: Off and Running

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:15:45 +0000

Friday night Greater Atlanta Christian hosted regional opponent Avondale High School for a Region 6 AA match up. From the first tip, Greater Atlanta Christian started the game with the normal press defense and quickly mounted a big lead. By the half, GAC was leading 51-6.

Reaction!

Finding Artistry in the Pool

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:18:00 +0000

In my second outing for swimming this year, I wanted to find some of the beauty of the sport.

In this example, I used the 300mm lens. At the right distance, it compresses items and makes them appear closer together – in this case, making the lane dividers appear stacked.

Swimmers in lanes 1 and 2 are close enough to touch – or in the case of a longer lens, isolate on the face.

Slightly different distance and viewpoint again with a 300mm lens. This time the swimmers in the background create a repetition of the first swimmer’s arm.

I used a longer exposure time – 1/30 of a second instead of 1/400 second – to allow some of the swimmer’s motion to blur as well as create the flowing water effect. The shot is a low percentage outcome – between the motion of the swimmer, and the risk of the camera shaking in your hands, there is a lot of chance to miss the shot. I’ve used these shutter speeds regularly for motorsports, so it’s a technique I’ve honed over time.