[Leica] IMG Sumo!

[afirkin at afirkin.com (afirkin at afirkin.com)]

for me both images have strengths: the original allows us to see the
tension and expectation of the faces of the crowd: I might even "lighten"
one or two faces. The degree of blur is enough to tell the viewer that
they are not the subject of the image. The second version allows us to
concentrate on the action: and wow great timing, great action, perfect
balance. I think the "action" is strong enough to stand out even with the
crown "illuminated" and I would choose not to darken the crowd too much
(perhaps a subtle darkening around the sumo on the left), lighten one or
two of the more interested crowd and print it "large". Very nice capture,
and as an aside, I'm not sure I'd pay more to get closer. The tele shot
with its compression does make the crowd feel like part of the action.

Cheers

Alastair

> This weekend I visited Fukuoka to attend the Sumo finales.  I wanted
> the closest seat I could get, so stumped up for the 540 dollar
> ticket.  However, my seat was in the furthest row (the 8th row) of the
> pricey rows.  Because I wasn't as close as I wanted to be, my 200mm
> wide open at f/2.8 didn't throw the crowd out of focus as much as I
> wanted.
>
> I thought later I would try to selectively blur the background, as I
> remember Tina did for a couple of her photos.  However, I don't know
> how to do that, and I think I wouldn't be so proficient in that
> Photoshop technique.  So I decided to stay in Lightroom and use the
> brush tool to darken the crowd instead of blurring.
>
> So, I'd like anyone's opinion on how this treatment looks compared to
> the original.  Also, if anyone thinks using Photoshop's blur tool
> would help, please give me some pointers as to how to apply it.  Would
> I just choose the gaussian blur and wave the brush around the areas I
> want blurring?
>
> I know the real solution would to have been to get closer to the
> action. Next year I will book my tickets well in advance and request a
> front row seat.
>
> Here's the crowd-darkened version:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/27d7xlh
>
> And here's the original:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2c4ougb
>
> All the best,
>
> Peter Cheyne
>
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