Lighting guru David Hobby did a guest blog entry today on Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider blog talking about the practice of an extreme photo competition known as first frame.
The rules were simple: Two competing photographers shooting the same game shot the first frame of a 36-exposure roll of Tri-X at each other, thus verifying that no rolls of film were switched later. The very next frame was your entry in the game. Whoever had the best action shot (moment, composition, focus, etc.) won.
As someone who shot a lot of sports in the days of Tri-X it was a was an enjoyable read. It was also a reminder that too many of us cover sports and just let the game happen without putting much thought into it.
It’s what separates the also-rans from the contest winners. As AP shooter Amy Sancetta put it a few years ago at an ONPA seminar, there is being lucky and putting yourself in a position to be lucky. I think Hobby’s column addresses the later. You don’t need to do a first frame challenge to do that. Just challenge yourself.
Hobby hosts his own blog the Strobist which is a great resource for lighting issues.
I’ve added both of these blog sites to the Photo Blogs listing here for future reference just in case you’re at a computer where they are not bookmarked. Both are good sources for lighting and Photoshop issues.