GOYA - Track & Field

It was a running themed weekend and that's what these GOYA assignments were about. We had beautiful spring like weather, perfect to be outdoors. After heading to the ING Marathon Expo, I swung by the Georgia Tech campus to photograph some action at the Coaches Invitational Track & Field meet.

Shooting sports has to be one of the most difficult things to photograph. Following action through a viewfinder and making sure the shot is in focus takes a lot of effort and practice.


I'm not a sports photographer and as expected, I had some difficulty. However, as I reviewed the images I shot, I saw a greater percentage of images I liked towards the end of the day.

I started shooting the Pole Vault competition and got some decent shots. Unfortunately based on my position, the building in the background ended up in every shot. If I'd been a bit more sneaky, I could have snuck onto the infield before they closed off access. I'm sure I would've gotten a better angle and made stronger images.

I had a great position for the track events. First up were the hurdles. Once these guys got moving, it was hard to keep them in focus.

I knew I would have trouble getting sharp images based on my equipments limitations. Sports photographers have higher end cameras that have better Auto Focus Tracking and can shoot almost 10 frames per second, compared to my 3.5 frames per second.  I still wanted to capture some visually interesting images.

I was shooting with my 70-200 mm but then switched to my 17-40 mm, which required me to get closer to the action. I think this decision made for the strongest images of the day.

These last two are probably my favorite of the day.

Had a great time in this learning experience and I'm happy with the images I captured. I've got another running theme post later this week. Why the interest in running? I'm a runner and just finished another half marathon. I'm also doing some volunteer work for the Atlanta Track Club and will be photographing some of their events and these GOYA assignments are helping me prepare for these assignments.

If you're looking for a portrait photographer in the Atlanta area, visit my portfolio.