Smiling to victory
by
arnitComment by inspzil: Composition - The first thing I think of looking at this shot is the framing which is exemplary. The focal point of this picture is in the perfect spot. The capture of the face openly visible is excellent. The focus on the face is great. At the shutter speed used, it is amazing. Even without the smile it is a great capture. The lane boundary and swim cap colors are brilliant. This image is definitely meeting the challenge.
Background - The background isn't distracting from the image at all and is not wasted space with a "splash" of yellow on the wall. The background is well out of focus as is expected in this type of shot.
Camera Technique - The shortcomings of this shot, if any, are in the camera techniques, most of which are out of the photographer's control. This shot desperately needs a very powerful flash that could reach 40M and blind half the crowd to make the shot any better. The 1600 ISO has added a lot of graininess to the picture. The slow shutter speed makes the water around the swimmer very blurry. I'm very sure that the photographer did everything possible to use the available light to make the shot as good as it is. I wish I took it :)
Processing - I don't know if much was done to this shot. I don't see anything that looks obviously processed into the pic aside from boosting sats a bit to make the colors stand out more. From what I can see here, I'm assuming it didn't need much done to it.
Overall - The photographer really made the most of this opportunity for a great shot. The graininess of the shot and the lack of focus, although understandable, do take something away from the shot. In my mind it is still one of the best captures from this challenge, whether the voters said it was or not. Congrats on a fantastic shot Arnit - Inspzil
