"Ouch!" screams the catcher. "P-lease drop the ball," struggled the runner.
by harmsusmc

Comment by jblaylockrayner:
Lovely capture - Nice and sharp with good colour saturation - Shooting through the fence without a wider aperture has resulted in a slightly annoying cross hatch over the frame.

"Ouch!" screams the catcher. "P-lease drop the ball," struggled the runner.
by harmsusmc

Comment by Mystique2:
Great Action Shot!

"Ouch!" screams the catcher. "P-lease drop the ball," struggled the runner.
by harmsusmc

Comment by okiesisi:
great capture...how did you get the fence so out of the shot (blurred maybe?)? something I would love to know as a baseball mom/fan!

"Ouch!" screams the catcher. "P-lease drop the ball," struggled the runner.
by harmsusmc

Comment by rlinn3:
Nice shot but the net is distracting and it seems way to oversharpned IMHO

'Ode to a Runner
by harmsusmc

Comment by lkn4truth:
CRITIQUE CLUB COMMENT

My first thoughts were "How cool would this look on someone's wall?" This fresh take on the triptych challenge is well deserving of a much higher mark in my opinion. I particularly like the arangement of photos as if the smaller photos are hovering over a much larger photo. It may not be unique but I'd never seen it done quite that way and I thought it worked excellent. I love the choice of angles you provided of the runner which definately gives the feel of a montage of the race. The only distraction I really find in the photo is the stop sign in the top right corner. By the way, having the time clock in the big shot was a fantastic choice. All of your shots are crisp clear focus with of course strong direct light. Though I'd normally say this is a distraction, I find myself so impressed with the photographers and cameras at the finish line. It really adds a great element to this. Your use of borders was excellent and the banner on the large photo almost gives the impression of being inside another border which is interesting. I'm STUNNED that this photo had no votes of 10. I really can't understand that at all. However, if it's any consolation, it's rare to find no 1's, 2's OR 3's so NO ONE thought your picture sucked. As I wrack my brain trying to figure out why you didn't score/place higher I would have to guess that perhaps the photos are just too busy for most people. There are indeed a lot of little things to draw the eye away but for me, I was still focused on the runner the instantly. Unlike many entries, yours truly tells a story, expresses a sense of emotion and should make you very proud! Honestly should have placed much higher in my opinion. Outstanding!

'Ode to a Runner
by harmsusmc

Comment by Bud:
Wonderful composition and well put together - the image has emotional impact.

Baseball's Back!!!
by harmsusmc

Comment by karmat:
CRITIQUE CLUB CRITIQUE
by karmat

My first impression was that you had captured an excellent action shot with some fantastic colors. I assume "grid" could be distracting to some, but it made me feel like I was there.

Compositionally, it isn't so much your use of the rule of thirds that makes this image strong. While it does follow the ROT, it is a subtle use. What strikes me is the strong triangle formed between the umpire, runner, and catcher. That helps to make this image have a lot of stability and gives the eye a "complete circuit" to review without ever leaving the frame. This shape is complimented by the home plate and base lines.

Technically, the focus is great on this and the colors are awesome. Very nice work. I really like the contrast on this. (Note -- I'm on my laptop, so it *could* appear over-contrasted to some, my monitor is notoriously flat, sometimes)

Overall, I think it probably suffered, if any, from the ultra-subtle use of the rule of thirds. In a sports challenge, or action shot challenge, this would, without a doubt, score much higher.

Best to you in future challenges. If I need to clarify or explain myself, please feel free to contact me.

Karma

'Ode to a Runner
by harmsusmc

Comment by kea:
Nice, you cought the full story, including the finnishing time.

The shoots are nice with good cropping.

'Ode to a Runner
by harmsusmc

Comment by stanm2:
she"ll luv the 16x20 poster

Baseball's Back!!!
by harmsusmc

Comment by JenniferDavidGA:

Originally posted by JenniferDavidGA: 5

Sorry for this comment during the challenge. I downloaded the script to vote with the keyboard and it messed me up. I am going back and recommenting on all the shots I did this on.

I really do like this shot. If it where the Braves I would probily score it higher. (Just joking). The reason I voted it a 5 was because it didn't seem to fit this challenge. If it was in the Sports challenge that is open this week I would have given it an 8.