03 May 2010

Levitation

Jumping the gun
Way back in the winter of 2005 I photographed a running/walking event. A grey, cold and eventually wet day didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the participants as they lined up for the start (well, maybe a few, like the little guy on the left, weren’t so keen). I noticed one keen runner keeping warm by bouncing up and down (or maybe he was checking out the competition), and timed the shutter release to catch him at the peak of a jump. Others seemed eager to get under way.

[14 August 2005; Canon 20D, 70–200 mm f4 L at 87 mm, ISO 400, 1/320 at f8]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor
at

10 comments:

  1. Anne-Marie3 May 2010 at 20:00

    Great photo! Well done getting just the right moment.

    If that's the event I'm thinking of, I took part and the weather was abysmal. I remember seeing you there photographing :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barbara Butler McCoy3 May 2010 at 23:45

    Love the title, love the legs;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. pohanginapete4 May 2010 at 08:15

    Anne-Marie, it was indeed the same event. Hard to believe all the things that have happened since then ;^)

    Barbara, thank you :^)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Me from Cali4 May 2010 at 12:19

    So much going on in this pic. Probably the first thing noticed is the mid-air fellow, but many others seem to be in their 'own world.'

    ReplyDelete
  5. pohanginapete4 May 2010 at 20:16

    Paul, that was what happened with me, too — I thought the photo was about the jumper, and then I started seeing the others. Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Me from Cali5 May 2010 at 21:29

    The more I look at this photo after a day or so, I see some other aspect.

    Example: the fellow to the left of the ‘levitator‘ raring to go in contrast to the fellow on the immediate right of the ‘levitator’ just calm and serene. Weird. And the ‘levitator’ is like some sort of fence or divider between them. Or these three make some sort of ‘set.’

    ReplyDelete
  7. leonie.wise5 May 2010 at 23:16

    beautifully captured pete!

    ReplyDelete
  8. pohanginapete6 May 2010 at 07:43

    Thanks for the thoughts, Paul. Some, possibly most, photos contain too much; they're too complicated, or, to put it another way, the best photos are often simple (not in a derogatory sense). I find this one fascinating because of its complexity; how it invites scrutiny. Yet when I photographed, my focus, in both senses, was entirely on the levitator.

    Leonie, thanks :^)

    ReplyDelete
  9. michael.offworld11 May 2010 at 02:09

    Now there's a moment!

    ReplyDelete
  10. pohanginapete11 May 2010 at 20:48

    I agree, Michael!

    ReplyDelete

Constructive criticism is welcomed (I particularly appreciate thoughts on what you like and don't like), but please keep it courteous.