American Sports

Great moment with some very nice light. The spray adds a great element and separates this image from a regular photo of a side into the base to a really pretty one. I always try to make sure I don't crop off any body parts in my photos, I would have liked to see the player in the blue's arm to the right fully in the photo. I would also turn down the saturation slightly to keep some colors from overpowering the moment. This is overall a very nice image with some beautiful light!

This is a nice use of natural light and black and white. The skateboarder is positioned in just the right spot to keep some of the light positioned on him, which separates him from the background. I'm also a fan of the rule of thirds used to keep the viewer looking at all elements of the photo. I think turning down the levels just slightly would make the photo pop even more by adding slightly more contrast. This is overall a great use of framing and light.

This is an excellent peak action moment. The photographer was able to keep both players in the frame without cropping off any arms/legs/heads, despite #44 jumping so high in the air. These moments don't come around too often, but the photographer was ready and nailed the moment.

This is a beautiful portrait. There are many things I love about the image, such as the beautiful light and the use of motion blur. Even with the blur, the subject's face is still sharp, which makes this a fantastic photo. The black and white monochrome add a level of intensity to the photo and work really well with the shadows. This is a fantastic image.

Way to think creatively and find a different perspective to shoot from. This element of creativity is something I always look for and applaud when it's executed well. This photo is exposed well with some nice light and shadows. Way to think differently.

This photo tells a story of the struggle the cowboy is experiencing while trying to control the bull. With the dirt flying everywhere as he struggles to hang on barely above the ground, you can feel the struggle of the battle between the cowboy and bull. This photographer had the perfect mindset with wanting to avoid advertising signs in the background and moving to a higher position to make a cleaner background. Clean backgrounds sound simple, but can be incredibly hard to get when given a difficult setting to work in. The shooter did a wonderful job at minimizing background distractions and capturing a moment at peak action.

A nice moment exposed well. The spray of the dirt looks very nice and adds another element. I recommend a tighter crop to eliminate the element of the play structure in the background and crop just to the top of the helmet. This will keep the background cleaner and would make a better use of the overall space. My attention is then focused more on the nice action and less on any distractions in the background. Nice capture.

Nice shot! Number 5 has some major height. I love the collision and the look on number five's face. I would crop slightly tighter and get rid of some of the unused space from the top of number five's hand to the ceiling, as well as the right of the player in black's head to get rid of some of the cheerleaders in the background. This is exposed nicely using a fast shutter to freeze the action and keep the players sharp.

This image is exposed well and has good action. The image is sharp, exposed properly and has a good white balance. I would crop slightly tighter towards the two athletes to make the photo look less like a square crop. Number 32 has a great look on his face as you can see his struggle while attempting to tackle #6. This is a great football moment shown though a nicely captured image.

Great action moment for an overall very nice photo. There were a lot of rodeo images submitted to this competition, and this is by far one of the best. My eye is drawn to the horse standing on two legs as the other two are kicked so highly in the air. The cowboy has a great look on his face as he falls and prepares for impact. The photographer exposed this photo perfectly and the cowboy is tack sharp as he falls. The photographer had the perfect shutter speed at 1/2500 to completely freeze the action of both subjects. I would crop the photo tighter going up to the horse's feet on the ground and to get rid of some of the people standing to the left. This is a fantastic image and filling the frame more with a tighter crop would keep my eye focused on the great moment the photographer captured.

A great moment with the UNLV player fully extended in the air. This photo is exposed well and is captured at peak action. Great catches like this one only happen a few times during games, but the photographer was ready and caught the moment. I would have liked to see the photo not in a square crop, but rather in a 4x6 ratio. With both the players in the backgrounds having great expressions on their faces, I would have liked to see more from the scene and this great moment.

I always appreciate seeing photographs taken at different angles and perspectives, which is what drew my eye to this image. The nearly full crowd in the background adds to the photo and makes the game look more significant had there been a large amount of empty seats. This is different than all the other basektball photos submitted in a positive way. The photo could have more blue added to the white balance to take away from the dominant red and orange look. I would also make sure to straighten the horizon. If you look for a straight line and it's crooked, it means the horizon isn't correctly straight. In this case, the long table behind the team bench is slanted. Adjusting the angle to have the line correctly straight will be a simple, yet effective adjustment that photographers often look for.

The first two things I look for when looking at a panning photo is if there is a sharp point and if the subject in the photo still looks like their true figure, despite the motion in the photo. This image has both. The blue jockey's face is relatively sharp, as well as the horse's face in the back. The jockeys and horses both show the element of motion while still looking like their true figures. 1/8 is my favorite speed for panning. Great job!

Cool shot! Sometimes simplicity goes a long way, which this photo is a great example of. I always look for clean backgrounds with images, and this is a great example of why. There is nothing in the background distracting or taking away from the moment of action - no advertisements, LED screens, security guards, ect. Your eye goes directly to the subject and the great action done by the athlete.

What a fun photo! There are several elements that make this photo great. The first is the frozen action to completely freeze all motion and avoid any blur. The second is by capturing this moment tack sharp and establishing a sharp point in the sheep's eye. I love how the sheep is looking directly into the camera...almost looking like he/she is coming right for you! I would crop just slightly tighter down low and bring the crop just to the end of the child's hand to keep the space filled with as much of this great moment as possible. Great job!