Football, Soccer and Rugby with People

The dynamic running action (even if out of frame), good cropping, shallow depth of field, clear eye-lines as well as the emotion on the face of the player on the ground all combine to make this photo a worthy entry in my top ten for this contest.

Your use of selective spot color does a wonderful job of drawing the viewer's eyes to the player reaching for the ball among the tangle of bodies, legs and cleated feet. I agree with your decision to dynamically crop the upper bodies of the standing players so that the action is really focused at ground level. Overall, this is a worthy entry into my top ten for this contest.

You have managed to capture a dynamic moment of eye-to-eye communication between this young player and his coach. From a technical standpoint, the photo has great lighting as well as shallow enough depth of field to render what is likely a cluttered background as less of a distraction. A slightly tighter crop left and right might have created even more of the feeling that this interaction is the only thing that matters at this moment, but overall, this is a very worthy entry into my top ten for this contest.

This ended up being a stunning composition that keeps drawing my attention back to this image. It is a unique angle (including turning the image upside down) that really works considering how much the reflection in the rippled water resembles a fanciful, impressionist water color painting. This is a unique and worthy entry in my top ten for this contest.

There is so much to love about this photo. The frozen peak action and strong side lighting combined with shallow depth of field really make the players and the ball "pop out" of the frame for the viewer. Additionally, the choice to go black and white with just the right amount of contrast, also propels this photo into the top ten for this contest. I think what helped this photo edge out some of the others in what turned out to be a very competitive contest was the dynamic cropping and the implied diagonal line of action that starts with the player with his hands up and leads the viewer straight to the ball. Great photo and great job capturing first place in my judging for this contest.

This composite photo does a great job of representing the sports fanaticism that is universal among fans of just about every sport worldwide (but especially England). The combination of monochrome and subtle color layers also helps draw and keep the interest of the viewer. This is certainly worthy of a spot in my top ten for this contest.

This photo is the perfect example of the absolute best timing for capturing "peak action" in a football photo. You managed to freeze the action despite the low light levels that are typical for night football games. Great job being in the right spot to capture the pefect angle, at the right time, with the right equipment at the correct settings. Other factors that make this a great photo are the cropping and shallow depth of field. Overall, a very worthy entry in my top ten for this contest.

I appreciate the unique capture angle and timing that gives the illusion that all three players are "headless". Additionally, the players being at three levels on this vertical photo really helps create a competition dynamic that really draws the viewer into the photo. The photo is well composed, well cropped and has sufficiently shallow depth of field to help the subjects stand out from what would otherwise be a cluttered background. This is a worthy entry in my top ten for this contest.