Such a strong image that is a great response to the competition brief. Excellent use of shutter speed and panning to isolate the subjects from the background and also a fluidity to the movement of this perfectly timed moment.
What a great series of stories captured in the faces and expressions of each athlete within the frame, emphasising the intensity of competition at this level.
There is also a beautiful aesthetic and elegance created by the exposure, lighting and post production in this image that captures these elite athletes in full flight. Love it!
This is a brilliant image that I believe is the culmination of many elements working together.
The great timing of the shot freezes the athlete's expressions with each one telling a unique story, which is emphasised by the use of black and white. The square crop cleverly keeps the viewer's eye contained within the action area and fills the frame with the three subjects, increasing the drama and impact greatly. The composition of the image makes the most of the lane markings that provide a graphic backdrop that seemingly adds speed and direction to the athletes as they struggle for victory.
Great image!
This is a great image, I love the way it portrays a sense of competition but also enjoyment that comes from sport.
A very well-timed capture and use of fast shutter speed that adds drama by freezing the splashes of water. It also displays a strong composition that tells a story through the faces of the competitors.
This image almost received a commendation, however, I felt that the dodging and burning effect was slightly distracting. Although it does well to draw the viewers attention to the subjects I think if it was a little more subtle in it's application or if the use of highlight adjustment and/or masking of the subjects to gently increase the exposure of the skin tones and reduce the luminance of the greens in the background may have achieved a slightly better aesthetic.
Overall this is a great shot filled with intensity, drama and good (maybe not so clean) fun. Well done!
This is a brilliant image. Despite the fact that the basketball hoop isn't even in the composition one can see the intensity, focus and concentration in the subject's expression, eyes and body position. These are all elements used by Duffy to create emotional connection with the viewer.
It's a very clever composition as it intensifies the viewers focus on the subject and also provides a deeper storytelling context and link with the background.
I also like the graphic composition and use of lines and depth. Well done.
This is a fantastic image that I believe echoes so many of the elements that make Tony Duffys' work so iconic.
Impeccable timing that freezes the moment at a critical point combined with strong, clean composition, great use of shallow depth of field to isolate the action from the background and draw the viewers attention directly to the subjects expression which is almost mirrored by that of the animals.
There is great talent being demonstrated to be able to capture a difficult shot with such a fast moving and unpredictable subject! Very well done.
This is a brilliant image that has some great elements working within it. I love the timing in this shot, the arch of the vaulting pole, the expression on the athlete's face as he soars upward and even more the expression of the judge in the bottom left corner, all combining to tell a compelling story.
It's a great composition which almost made it into the top ten images that I selected, although, I felt that the red score board was quite distracting in it's brightness and clarity. There are a couple of ways that this may have been addressed, using one of Tony Duffy's techniques of a shallow depth of field to separate the main subject from the background may have helped, reducing the brightness of the red in post production, converting the image to black and white or simply moving slightly to the right so the athletes body didn't overlap with the competing colour. However, all of these adjustments would change the final image from what it is and overall it's a great shot, well done!
This image very nearly made it into the top ten selection that I made. The only reason it didn't is that in my opinion it wasn't quite as close to the brief of echoing Tony Duffy's work in the context that I believe he relied heavily on facial expressions of his subjects to connect the viewer and convey emotion.
I still think this is an amazing image and you can almost imagine the competitor's expressions as they race through the explosions of chalk dust.
I love the composition and crop in a panoramic format, as well as the fact that the image has been rendered in black and white (despite the fact that it is obviously a very colourful event). Great timing capturing the action and intensity and I also love the portrayal of comradeship and sportsmanship shown by the subjects. Great shot!
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Brief
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In 1968, Tony Duffy, a British accountant and amateur photographer, travelled to Mexico City for the Olympic Games. The incredible shot of American long jumper Bob Beamon he captured there launched Duffy’s career as a sports photographer, and his imagery of athletes has become iconic. For this challenge, we’re asking for photos that echo Duffy’s work. Get inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic fever – while entries don’t have to be taken at the Olympic Games, they should capture the drama and humanity of sport at its best. Before you enter, check out <a href="http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/galleries/photographers/tony_duffy">Duffy’s work here</a>.
234 Images entered
186 Photographers
15,685 Ratings
This is a great image, I love the composition, the drama conveyed by the vehicles crushed up against the wall in the background and even more so by the "expression" created through the driver's body position.
The only reason this image didn't receive a commendation was that there is an element of camera shake that I think in this instance detracts slightly from the overall quality of the shot. However, the shallow depth of field and timing were very well executed. Overall a great image!
Despite the fact that this is quite an intense moment this image actually made me smile at first as it completely captures the utter chaos going on.
Rather than the athlete's expressions conveying the emotion of the moment, this time it rests with the two faces of the referees who are most visible.
The square crop contains the viewer's eye within the image and also fills the frame from edge to edge, with action that increases the drama and intensity of the moment.
Great timing and technical work to capture this fast paced and explosive situation in a graphic frame. Very nicely done!
Although I don't think it was close enough to the brief of echoing Tony Duffy's work to receive a commendation in this particular competition, I think this is a great shot! I love the drama captured through the timing of the splash, the backlit water and the fact that the driver remains hidden.
It convey's a great sense of movement which is created by the selection of shutter speed which partially freezes some of the action in the vehicle yet allows the fast moving water to blur slightly. Great colour palette, composition and use of shallow depth of field where the foreground elements of the plants and textured road way add to the context of the story. Nicely captured!
Great shot! This image definitely has elements that echo Tony Duffy's work with a strong, graphic composition, a clean background and also the emotional connection with the athletes as they hurtle towards the finish line.
The black and white works well to portray the story of the competition, although I think by using one of Tony Duffy's techniques and tightly cropping images around the subjects and action, this may have increased the intensity of the image by removing some of the negative space that in this case I don't think adds to the story.
Overall this is a really well-timed and executed photograph, nice work!
