Track and Field Athletics

A great shot, capturing the action at just the moment of highest drama in the sprint relay, when the baton is handed over during a close race. Selection of shutter speed is spot on to achieve your aim of conveying speed of movement along with details such as the effort and emotion of the race. Conversion to black and white works well, as it allows the viewer to have full focus on the athletes rather that potentially be distracted by bright colours of the running gear or the track surface, etc. Fantastic action shot. Congratulations on your winning image.

Captured from low to the ground, we get a great perspective of the runners at the start of the race, helping the shot stand out from others taken from a more standard standing viewpoint. Composition is great, and it may be you had little choice over your actual positioning trackside, the triangular shape formed by the runners receeding across the track gives a strong dynamic. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

A great viewpoint that helps convey the intensity of the sprint hurdles with the concentration and physical effort required during the race. Focus point is spot on, set just at the right distance to ensure the main subject is in sharp focus, with the rest of the scene falling gently out of focus, further drawing the eye to the hurdler mid-action. Congratulations on your second place finish.

An unusual image, capturing the vaulter at the point they clear the bar. By avoiding inclusion of anything else in the image, most context is removed, giving the photo a rather abstract feel. Importantly though the top of the vaulting pole is included, giving that little bit of context to help the viewer understand the scene. Everything works well in black and white too. Congratulations on your third place finish.

A great action shot, capturing the athlete perfectly mid-jump as they strain with effort to achieve their longest jump. I like the processing effect used here, with muted colours and the darkened vignette, along with the selective focussing helping place maximum attention onto the subject. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.