Photos of the break

[SloMoHolic]

I'm working on a new photography technique, and would like to know what you think about my initial result. I think these type of shots would look pretty cool on the wall of your pool room.

I started doing this as part of my efforts to study the break shot and try to figure out what the heck is happening in that split second after contact, but I ended up with some pretty cool looking photos along the way.

Should I continue along this path, or just stick with the slow motion stuff?

Do you think there would be a market for images like this on posters or t-shirts?

I appreciate your honest feedback.

Here is my first sample:

EDITED TO REMOVE PHOTO DUE TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

Thanks,

-Blake

 

[twal]

I think it is pretty cool looking.
Get rid of the magic rack and you might be on to something.

 

[Fatboy]

i think the magic rack is necessary to have a consistant rack to study the pics of. great pic, what ever you do Blake keep doing it man your on to something big here.!:smile:

 

[SloMoHolic]

Thanks Eric!

I've been studying the break with and without the Magic Rack.

Here's another sample from a few years ago. This one is probably still my favorite. I managed to catch the CB on its way in, and keep the shutter open for a split second after contact, so you can see the balls starting to move...

EDITED TO REMOVE DUE TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

-Blake

I guess I should go ahead and say:
Copyright Blake Ormand 2013

 

[Fatboy]

that color pic is AWESOME!!!! some slo mo of SVB's break would be amazing. how he gets the action on the balls the way he does is better than anyone i ever saw.

 

[Palmetto cue]

I like it very much! Looks cool!

 

[SloMoHolic]

I like it very much! Looks cool!

Thanks!

I might get Iulian C or somebody else that knows more about PhotoShop to work their magic and enhance these a bit.

Most of the photos in this project were worthless, but some came out really cool. The two I posted so far are some of my favorites from well over 1000 photographs. But I think it was worth the effort.

What do you guys think about the poster or T-shirt ideas? Would these sell?

By the way, the ones I posted here are super low resolution versions (maybe 1 to 2 MP). The original hi-res versions (9 MP) would be used for production...

Thanks again,

-Blake

 

[Fatboy]

Thanks!

I might get Iulian C or somebody else that knows more about PhotoShop to work their magic and enhance these a bit.

Most of the photos in this project were worthless, but some came out really cool. The two I posted so far are some of my favorites from well over 1000 photographs. But I think it was worth the effort.

What do you guys think about the poster or T-shirt ideas? Would these sell?

By the way, the ones I posted here are super low resolution versions (maybe 1 to 2 MP). The original hi-res versions (9 MP) would be used for production...

Thanks again,

-Blake

yes i think so, they are amazing

 

[cuetips1000]

Nice snapshots.
I think the first photo could serve as a poster because of the artistically look.
Olaf

 

[ceebee]

If you took an overhead shot of the rack disbursing, you might see the rack moving as a unit, before disbursing

 

[bobforest]

great first pic... would like that as a wallpaper for my office pc

cool

 

[stutz]

the color pic would make a nice poster :smile:

 

[Catahula]

Nice job

I love the 1st shot. I immediately thought "great t-shirt" possibility. Most of the billiards t-shirts I have seen through the years are all the stale tried and true variety. It would be nice to see something a little more creative on one. I have just started experimenting with deconstruction screen printing in the hopes of coming up with something in that vein.
Nice job, good luck.
Tommy

 

[FordSVTCobra]

Nice pics!

 

[Tennesseejoe]

Great T-shirt idea

 

[Poolshootindon]

Cool Idea

Thanks Eric!

I've been studying the break with and without the Magic Rack.

Here's another sample from a few years ago. This one is probably still my favorite. I managed to catch the CB on its way in, and keep the shutter open for a split second after contact, so you can see the balls starting to move...

View attachment 279207

-Blake

I guess I should go ahead and say:
Copyright Blake Ormand 2013

Blake..

Really neat picture. Contact Woody968. He sells ball cleaners and maybe he could be a sponsor. :grin:

If you put together a bunch of break shots, and put them on shirts you just may sell a few. I will be a customer.

Don

 

[3RAILKICK]

If you took an overhead shot of the rack disbursing, you might see the rack moving as a unit, before disbursing

That would be an interesting time-lapse sequence.

 

[SloMoHolic]

If you took an overhead shot of the rack disbursing, you might see the rack moving as a unit, before disbursing

That would be an interesting time-lapse sequence.

I've had some private discussions with CreeDo about this very thing.

At this point in time, I must have taken at least 1000 slow motion videos of the break at various frame rates, and I still have not been able to capture this phenomenon, even at my highest frame rate of 1000 frames per second.

If I had an extra $1,000,000 laying around, I'd buy a Phantom Flex and shoot the shot at 10,750 frames per second. That would be as close as we are going to get to really seeing this happen. There are other cameras out there that can go even faster, but at a lower resolution.

But that's why I tried shooting these photos instead. If the whole rack moved as a unit, you'd be able to see it in the "trails" of the balls in the photo. In other words, the trail should have an "L" shape.

I just don't see it. The balls appear to be starting off in their ultimate direction, right from the start. For example, look at the trail of the 8-ball in the color photo. I just don't see any change in direction:

EDITED TO REMOVE PHOTO DUE TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

And in the negative photo, the reflection of the bright lights shows the path of each of those balls. Again, I just don't see the "L" shape in the trails, although it does seem that there is a bit of a curve in the 4-ball's trail. However, I suspect that is due to a small vertical hop, due to the cue ball contacting the 1-ball so high off the table. The 1-ball clearly hops up.

EDITED TO REMOVE PHOTO DUE TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

I'm beginning to believe that ball compression and spin (however tiny they are) are going to be major factors in explaining how the break works.

What do you think?

-Blake

 

[hang-the-9]

The first shot is a bit too X-ray like and transparent to work well on a shirt I think. It's a great effect, like someone said for a poster or computer background.

You need to take some pics using a new set of balls, or at least a very clean one. The second shot you posted looks great, but the look of the balls takes away from the wow factor a bit.

 

[dwalding]

You do great work first of all. Secondly, I would love to see a series of 5 or 6 pictures of a cue ball hitting the 1 ball, and moving about 1 foot in the air, then landing in the center of the table with one final picture of perfect position on the 1ball. Like someone else said, just let Shane hit while you do the pictures. HE clearly has the best break shot in the game of pool today. I have only seen one better than his. He averages 2 balls per break recently in his match with Dennis, and I have seen someone average 3 on the break, which was the most terrifying break I ever saw.