Pool Photography

fruehlein said:
Yes this would be a interesting lens (but also a little bit expensive ....;-)
I also think about the 85 1.8 and the 135 2.0.
Also your pictures are nice, looks like the light conditions are better in your poolrooms ...
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Well there are a lot of lenses I can throw on the camera and get lucky that the conditions are perfect at the moment. Very difficult to find one so good like the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 is that I can get clean pictures with it hand held and on a tripod perfect almost every time. Trust me I agree it's not cheap but it does what it is built to do!

There is always different conditions of light in pool rooms, my gallery is from all different rooms. The huge eye on that lens is able to bring in an unbeleivable amount even at a fast shutter speed.

I only do Photography as a hobby and this lens makes me look like I'm actually good at it! lol
 
I enjoy this discussion with you guys here, because in the "Photo Forums" the guys don't know how hard it is to get good pictures in this light condition and also they don't know anything about pool.

@Rick S.

You are right, I tried my first pictures with high ISO at the Austrian Open:

_MG_2609.jpg


http://www.markus-hofstaetter.at/oem2008/index.html

And yes I love Lightroom and CS3

@srs314

I like the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS also, but the resolution of the normal non IS is better....but I also would like to have a IS (I love my 24-105 IS)
I think it would be the easiest way for me to rent one for a day ....
 
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srs314 said:
Well there are a lot of lenses I can throw on the camera and get lucky that the conditions are perfect at the moment. Very difficult to find one so good like the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 is that I can get clean pictures with it hand held and on a tripod perfect almost every time. Trust me I agree it's not cheap but it does what it is built to do!
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I would love to own this lens some day. If I did, I'd get back to taking pictures in the pool hall again. But I've been so disappointed with the low light situations in the pool rooms, I've stopped taking pool pictures almost all together.
 
fruehlein said:
Hey guys, check the pictures from the Mosconi Cup:

http://www.mosconicup.com/gallery.asp#

@ day 3 there are some great ones.

Who was the photographer ?
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Matchroom has their own photographer...Lawrence Lustig. Nice guy with a GREAT job. He has the best of everything camera wise..he shoots with a Canon.

I'd bet those were his photos....he's good, and a nice guy.
 
Seeing as this is a pool photography thread I wondered if there was anyone out there who could help me I am having a peice of artwork done by a local caricaturist/portrait painter (sp) and I am looking for an action shot or a break shot of any of these players:

Johnny Archer
Earl Strickland
SVB
Thorsten Hohmann

Any help is greatly appreciated, as it would be great to have something unique on my wall it will be A3 in size.
 
Renegade said:
So where are the photos of jasmin??? :)

nice pics! thanks for sharing everyone!
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Here's one, sort of. :p I took it at the IPT. Most of my shots were blurry, low light/movement photos though. :embarrassed2:

IMG_1281 (Medium).JPG
 
Rick S. said:
Matchroom has their own photographer...Lawrence Lustig. Nice guy with a GREAT job. He has the best of everything camera wise..he shoots with a Canon.

I'd bet those were his photos....he's good, and a nice guy.
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Looks like he has lot of experience in this type of photography. There seems to be an abundance of light in this setting, in fact I know there is for televised matches. I would think the only way he is getting such great stop motion action shots is due to a great source of light.

Awesome photgrapher his timing on capturing interesting moments is impressive!

Would be very nice if someone could get this photographer to post in the forum and join our discussion. We could probably all learn a lot. As one poster said Pool Photography is very different from any other type.
 
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9 ball said:
Seeing as this is a pool photography thread I wondered if there was anyone out there who could help me I am having a peice of artwork done by a local caricaturist/portrait painter (sp) and I am looking for an action shot or a break shot of any of these players:

Johnny Archer
Earl Strickland
SVB
Thorsten Hohmann

Any help is greatly appreciated, as it would be great to have something unique on my wall it will be A3 in size.
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I think that's a pretty cool idea.

I saw this commercial on TV about something called "Fatheads," which looked like they took celebrity figures, cartoons, sports people, et cetera, and blew them up to real size. Then they can be applied on a wall.

Of course, when I did a search on the website for "billiards," there was not anything, zilch, nadda. :(

Here's the website: http://www.fathead.com

Fathead is a life-size, hi-def, precision-cut wall graphic made of hyper-durable vinyl that's easy to put up, safe for walls and complements the decor of any man cave, office, den, living room, bedroom - well, just about any room. A Fathead IS NOT a poster, sticker, decal, cardboard cutout, wallpaper, mural, cartoon, applique or illustration - although it is a form of art. A REAL.BIG. work of art!

I don't know if you can send a picture in and have one custom made or not, but it sure would be a GREAT idea if you had a blank wall that needed something, or maybe even for a recreation room with a pool table in it, a giant blow-up of Efren getting ready to pull the trigger. :)

Here's Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys looking deep! :grin-square:
 

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@Njhustler1

Thank you !!!

@srs314

Yes this would be great, I think there is a lot we can learn from him.
But I also think photography is like Pool, shoot a lot and you will get better...
 
fruehlein said:
@Allenjo

Thanks for your input, I was looking for such hints....
I'm still looking for different "moments" and views. I enjoyed yours much.
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No problem sir...anytime.
 
@srs314...yes sir that's Alex. The one on the left is a Filipino commentator Anthony Suntay
 
Allenjo said:
@srs314...yes sir that's Alex. The one on the left is a Filipino commentator Anthony Suntay
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Ya the hair kind of gives Alex away, lol.

As well I would love to get a high res copy of that image to print for Alex's home pool room when he lived in Toronto. I will even pay a little for it. Let me know!
 
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srs314 said:
Ya the hair kind of gives Alex away, lol.

As well I would love to get a high res copy of that image to print for Alex's home pool room when he lived in Toronto. I will even pay a little for it. Let me know!
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i'll PM you sir...thanks so much
 
Rick S. said:
JAM...

That would be nice....if I had the time to do it. I wish I did!! It's a time consuming process to open each image, then type a name, then save it. Which means I'd have 2 copies of each image, also.

When dealing with thousands, and thousands of photos.....you can imagine the problems it can create. Not to mention the time factor- storage problems.

AND, when I send photos in, to say AZB, I send LOTS of photos. I don't decide what photos are used. I don't think they have the time, as well.

As well as not knowing the names of a lot of players...Even if they tell me, I won't remember by the time I process the photos:(

SORRY....
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I have posted links to several galleries on here (AZB forums) and I would work my butt off trying to go through the photos, putting them in a gallery, and uploading them to the net within a couple of days of an event. I figured the sooner I got them online, the better. While I might get several thanks, more so I'd get, "can you put names on them, I don't know who they all are." "It'd be nicer with names." etc.

So, now I take time to add the names to the gallery which may add a day delay getting them online, but seems the fans and players appreciate it so much more.

Also, it is tough to get all the names and sometimes I have to get names at the event (that's always fun!) and/or I get names later and add them when people help me out, but it has proven to be more receptive.

I'm no photo expert at all, but I use a Canon 40D with a 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens with Image Stability (IS) (per the recommendation from fellow poster and good friend Shayla). I use the AV or "motion" setting to capture the actions in low light. I take photos at about 12-14 pool tournaments a year. I can take up to 800 hundred photos to capture just under 200 photos for each gallery.

fruehlein, my biggest suggestion is to capture shots from many different angles - not just pool players playing pool. Go up in the stands, take photos of things people wouldn't even realize was at an event if they weren't there, (for example, I captured Ewa and her husband in the tv booth during a espn match), go outside and take a photo of the logo on the outside door, etc.

Also, if you can add "unusual" or "player thinking" photos (like what Allenjo and 1pocket were saying) to your already good collection, I think you will be even more satisfied.

Melinda
http://www.melindaswindow.com/Photos.html
 
fruehlein said:
I enjoy this discussion with you guys here, because in the "Photo Forums" the guys don't know how hard it is to get good pictures in this light condition and also they don't know anything about pool.

@Rick S.
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Yah, I was thinking the same thing. Pool photos are VERY tuff to get because:

A. Flashes are a no-no.

B. Almost always in a low light situation.

C. Some of the best photos to be had are some of the dramatic break scenes.

When you add all this together, it means to get the photo exposed properly, you either have to reduce the shutter speed, or increase the light sensitivity. I believe increasing the light sensitivity introduces visual artifacts, and reducing the shutter speed introduces "smearing".

And of course, with the "smearing", you don't get the dramatic crystal clear "freeze-frame" picture of Bustamente on one leg during his power break, with all the balls perfectly frozen as they are coming apart.

Pool photography is tuff. The pics at the U.S. Open and DCC come out great because they are almost exclusively shot at the super bright Accu-Stats table.

Russ
 
@Russ you got it !!!!

@Melinda

Thanks for your hints, I have done some outside pictures (but forgot to upload them). I also try to find different angles, but my first law is " do not disturb the players", so sometimes its not an easy job ;-)
I don't like the AV setting that much, because I got often smearing pictures.
I will try TV at the next event (so i can control the time to freeze the action), but I felt best with manual mode...

I think sometimes it could be interesting to us a long exposure.
How about a 4 sec exposure of a break with a tripod.....I will try it...

Here are some outside pictures from the last tournament.
Cool 8 Ball entry:

_MG_5174.jpg

_MG_5179.jpg





I like this one, because the car is from another pool room owner in front of the Black Eight pool room ;-)

_MG_5185.jpg
 
fruehlein said:
@Russ you got it !!!!

@Melinda

Thanks for your hints, I have done some outside pictures (but forgot to upload them). I also try to find different angles, but my first law is " do not disturb the players", so sometimes its not an easy job ;-)
I don't like the AV setting that much, because I got often smearing pictures.
I will try TV at the next event (so i can control the time to freeze the action), but I felt best with manual mode...

I think sometimes it could be interesting to us a long exposure.
How about a 4 sec exposure of a break with a tripod.....I will try it...

Here are some outside pictures from the last tournament.
Cool 8 Ball entry:

I like this one, because the car is from another pool room owner in front of the Black Eight pool room ;-)
Click to expand...

LOL - I have to be careful with the wording I use. I meant "angles" as in different photos - not just standard action shots. Like the ones you already have above. The "out of the box" photos. Those can capture the setting of an event, the atmosphere of an event, the excitement of an event, the details of an event someone wouldn't see if they weren't there themselves....along with the action shots.

I don't use AV much - mostly the "action" setting. :)

Looks like you are already doing what a lot are suggesting. Awesome and good luck - keep up the great work. :)

Melinda
 
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