Wrestling Tournament

Moab Man

Senior Member
Thanks to @Krs_2007 for some pointers on shooting wrestling. Even though I have plenty of experience to have figured it out, why reinvent the wheel. So a big thank you to krs_2007.

I went in armed with my D600, 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 2500, exposure compensation +2, 1/500th. I knew from having been in many high school gymnasiums that the lighting is bad, but this school had really bad and no outside lighting to help bring up the ambient light. Fired off a couple test shots and it was bad - too dim. I then kicked up the ISO 3200 and that got me to a point where the images were still dim, but knew a raw file would allow me to pull things back. From there it took careful positioning mat-side because there were areas in the gym where light just didn't seem to reach.

The D600 was quite amazing and the image noise was amazing well controlled. To clean up the image I used the luminance slider. I then used Topaz Detail / Highlight or Shadow combined with masks to to pull back detail on the wrestlers. To finish I used a High Pass filter overlaid to accentuate the stronger lines in the photo.

What I learned - A seated position mat-side works well, but don't be sitting along the circle of the wrestling area as it will put you too close even at 70mm. The best position I found was on the physical corner of the mat. It gets you far enough away to use 70mm when they are close up and the 200mm will pull them in to you when they are on the far side of the circle. When in the seated position you need to be ready to flop down on the mat for a different perspective as well as needing that angle for when the wrestlers are down on the mat.

After all that long winded info... here are the photos.

T1.jpg


T2.jpg


T3.jpg
 

Moab Man

Senior Member
And I saw this opportunity and thought it was a perfect moment shared between father and son.

T10.jpg



Thank you again Krs_2007.
 
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Krs_2007

Senior Member
And what you said out the gym lights is exactly right, but enjoyed the challenge with it. The d600 never let me down, that's for sure.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

Moab Man

Senior Member
You're welcome @Krs_2007 Your wrestling work looked great and asking you goes back to my philosophy that I teach my students, "Always (intellectually) steal something from everyone you meet, make it your own, and improve upon it. Everyone has something you can learn from them." So thank you again.

It was great watching the wrestling. The tough part is the young man I was shooting doesn't have that killer instinct and desire for blood which set my blood boiling because I am hyper-competitive.

This was the first time I had ever ventured this high into ISO. It really gives me a lot more confidence in the capability of my equipment.
 

Krs_2007

Senior Member
Trust me, it will go higher. I shoot football higher for the most part.

It's a great camera, despite the oil issues.

I feel the same, this is one of the best sites for knowledge transfer. I was just glad someone else ventured into my territory.

Thanks for the compliment.

Glad you were able to get the corner, I prefer it but was mostly pushed to the middle. High school has different set of rules and you have to be a coach to sit in the corner. Regular season was enforced as the districts, regionals and state.

I am sure you will keep it up and the young man will get the passion and heart, it just takes a bit for some. My son didn't find it till his senior year, which allowed him to go 46-4.
 

Moab Man

Senior Member
Thanks for the compliments everyone. Got the prints done and they turned out spectacular. Consequently, I just got hired to shoot two wrestlers next month at the state championships. I'm hoping the lighting will be better at this professional venue instead of a high school gymnasium.
 

Lovin Our Life

Senior Member
Nice Shots and congrats on the new job. The facial expressions are the best, they really bring out the human element in the sport or any sport for that matter.
 
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