This was, in the end, the easiest category to judge. The standard for a good sports action photo borders on the objective. It must show some degree of peak action, frozen in time, at the critical moment of play, well-composed and properly exposed, and focused. Modern camera equipment has made many of those technical elements so much easier to attain, so judges can focus on the finer points of moment and composition. There was no shortage of entries that fell short in various areas, giving the judges a relatively easy few choices The wrestling image in first was dramatic, peak action, and tack sharp. Even the common critique that an image needs a tighter crop would hurt this image, it needs to room to emphasize the flight of the competitors. The face poke in second was not unusual, but still eye-catching. The pro basketball shot was clean, and sharp and a considerably better action shot than the rest of the entries.
Judges:
Sean D. Elliot/The Day, Peter Huoppi/The Day, Dana Jensen/The Day, Sarah Gordon/The Day
Judges Comments
This was, in the end, the easiest category to judge. The standard for a good sports action photo borders on the objective. It must show some degree of peak action, frozen in time, at the critical moment of play, well-composed and properly exposed, and focused. Modern camera equipment has made many of those technical elements so much easier to attain, so judges can focus on the finer points of moment and composition. There was no shortage of entries that fell short in various areas, giving the judges a relatively easy few choices The wrestling image in first was dramatic, peak action, and tack sharp. Even the common critique that an image needs a tighter crop would hurt this image, it needs to room to emphasize the flight of the competitors. The face poke in second was not unusual, but still eye-catching. The pro basketball shot was clean, and sharp and a considerably better action shot than the rest of the entries.