First place: One of the judges has covered many rodeos and was impressed with this image from the start. Not only is this a great example of peak action, it has so much in the frame that you want to see. We see the rider's face and the eyes of the bull. They are literally head to head. Tight crop. Sharp focus. Great moment. Brava(o)! We are impressed!
Second place: This is a great sports moment. The player laying out while losing his helmet and his skate coming high into the air, while nearly coming entirely off the ice shows great action. Consistent color with the yellow and blue really helps this photo pop.
Third place: We see a lot of wrestling photos, but none look like this. The subjects look like they are floating. What a great moment in time. The line going from his hands to his feet, cutting through the frame, is well composed. We love when peak action combines with a sense of art. There were many great wrestling images in this category, but the peak action was best shown in this image.
Honorable mention: The basketball image called “Collision” gets an honorable mention. The opposing players are in opposing movement, mirroring one another. This creates great shape and draws us throughout the image. There is sharp focus, the ball is clear, and it’s a great moment in the game.
Honorable mention: The basketball image “ScrambleForBall” also gets an honorable mention. We were very impressed with the movement in this image. The action of the three players going for the ball is visually striking. There is great emotion in the faces and everyone is clear. All hands are going after the ball. We are seeing the moment right before they all fall on each other, and the photographer has each of the players in the air, giving their all. This was a great moment and was a clear example of peak action.
Category Notes: There are often a lot of good images submitted for sports action. What helped the winners for this month rise above others were in the way they captured peak action, often showing us something unexpected from what we usually see.
Judges:
Kriston Jae Bethel/Freelance, Sarah Landwehr/Professor, Temple University, Steven M. Falk/Freelance
Judges Comments
First place: One of the judges has covered many rodeos and was impressed with this image from the start. Not only is this a great example of peak action, it has so much in the frame that you want to see. We see the rider's face and the eyes of the bull. They are literally head to head. Tight crop. Sharp focus. Great moment. Brava(o)! We are impressed! Second place: This is a great sports moment. The player laying out while losing his helmet and his skate coming high into the air, while nearly coming entirely off the ice shows great action. Consistent color with the yellow and blue really helps this photo pop. Third place: We see a lot of wrestling photos, but none look like this. The subjects look like they are floating. What a great moment in time. The line going from his hands to his feet, cutting through the frame, is well composed. We love when peak action combines with a sense of art. There were many great wrestling images in this category, but the peak action was best shown in this image. Honorable mention: The basketball image called “Collision” gets an honorable mention. The opposing players are in opposing movement, mirroring one another. This creates great shape and draws us throughout the image. There is sharp focus, the ball is clear, and it’s a great moment in the game. Honorable mention: The basketball image “ScrambleForBall” also gets an honorable mention. We were very impressed with the movement in this image. The action of the three players going for the ball is visually striking. There is great emotion in the faces and everyone is clear. All hands are going after the ball. We are seeing the moment right before they all fall on each other, and the photographer has each of the players in the air, giving their all. This was a great moment and was a clear example of peak action. Category Notes: There are often a lot of good images submitted for sports action. What helped the winners for this month rise above others were in the way they captured peak action, often showing us something unexpected from what we usually see.