... and a fine first win for Manager John Flanagan against 7th placed Warrington Town. An excellent all-round team performance - keeping it on the floor on a fairly heavy pitch ... and the obligatory sub-zero temperatures !! Certainly a good warm-up for Saturday's tricky trip to FC Halifax Town.
Some pix at
Mossley 5 Warrington Town 0
... again in the freezing cold, cameraman and camera struggled - need to find some method of keeping shutter finger working properly (keep dipping it in hot Bovril maybe !) - and one battery "just died" on me as the second goal went in - bugger - the perils of the "cheap options" I guess ! Never mind - it's all there somewhere.
Next job - a complete re-vamp of the old CV following yesterday's useful meeting with the expert. Got plenty of tips with an IT slant as well - time to put them into practice ..
.
Barnsley 2-2 Reading
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A church is striking nine bells on Sunday morning as I exit MSR Newsagents
on Front Street, in Arnold, after a four hour shift. I jump on the number
58,...
4 days ago
4 comments:
Another set of excellent images Mike.
Can I ask how much is Photoshop Elements, how much is Neat Image and how much is down to the lens?
Your pics always look so sharp.
Must admit - I've been intensely "fiddling" with Neat Image and I think I'm getting there but still can't seem to get clarity like yours!
If only I knew Ken - I might be able to make a living out of this !!
Seriously though - got to be something like 80/10/10 with Lens/PS/Neat Image. Once you've got all the light in there (with the F2.8)you're in with a chance e.g. pic 6711 (not too much player movement)hardly needed anything from PS and NI - just a "quick fix" sharpen, whereas 6688 (more movement)to me still looks pretty ropey despite all efforts (the Canon 20D does only have 8.2 megapixels and at ISO 3200 you are struggling from the start!)- yet both were taken at 1/500th second. The other "great imponderables" include where you stand (utilising floodlights and concentrating your snapping efforts on the areas of the pitch that seem the best lit) - and even the colour of the shirts ! And of course the old monopod helps with the "camera shake" (something else on the shopping list - upgrade the Manfrotto 679 to a 681 - the extra couple of inches would be a godsend to a lanky bugger like me !) I've not done it too often (no space at most grounds !) but sitting pitchside (i.e. a lot lower down)seems to improve the light options as well. I may have said this before, but the normal "Smiffy Chain of Events" is:
1. Choose pictures from original - if they look good to you even in the rough state - they're the ones !
2. Photoshop - usually just "Auto Levels" - (although sometimes this can go wild !!) and maybe just increase the saturation a bit (they often can look a little "washed out")
3. Crop and "Quick Fix" sharpen
4. Once through Neat Image (I only ever use the defaults)
5. If necessary (sometimes Neat Image gives you that "creamy" look) back into PS for one last sharpen.
6. "Print and be damned"...
Obviously night matches are a bugbear at our level (floodlights etc)- now if only Mrs Smiffy would sanction the purchase of that 85mm f1.8 prime - to be honest she has ... on one proviso ... that I'm back in full-time employment first!
Enough of my ramblings ... back to "CV Tweaking" ...
Thanks Mike - solid advice as ever.
I'm actually waiting for delivery of a new lens - fixed telephoto - 100mm f2.0.
I am extremely lucky in that members of my family "clubbed together" and got me a £100 voucher for Jessops Cameras - that is the deposit for the lens and 5 months interest free credit pays the rest!
That should help - but it's also about the photographer's ability and not the kit!!!
That's another lens that I've ummed and aahed about as well ...
... and don't forget Ken - my early "apprenticeship" was under the tutelage of a certain "Mr T" (that's Harrison not the bloke on the "Snickers" adverts) ... so you can always blame him (I do !!).
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