CrossFit Photography Critique

[Ian Kellogg]

I love CrossFit.

I love photography.

And I especially love photography of sweaty people lifting heavy things (particularly if they are bleeding at the same time).

I think it would be cool to have a thread where those of us who are doing CrossFit photography could post our latest work, and discuss and critique each others techniques and ideas.

Anyone else interested?

[Scott Stevens]

Get it started.

[Jordan Simmons]

Thought it was a great idea to post pictures and maybe get a little story behind them as well. So here are some photos I took at the Great Basin Qualifier back in April. I will give a little story on what was going on at the time I took the photo. So here goes.

1st photo:
I don't know the name of the guy in the photo but every handstand pushup he did he would bring his left leg down and use it to kip-up into a handstand. It worked very well for him, he finished first in his heat.

2nd photo:
This man needs no introduction. You all know him as "Speal". All I can say is this guy has been blessed with an amazing athletic ability. Watching him in person is an experience in itself. I took this photo just as he began the last 800m run of the very last workout on day 2. He was so far ahead of every body he picked up his ipod and put his headphones on as he was running out the door. I wonder what he was listening to?

3rd photo:
Zack Forrest, 3rd place in the Qualifier, doing some good box jumps. He busted these out pretty quick. Look for him in the games.

4th photo:
This guy had such determination throughout Workout 1 then I have ever seen out of anybody. Every rep was hard for him, yet he gritted his teeth and fought that bar till he got it overhead. He was one of the last guys to finish and everyone was cheering for him. This guy had heart and showed what it means to be a Crossfitter.

Hope you like the photos and I have plenty more from the Qualifiers if anyone is interested. Let me know if you want me to post more. Lets get this ball rolling and start posting pictures!

Awesome thread idea. Keep 'em coming!

[Ian Kellogg]

Here are a few of mine from the Mid Atlantic Qualifiers

1) Ben Smith, just after he was shown the watch at the end of the final WOD and as he realizes that he just won

2) Not sure her name, but this was mid WOD as she breathes a second before jumping back up on the bar

3) Not sure his name either, he was in 7th or 8th place going in to the final WOD. My composition sucks on this one, but the intensity of the eyes makes me like it.

4) I cant figure her name out right now, but I'm pretty sure she qualified. She was highly emotive throughout the WOD, watching her made you really feel as though you were doing the WOD along with her

5) Blurry, grainy and technically not great but I love the emotion (sweaty CrossFit girls covered in chalk doesn't hurt)

Please let me know what you all like and don't like. Let me have it like you're correcting my squat clean

[Jonathan Slater]

Ian, numbers two and five I like very much - they're like having a window into a specific moment in time. Also, I like the composition.

[Ian Kellogg]

Jordan,

In the third image I really like you balance across the tones (white, 50% and black). In my photoshop vigor I would have probably pumped the blacks more, but I think your restraint is about perfect. Now if this is what came out of the camera minus the B&W conversion, that's some pretty impressive exposure control.

I particularly like the woman judging the feet in the bottom left


I think the first image of the kipping HSPU would have benefited from a de-cluttering of the frame, but you probably didn't have much choice on your vantage point. Its great when the back ground, in this case the wall, mirrors some aspect of your subject.

[Ian Kellogg]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Slater

Ian, numbers two and five I like very much - they're like having a window into a specific moment in time. Also, I like the composition.

Jonathan,

Thanks!

Its almost weird how serene and inwardly focused this athlete (pic 2) was in the middle of a WOD at the Quals with a room filled with rabidly screaming people

[Ian Kellogg]

Originally Posted by Ian Kellogg

4) I cant figure her name out right now, but I'm pretty sure she qualified. She was highly emotive throughout the WOD, watching her made you really feel as though you were doing the WOD along with her

This athlete's name is Nicole Gordon and she qualified 2nd

[Tim Crawford]

Originally Posted by Ian Kellogg

5) Blurry, grainy and technically not great but I love the emotion (sweaty CrossFit girls covered in chalk doesn't hurt)