The above shot is a result of shooting almost 600 frames at a local swimming hall. We tried to get a photograph that would be used for a canvas print.

The swimmer had an idea to get a shot of her swimming butterfly. From the first shots we had to alter the swimming technique a little. Normally her face would be facing the water when the hands are in the highest position. She altered her technique so that she would keep her face out of the water for a little longer. In the end I was pretty satisfied with the results we got.

A few more shots from the session in slideshow mode: http://kansala.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Antti/2012-04-12%20Swimming/?action=slideshow

…and in folder view: http://kansala.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Antti/2012-04-12%20Swimming/

For tech geeks

The light was very weak inside the swimming hall. I had to use the Sigma 120-300/2.8 lens wide open with ISO800. With the narrow depth of field the lens was not able to keep the focus on the swimmer coming straight at me. In the above shot the focus is on the shoulder level, leaving the face out of focus. This something I have noticed earlier also when shooting other things that are coming straight at me.

Due to the fact that the swimming hall was open to public, we had to restrict our shooting to  a single lane. Due to this, we were not able to get side shots or any other angles.