Charles Bartolotta
December 2025 - Untitled
Original
About the Image(s)
This image was taken early last month (November) at a women’s rugby match. I like to photograph both women’s and men’s rugby matches because they always result in great action shots and great expressions on the players. Having a “Continuous” shooting mode on the camera is almost a must. I believe I used the 15 frame per second for this image. This image was shot with a Nikon Z8, in RAW, in Aperture priority, Auto ISO, f/16, 1/640 sec, ISO 2000 (may have been Auto ISO).
Monochrome conversion, (if my memory serves me correctly), was NIK Silver Effects. I removed the car from the background using Photoshop. Other processing prior to the monochrome conversion was some color adjustment, de-noise, sharpening. Additionally, I opened the image in Skylum Aurora and leave all the settings at Default. I find that doing this adds a little “crispness” to the image.
6 comments posted
Rugby is not for the faint-hearted and your image captures that well. I wince just looking at your subjects as they struggle over the ball. Processing was spot on for the scene. Excellent image. Posted: 12/08/2025 18:09:50
Post processing here is of the highest order in all aspects, a little extra sharpening and contrast makes this scene come alive. The facial expressions of the ladies really tells the story in the heat of the game.
I also like the original color version, it tells a different story. We can tell the two teams apart, and then the facial complexion are slightly different between the ladies.
Great Work !! Posted: 12/09/2025 04:47:41