The national football game played in Australia is call Australian Rules (Aussie Rules). We call it football. This term should not be confused with the games of soccer or rugby which are very different games.
Footy is played using an oval shaped ball and an oval shaped pitch. It is a very physical game and the players wear no protective clothing except for the occasional shin pad tucked into a sock.
Check out this YouTube link to see part of the Grand Final (Rose Bowl equivalent here in South Australia). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFfqjuq-9Mo The blue team in both my photo and the video is called Norwood. It's the team I have followed all my life. They won the Grand Final.
Our Camera Club was given special permission a few weeks ago to attend a game and take our professional cameras. This is a very rare experience. It certainly made us all appreciate the skill of sports photographers!
I have denoised the photo and then played with sliders in Lightroom to crop, lighten shadows and add texture. What would you have done with the image?
5 comments posted
Janice Solomon
Hi Julie, you captured a great sports moment! There's so much action going on, and you caught great expressions on the players and mud flying! You have good separation of people. The only thing you might want to change is to even out the space on the left and right. There seems to be more space on the left, and it's kind of tight on the right. Unfortunately, I see the guys in the background of the original are looking kind of bored for some reason. I'm surprised the players aren't wearing helmets and protective gear like in American football. Posted: 10/01/2026 16:32:32
Julie Deer
Hi Janice,
Thanks for your comments. It was hard with the cropping as the guy on the ground has his feet dragging along the ground which is why the image looks a bit lopsided. I will play around and see what I can do. The people in the background possibly are bored. The blue team was a long way ahead and it was late in the game. Protective gear and helmets has never been part of this game. I hope you watched the youtube link in my description above to see how the game is played. It really is a physical game. Occasionally a player might wear a helmet, but it is more like a padded bicycle helmet with no bars. It is padded on the outside too so that the other players don't get hurt. Concussion is becoming a big part of the game. After a head knock with the ground, the player is taken from the oval (field) and tested. They must not play for at least a week if they are concussed. The helmet is worn if a player has had several concussions during their career. It does not happen often. Posted: 10/02/2026 01:42:53
Elaine Miller
Hi, Julie. What a great capture! It's nice when camera clubs get to do something special like this. I might leave a little more room on the right side, maybe just cropping out the person wearing red. I have never heard of this sport before. Always good to learn something new! Posted: 10/02/2026 15:47:41
Shari Garnsey
Hi Julie - congrats on the Grand Final Win! (All fans get to take credit when their teams win!) I don't do a lot of this type of photography, but I do think you have a fantastic capture. Your crop brings us right to the action; the expressions on their faces and the postures tell a great story. I think the detail with the feet and hands grabbing, dirt flying is also very good -- so much fun! It doesn't feel lopsided to me. I am wondering if you can darken the background some - the sign and the two gentlemen in the top right draw my eye a bit. Thanks for sharing! Posted: 10/02/2026 18:46:32
Don Hill
Hey Julie, well, you seemed to capture everything I would want to see in an action sports shot. I really can't see anything I would do different. I love the mud and I love the expressions on the faces of the players. One note. I opened the image in ON-1 NoNoise AI and it did a really good job of sharpening the players faces. I am really impressed with your shot. Posted: 10/05/2026 00:22:56
