Tom Buckard
July 2026 - The Moment Before Flight
About the Image(s)
My camera club, of which I am a member, has a monthly assigned subject, and that month’s theme was Intentional Blur. I went to a track meet where the pole vaulters sprinted at full speed, planted their poles, and launched themselves high into the air in an attempt to clear the bar without knocking it down??”a remarkably difficult feat.
I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to capture some intentional blur. Well, that turned out to be much easier said than done! Capturing the motion and creating the effect I envisioned proved to be quite a challenge.
Image taken with a Nikon D800, 70-200mm Nikkor Lens, ISO-200, F 16, 1/100, Focal length 110, Manual exposure.
10 comments posted
Your ability to capture motion blur looks very professional. Just for curiosity, how many frames did it take to get this one? Your background blur is so, so straight. Did you use a tripod/monopod? You got all the muscular tension perfect. Posted: 07/03/2026 21:19:08
Terry, I probably took 200 plus frames to get a few that were fair then some PS. All were hand held and I was lucky on a few. Low low end of professional but thank you. Posted: 07/08/2026 23:29:26
You achieved an appropriate amount of blur to enhance the athlete's activity. I agree this is quite a challenge. I would not change anything. Posted: 07/04/2026 00:16:07
Keith, thank you for your comments. It was challenging but has done fairly well in competition. Posted: 07/08/2026 23:32:44
Hi Tom - I totally agree! It difficult to get your background the way you have captured it. But great job :) Posted: 07/05/2026 14:47:41
Sharlana, I remember doing some work in Photoshop to better convey the sense of speed in these images. I'd love to go to another track meet and see if I can improve on them even more. Posted: 07/08/2026 23:38:38
Great action photo with impact. I am guessing that you were panning but at 1/100th I am confused but it worked Posted: 07/08/2026 14:25:08
(Group 32)
This is really interesting, but we have to believe what the camera captured at 1/100. You must be right that Tom was panning left to right, hence the background blur. So what happened during that 1/100 to the vaulter and pole? They must have been moving left to right and were therefore somewhat frozen by the shot. You can see some blur in the midsection of the pole just below the vaulter's left hand, meaning that the pole is flexing in that 1/100. Posted: 07/13/2026 07:30:20
Michael, I shot hundreds from almost the same spot at many different speeds and some worked somewhat and most failed miserably. Posted: 07/08/2026 23:41:05
Good to know. Will give it a try Posted: 07/13/2026 14:01:44