When only mono will do..
Sometimes less is more with the camera. Sports Photography usually has so much going on in the shot, but the viewer spends barely a glance at the coloured image. However, take the colour out and you're forced to look at shape, shine, shadow and textures.
Skiing with friends earlier this year, I deferred a long lunch for a drive by the snow park. After the Olympics, I wanted to get close to some aerials and was not disappointed. Travelling only with a 24/105mm lens, I lacked the bigger telephoto lens normally associated with Sports Photos, so positioned as close as possible to the jump point. Ordinarily, a sunny day in the mountains means plenty of blue sky contrast with a white baseline, always pleasing on the eye, but for more interest I edited into mono.
Black & White Photography is just the best, where the shooter can really play with the light and content. This shot works well with the greyed out background and the skier in perfect contrast, even a little snow speckle off the ski's to amplify movement. Monochrome photography strips everything back and engages the viewer to hopefully linger a little longer to see and enjoy the shot.
Canon R6 Mk2 RF 24/105mm at 70mm f4.5 1/1600
