Merged Sequences (New)

Created 14-Apr-18

26 photos

Not to complicate things too much, but I took many sequential shots of racers at particular gates. (I was shooting at 12-14 frames per second, depending on event. A racer at 30 mph covers 44 feet per second; at 12 fps, an image every 3 1/2 feet was possible. The total shots per racer per run varied, but the range was 10-30.) So there might be three, four, or even five frames of a given racer at a given gate, approaching, passing, and leaving. If they are all in focus, they can make good merged sequences. But it is time consuming. I have to find the sequential shots, decide if they are sharp enough, edit them as usual, move them into Photoshop, and move them around to register the images and combine them using PS Layers. So creating and offering merged sequences is a chancy business that takes time.

This gallery contains two examples of merged sequences and also a few examples of the sort of shots that are potentially (not always) available for editing. The examples here include many frames I never posted in the race galleries. There was no need.

But if someone is considering ordering a merged sequence, they should find the posted race gallery shots and tell me what they are in an email. Identify them by their "A" numbers. I can then check my original files and see if there are other shots that could make a good sequence.

These are relatively expensive because there is so much editing time involved. The four-shot sequence example took more than an hour in Photoshop after I figured out what images might work. A three-shot sequence is somewhat easier; a five-shot sequence would be much harder.

As a result, the cost is higher. A three-shot sequence is $50. That is based on the cost of three 5-MP files and the estimated manipulation time in PS. A four-shot sequence would be $65. A five-shot sequence would be rare, but it would be possible for a few racers. The cost would be $80.

Also, complete perfection would be even more expensive. As merged, these will make very cool 12-inch or maybe 18-inch wide prints (the aspect ratio depends on the number of frames). But the editing would take two or three times as long, and the cost would be much higher, to obtain relative perfection suitable for a commercial-level image. You shouldn't expect that level of print at this cost. (The difficulty is in merging the different layers at ski- and boot-level.)

Note that any good candidate was probably taken in good light, so the darkest images (early first runs in the tech events) aren't the best choices.

Don't try to order these directly; they are custom orders and they aren't on the price list. So if you are interested, email your inquiry to me directly. Ideally, also, you would include the racer bib number. Then I can tell you if it is possible, and how many frames would be best.

As before, payment will benefit ASC. And in any event, I won't be able to do anything, even answer image-specific questions, until May 3.

Thanks.