In my last blog entry, I wrote about my experience shooting high school tennis. After the shoot, I also posted a few of my favorite pictures on a photography forum (the Nikon Cafe) for critique. One of the members was kind enough to offer some suggestions for improving my set of photographs.

When viewing all of these photos, you'll note that I took great pains to ensure that each frame is perfectly straight with a level horizon. The forum member suggested that I play with and add some tilt to some of the crops. Sometimes, shooting a subject on an angle makes the image more dynamic--which is particularly helpful with action shots.

I revisited some of the images and adjusted the crops. I like the affect. I also like how the treatment adds diversity to the collection of photos from the session. And, I suspect that the players will like some of the tilted shots more than my original crops!

Here's an example of two images--one with a straight horizon and the other with an intentional tilt:

Rick SmithRick Smith of the Sandburg High School tennis team at 13300 South La Grange Road in Orland Park, Illinois on May 1, 2015 Rick SmithRick Smith of the Sandburg High School tennis team at 13300 South La Grange Road in Orland Park, Illinois on May 1, 2015 The lessons that I learned from this are: 1) straight images are not necessarily better; and 2) be open to critique as it will likely improve my photography!