Taking Sports Photos

If you run a sports team or a club, you’re inevitably going to be confronted with the prospect of promotion at some point.  Taking cool photos is a big part of this type of promotion.  However, sports photos are actually a pain in the backside to get right – simply because the subjects are on the move so much!  That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to get effective photos of your sports team, whether they’re going on canvas prints UK, or on a local newsletter. 

Because sportsmen and women are constantly on the move, it’s useful to have a very high shutter speed in order to capture the action quickly.  However, the downside of this is that the fast shutter means that less light can reach the image sensor of your camera.  This means that photos can be blurry, or dark.  This is especially the case for indoor sports.  There are three main ways to deal with this: 

Changing the aperture.  Put simply, the aperture is the hole that light travels through before it reaches the image sensor on the back.  If you open it up more, then more light can get in as a result.  And with more light available, you can increase the shutter speed.  The downside of this is that when the aperture is opened up, the depth of field in the photo is reduced.   Unfortunately, opening the aperture is therefore a balancing act.  

Using a flash.  The second main option for increasing light is obviously the ‘classic’ one.  Flashes are simply a wonderful way of increasing the light onto the subject.  This means that in combination with a slightly increased aperture and an increased shutter speed, you’ll be able to take some seriously great (non-blurry!) sports photos.  There are, of course, a couple of drawbacks to flash photos:  firstly, if the flash itself is aimed directly on the subject, you can risk washing out some of the colours and over-exposing bits of the frame. Secondly, the range of a flash can be quite short – so it won’t work from the other side of a huge school gym! 

ISO Speed.  Whilst it might sound a bit jargon-y, ISO speed is the posh word for how quick your camera’s image sensor reads the light coming into it from outside.  If it’s increased, then this means that the aperture and shutter speeds can also be increased, leading to less blurring and darkening of your photos.

Jaw Dropping Poker Bets

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The sheer amount of money that high-stakes poker professionals play with is only a dream for most of us. Phil Ivey, whose name consistently comes up when people talk about the greatest ever poker player, has won a ‘measly’ $14 million over his career. Compare this to Antonio Esfandiari’s $22 million and you can see just how much money these guys are raking in (although over $18 million of those earnings came from one tournament). So it’s no wonder that when they get together for high-stakes games with buy-ins of up to $200,000 that the pots get ludicrously big. We take a look at the biggest pots in televised poker history and the lucky players who won them.

Dwan vs. Ivey

This was the biggest single pot in televised poker history. The Full Tilt Poker commentators are originally backing Ivey who has been dealt Ac 2d. Dwan has suited connectors, 7h and 6h, and when the flop kicks up Jc 3d 5c both players make a straight draw. Both players are hoping for a 4 on the turn or the river. Amazingly, the turn card is the 4 of hearts. Ivey makes the ‘wheel’ while Dwan has him beat with the higher straight; but Ivey is convinced that he has Dwan beat so calls all-in. So used to making great calls, Ivey is utterly gobsmacked when Dwan reveals his hand and takes the pot of a staggering $1,108,500.

Dwan vs. Unknown Chinese Businessman

It was reported in May of last year that Dwan had also gone on to win the biggest pot in poker history in Macau, the Chinese Las Vegas. The exact details are hard to come by but it seems Dwan hauled in a record $3.8 million when his A-10 beat A-2 on an A-10-2 flop. Sam Trickett and Gus Hansen are also rumoured to have won pots of over $2 million in China. If you’re a beginner and these kinds of bets are only a pipe-dream, then look to casino sites which also offer online games for those who’ve never sat down at a real table.

Guy Laliberte vs. David Benyamine

These two players managed to create one of the biggest pots in history, $1,227,900, only to reduce it to $238,900 in an act of chivalry on the part of Laliberte. Benyamine was holding out for a flush when he went all-in with Ac 8c and Kc 3d 5c on the flop. Laliberte had 2 pair with kings and fives and, after calling, knew he was the favourite. After negotiation, the two agreed to undo the previous raises and the turn and the river were never revealed, despite the protestations of the other players.

Patrik Antonius vs. Sammy Farha

These two racked up a pot just shy of $1 million in season 4 of High Stakes Poker. Antonius ended up winning almost $750,000 with only a pair of nines on the flop. Farha himself only had a king-high flush draw and called Antonius’ all-in. They agreed to run the turn and river four times, with Antonius winning three out of the four scenarios.

Best Apps to Stay On Top of Your Game

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This year marked the 50 billionth download from Apple’s App Store. The rise of the app has turned the phone into a powerful tool for the management of all aspects of life, but not everyone has unlocked the pocket processing power of their smartphones. We take you through the best apps to help you stay on top of your game, whether that’s making sure you’re in peak physical condition or keeping an eye on your favourite team.

SmartRunner

Despite the name, SmartRunner doesn’t just cater to runners; walkers, cyclists, skiers and many more are covered too. Its simplistic interface displays speed, distance and calorie data, which you can upload to the SmartRunner website after registration. It helps you track your progress  and see those valuable gains.

ESPN Goals

If keeping on top of your game means never missing out on the action of your favourite team then ESPN Goals is a must-have. With the new Premiership season just around the corner, you won’t miss out on any action with ESPN’s live scores, results, and goal highlights.

Blackjack

There are many versions of the blackjack game in the app universe and the best seem to feature in apps from well-regarded dedicated casino sites such as Casino Tropez online, which offers a whole host of other classics. It’s a great way to practice and there are many options from Blackjack Pro to Progressive blackjack. These are all designed by industry-leading Playtech who specialise in delivering the newest and most innovative online games.

Tennis Trakker

This tennis app helps players and coaches to track performance. It compiles data and shows statistics from matches to reveal strengths and weaknesses – work out the percentages of first serves that lead to winning points or the number of unforced errors on the backhand to give an idea of where needs improvement.

William Hill

William Hill is the UK’s top betting app and gives an unrivalled way to keep on top of all your games and bets. Betters get exclusive offers, access to more in-play markets than anyone else and the best odds guaranteed on UK and Irish horse racing. The app itself has been recommended by users for its fast and responsive design.

NHS Drinks Tracker

Staying on top of your game isn’t all about perfecting your backhand or mixing up your running routes, it’s about making sure you stay as healthy as you can. Use this free drinking diary to see whether you’re consuming too much alcohol and pre-empt any problems in good time.

Sleepcycle

Sleepcycle is essentially an alarm clock that determines when is best to wake you up. Getting out of bed is that much less painful as this app analyses your movement and breathing to work out when you’re in the lightest phase of sleep. It tells you how long you’ve slept and wakes you within a half-hour window of your choosing. A good night’s rest will help you get more out of your day.