Rugby player's in Central Park, NYC. Seemed so funny to see rugby in Harlem, of all places, and at the central Park Winter festival too. I knows it's not funny in itself, but it was a good photo and I didn't want to waste it.
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The positioning of the players within the frame is great, and it definitely capures the moment well. The framing and wide aspect crop helps a lot, as it draws the viewers' attention to the players. Unfortunately you'd can't see the ball in this shot, so it makes it slightly trickier to work out what's going on at first glance - viewers will probably either be drawn in by this mystery, or pass over it.
Background:
With this sort of action shot, it's always difficult to control what exactly ends up in the shot when you take it. The background is probably a bit too busy, since it distracts from the players - perhaps a different position or angle would have helped, but since you're in a busy Central Park, its hard to say :o)
Camera Work:
I'd guess that this shot was was taken using full zoom, and probably digital zoom too - I personally never use digital zoom, since it lowers the quality of the shot and gives you less control than just cropping it afterwards. The focus on the players is good, but perhaps a shallower DoF would have helped blur the background a bit, making the players stand out more.
Post Processing:
Since you've not provided any post processing details, I've no real idea if you've done much to this shot. One important thing to mention is that this shot is only 86Kb, out of a maximum 150Kb, therefore you may have lost quite a bit of detail by compressing the image down to that size - I always recommend that you try to get as close to the 150Kb line as possible, so that as little detail as possible is lost.
One suggestion I have for this shot would be to play about with the saturation & colour balances, since this shot could probably do with being a bit more green and a little less blue, which would make it seem a little warmer and improve the contrasts a bit (even if it wasnt a warm day ;o).
My Opinion:
I'm a Brit myself, so I know what Rugby is :o) Out of curiousity, do you know if they were playing Rugby League or Rugby Union? Anyway, this is a good action shot, well composed, and as such I quite like it. However, it's definitely borderline as to whether it meets the "humor" challenge, and is only really saved by the title. Overall I'd rate it as an above average shot, but its not right for the challenge.
If you have any questions about this critique, please feel free to PM me about it.
This image is actualy pretty good, as an action photo, although it would be much better if we could see the runners face towards the camera, instead of his back. I have to honestly say it doesn't seem funny to me. Rugby is serious, and blokes can also participate in Ballet, or maybe I just didn't get the joke, which would be my lose.
Great action stopped, with everything in focus. This is the kind of action shot that I love. Wonderful action one. Don't think it'll get the funny but would take honors in action. Great shot.
I like the title and it really does appear that they are dancing! I wish there was a bit more color in the foreground and less in the background but it is not something that you can control.
I have never seen rugby played, nor do I know anything about it. Is there even a ball?? Other than a few guys with awesome leg muscles, I'm not really sure what's going on here. That's my fault though, not yours. My only complaint is a small one. The guy to the left in blue, has his hands out, but the shadow from the right arm is covering part of the left hand, kind of making it blend into the background. Otherwise, lighting and focus are good. angle and framing/cropping are good. I like how you have gotten all 3 guys in the shot. Good luck in the challenge.
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