Indoor Track.... (many images warning!!!!)

[Croasdail]

Decided to try my hand at indoor track - what I found was uneven lighting.... events all jumbled together... all happening at the same time... and did I mention the poor lighting? The building had been extended to accomidate the track and the area in the extension had a much shorter roof line and less lighting. You can see the effect particularly in the long jump shots as their pits and that corner were in the extension. It was a good experience but I came away with a lot more questions then answers. Here is what I came up with and as always, hints, ideas, critique are more then welcome - they are needed. Just about everything was shot at 1600 ISO and f2.8. Cheers.

the mile...

http://www.buzzershot.com/images/UNC_Indoor_Track002_edited-small.jpg

Long Jump

http://www.buzzershot.com/images/UNC_Indoor_Track026_edited-small.jpg

http://www.buzzershot.com/images/UNC_Indoor_Track077_edited-small.jpg

Hurdles

http://www.buzzershot.com/images/UNC_Indoor_Track084_edited-small.jpg


she was putting the guys to shame....

http://www.buzzershot.com/images/UNC_Indoor_Track135_edited__800.jpg

Pole Vault

http://www.buzzershot.com/images/UNC_Indoor_Track207_edited-small3.jpg

[CDBlue]

Cool shots.

[Cadwell]

Excellent stuff. Getting shots like this indoors is really difficult and you've done a great job. Do try and keep it to ten or less images per thread though, please.

[Croasdail]

opps.. sorry... will edit... cheers.

Images now removed....

more images at here (http://www.buzzershot.com/UNC-Invitational.html)

[Croasdail]

Okay all you sports people.. I am bumping this but not because I am looking for any "great shots" comments. I am looking for feedback as to the appropriateness of these shots... is the angle right or wrong, or does a particular shot work or not work for a particular event. Let me give you a for example. I found the running events where the runners stayed in their lanes to be very difficult to take from straight on since the action covers a very spread out area. Conversly, distance events like the one posted above seemed to work for me head on since the field is very stacked. Pole Vault was impossible... my best idea is a remote camera under next time. Shot put was impossible - the peak action where the thrower was facing you - and the shot was in proximity was super short - much harder then baseball for me.

So - sorry for the bump - I have already slapped my own hand.... but I would really like to get some advice on how to do this. Next meet is friday after next. Cheers.

there are more shots at the "here" link in the above thread - please - chew them to pieces... thanks.

[gmen]

Hi Mark...

Must have missed this one first time round. OK... my track and field experience is limited. My most recent shots are here... and it's outdoors so not quite the same:

Triple jump:
http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=73581

High jump:
http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=73572

Long jump:
http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=73728

Running:
http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=73740

For what it's worth, I'd say that we are both working along similar lines. I think the usual basic principles of seeing faces, getting a sense of the event itself and the competition apply.

I particularly like the 'mile' shot and the 'shot put' shot.

My overriding memory of track & field meets is the chaotic jumble that you mentioned. It's easy to get distracted and to go scuttling off elsewhere. The shots above were on assignment, so I had to focus on particular teams/competitors/finals - therefore I planned where I would be at what time and for how long. Fortunately these things often run behind schedule :lol: so i found myself having a little longer to get the shots that I needed. The temptation was always move somewhere else because something more 'exciting' was happening! Must resist, must resist!

So, my only concrete advice is to focus on the shots you need or want... don't be distracted (unless someone's breaking a world record)...

There's no point waffling on about exposure and so on as you know what you want to achieve... it's indoors, it's going to be tough... meter manually for the different parts of the venue if they are lit differently. Background clutter will be a pain I'd imagine as it true for most indoor venues... so work your angles to get the backgrounds as clean as possible... this may mean going high or low.

I'll post some more thoughts later when I have more time.

---- Gavin

[SuzyView]

Great shots. You could almost smell them sweat!

SuzyView

[Ron Wilson]

[quote=Croasdail]Okay all you sports people.. I am bumping this but not because I am looking for any "great shots" comments. I am looking for feedback as to the appropriateness of these shots... is the angle right or wrong, or does a particular shot work or not work for a particular event.

Never having taken indoor track shot I can only tell you what I like. The straight on runner shot...pass on these, the right angle shot of the hurdles is great, you really displayed her muscles in all their glory, the landing in the pit is a good angled shot...facials are fantastic when they land, the pole vault is always a favorite .. and right at the top of their motion they usually slow to a stop to allow for a clean shot...try shootin down from the top for this shot, lol. Aside from that last joke you done a great job. Lucky you had a 2.8. The 1600 ISO did not hurt you one bit. What lens/camera were you using?

[Croasdail]

Thanks all for your comments....

Gavin - I do remember some of these... thanks for linking them back up for me.... particularly the long jump chap... very memoriable guy. On one side of the building near the pole vault was located they have 3 floors of balconies (sp? yikes).... I may try a from above shot next time on that one... food for thought there. And yes.. the faces... I have that tatooed where only I can see it.... I also noticed your slightly off center angle for the "laned" races... seemed to work. My luck is the action is always is 1 and 5 with 2,3,4 way behind. Thanks for the detailed response.

Ron - thanks for your comments. I really wanted the finnish line spot but by the time I worked my way over there I was too late for a good spot - so I move down to mid-way from the last hurdle to the line. I think I want to shoot a little wider next time. Thanks for your comments..... and oh... the camera was my trusty 20D (used exclusively for indoor events) and either the 85 1.8 (the runner you liked) or the 120-300 Sigma I was hand holding - and after a couple of hours I think shake was beginning to be an issue. Monopod next time.

Suzy - you know what... I don't know what kind of vent system they had... but it didn't smell bad at all... which considering the numbers of competitors... is amazing.

I am off to shoot some mens wrestling... cheers.

[RacingMoose]

Mark...I think they're some great shots, especially considering the lighting. I like the straight on long jump shot as it shows the height that is achieved when doing the long jump...something that's not always evident. May I ask if you were shooting in RAW or using JPG and a custom white balance perhaps?

[Croasdail]

Hey Racing Moose... I shot these Jpeg. Normally I would have shot RAW indoors but I had 2 CFs fail and I am waiting for their replacements to show up. Thanks for looking and the comments.

[CIbyLouis]

love the pole vault shot, would of also loved to have seen it from her left our right looking at the picture

[Croasdail]

This is the best I have.....

http://www.buzzershot.com/images/UNC_Indoor_Track227_edited-small2.jpg

[sageone]

What I typically do for track shots is study the particular event I'm going to shoot. If I'm shooting the pole vault. I'll watch one or two athletes go first without taking any shots. Most of the time, their approach, angle they take to the matt, etc., is the same. Then I'll position myself in the right spot for the right angle. Being a former journalist I have no problem in muscling my way into position. And having some decent equipment, folks think I'm with the media so I never get hassled as to over stepping the "audience" boundaries.

As with any sports photography, it's all about which direction the athletes are heading, going to, etc. combined with what the best angles are available to you to shoot. For example, when I shoot wrestling, I'm able to get right up to the matt, on my stomach, and roam around the matt to get facial expressions, muscle tensing, etc.

Basically what I'm saying is that you have to be in the right place at the right time, but the only thing that will really help you improve is shooting the same type of event over and over again. That way you can anticpate where your subjects are going to be, at what time, what are the best angles, etc.

[Croasdail]

Thanks Don for your advice.....