First Post - need criticism

[bombay_shutterbug]

Hi Folks,

I am rekindling my passion for sports photography after almost 15 years, and need help form the experts here.

I am a proud owner of a new Canon 30D and to get started I got myself a Sigma 70-300 / 4-5.6 APO DG to shoot sports. As soon as I get some money my first buy is going to be a 70-200L USM IS. The attached image is taken with a 70-200L USM IS which was kindly loaned to me by one of the pros at the event.

The info is: 70mm, f/2.8, 1/125

Honest comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
MM

[SuzyView]

It's small for me to see the details, but it seem a little dark. Can you brighten it up?

Oh, and welcome to the forum! It's a great place to learn and to meet very interesting photographers. :)

[Sledhed]

I would also try to show the ball and their feet.

[98photo]

Welcome!
I agree with suzy, you can't see much as it is small and dark, but I would have tried to show their feet as well.

[Little Fish]

It's an action sport with poor lighting. I would have bumped the ISO higher than 320 in order to get more speed. In difficult shooting situations it is important to check your histogram--I'm sure that would have told you right away that the photo was underexposed. I had a little trouble getting the hang of the histogram but there is plenty of information here and throughout the internet and it is important to understand how the histogram relates to the final photo.

On my 20D it isn't unusual that I have to bump the exposure bias up a stop to get the right exposure. Try that if your histogram is all bunched up to the left. Otherwise, the key is to take lots of photos and pay attention to what worked, what could have been done better, etc.

Hope that helps and keep reading and posting on the forum. It is a wealth of information.

Frank.

[Rich_claypole]

2 things annoy me when I look at the image, it looks like the image is slanted slightly left to right. And the second thing is you have all of the players in view except their feet.

Never shot this sport before so may be talking rubbish, but they are my throughts and impressions from looking at the image.

[vetkrazy]

Welcome to the forum. Sport shooting is all about light and speed. The 30D is capable of both. Don't be afraid to push the ISO. Your exif say 1/125 at 320. You really need to be at 1/500 and to be there you need to push the ISO. If the light is really bad then shoot in raw, that way when you pp you can get a couple of more stops. My comments about compostion are about the same as the others. Don't cut off limbs, keep your horizon's level and shoot tight and crop tighter. There is too much lost space on either side of the players. a good crop can take care of that. Keep shooting and lets see some more.

Bruce

[chancheehow]

under-exposed and take the feet more often as sports are dealing with feets and posture

[superdiver]

Hard to tell with the small picture....but what i see first is the BG, it is distracting, i would crop it tighter, and I dont see their foot work...

Cant tell from the size of it if it is OOF or anything...does seem a little dark though....

[bombay_shutterbug]

Thanks Suzie.
This forum has a lot of information that will be usefull for me. I will post more pics as i keep taking more.
MM

[bombay_shutterbug]

Hi Chris,
Yes i agree, i should have got the feet in the picture. the attached pic has both the feet and the ball, but was taken with my 18-55 kit lens, wish i had a better lens. besides the sharpness :( what do u think?
What Canon lenses would you recomend?

[superdiver]

For this I would use the 85mm 1.8 or possibly a 70-200 2.8

You will want something longer then what you used and faster....faster being the more important part of the equation...IMHO...

I like that last picture better, and even the stop action seems to be "ok", but I would crop out everything but the player.

[bombay_shutterbug]

It's an action sport with poor lighting. I would have bumped the ISO higher than 320 in order to get more speed.
Frank.

I am a bit apprehensive abt the noise at a higher ISO. What is the max ISO that you would shoot at.

I agree, i need to understand how the histogram relates to the final image. I am going to make that my project for the week - thanks for the input.

MM

[sando]

Experiemnt with the iso, i gather the 30D can go REALLY hihg before being unusable. Ive seen 1600 straight from the camera look like my camera at 800. :(

[bombay_shutterbug]

2 things annoy me when I look at the image, it looks like the image is slanted slightly left to right. And the second thing is you have all of the players in view except their feet.

Never shot this sport before so may be talking rubbish, but they are my throughts and impressions from looking at the image.

I was soo intimidated :oops: using the 70-200L 2.8, that i forgot all abt the composition. What do u think of the second image i posted?

Thanks
MM

[bombay_shutterbug]

Thanks Bruce,
I am going to try some more by pushing the ISO, will post images by the weekend.

MM

[beckybun]

Welcome to the form! Those are good shots. They seem a little noisy to me, but maybe it's just my eyes. Looks like you've got a lot of good advice thus far. My biggest thing would be to get those feet in the frame.

[bombay_shutterbug]

For this I would use the 85mm 1.8 or possibly a 70-200 2.8

You will want something longer then what you used and faster....faster being the more important part of the equation...IMHO...

I like that last picture better, and even the stop action seems to be "ok", but I would crop out everything but the player.

The only reason i havnt cropped tighter is cause of the ball.

I have to get a 70-200L 2.8 as soon as i get some money :oops:

Would anyone recomend using a used 70-200L 2.8 and if so where can one look for them on the net besides ebay?

Thanks
MM

[Nick C.]

I reckon if you can stop a squash ball in the same frame as the player then you've done well in my book.
BTW where were you shooting from - I'm guessing you were just off to the side of the front wall?
I'd love to play on one of these all glass courts.

[One Eyed Jack]

The only reason i havnt cropped tighter is cause of the ball.

I have to get a 70-200L 2.8 as soon as i get some money :oops:

Would anyone recomend using a used 70-200L 2.8 and if so where can one look for them on the net besides ebay?

Thanks
MM

Try http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/ for the lens.
Very reliable and well priced. In regards to your photos and being a newb myself, I have been in your dilema also and can only say to you keep shooting and keep posting on here for advice. This is a great place to get help with anything you need to know about photography and your equipment. You will know when you have a good shot and you are starting to get the hang of the camera when you will look at a photo on the LCD and go WOW! Good luck.

[gmen]

Squash isn't easy to shoot. The ball moves VERY fast indeed and a high shutter speed is required if you intend to freeze the motion of the racket head.

The first thing I observed from the images that you've posted is the excellent opportunity you have to make some great squash images.

The transparent 'glass' court is a bit of rarity and gives you the advantage of being able to shoot from a position (nearly) in front of the players when they are competing. Most viewing areas at squash courts are above and behind the players, which makes life very tough unless you get on the court during a warm up. The normal court makes life very frustrating and yields numerous images of the backs of the competitors :lol: Being able to see the players' faces will always make for stronger sports images.

Keeping the ball in the frame is tough as well. However, if you're shooting from a position in front of the players, your chances will be increased.

As others have said, if possible try to shoot tighter in-camera as that would improve your backgrounds - a longer focal length would help to reduce the DOF. Don't be afraid of a higher ISO as well to allow the use of a higher shutter speed... it's probably better to suffer some noise in the images rather than have blurry pics.

Hope you can post some more squash images in the future. I'll look forward to seeing them.

---- Gavin

[bombay_shutterbug]

I reckon if you can stop a squash ball in the same frame as the player then you've done well in my book.
BTW where were you shooting from - I'm guessing you were just off to the side of the front wall?
I'd love to play on one of these all glass courts.

Thanks Nick, shot from the behind the front wall. They have a clear glass on the tin and above for TV and photographers.

This was the first tournament that had the flooring also of glass :cool: . It is a portable court and was put up on the grounds of a palace. Amazing setting.

The image of the palace is not the best at it was shot without a tripod.:oops:

Cheers
MM

[bombay_shutterbug]

I agree Gavin, I had a fantastic opportunity to shoot squash. Two things that went against me were:

1. I was holding a camera in my hand after almost a decade. I had got the camera in my hand on the first day of the tournament. I didn’t have the time to get to know the camera well. The attached image is one of the first pictures I shot with the 30D.

2. I only have an 18-55 kit & the 70-300 sigma. I need to get the 70-200L 2.8 IS. I guess that will have to be bought as soon as I get some money in hand.

There are a lot of problems shooting from behind the back wall, as u can see in the attached pic. First the reflection on the back glass, then the players don’t let you stand too close to the back wall as it disturbs. The further you go, you lose a stop or 2, and with a slow lens you virtually have no image. Then you have the spectators who keep asking you to move out of the way as you block a part of the back wall.

Considering all this I love the challenge. ;)

[bombay_shutterbug]

Try http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/ for the lens.


Thats where I got my 30D. They are my firts choice for my lens. Thanks.

This place has some great posts which answer most of my doubts. Then you have the awsome pictures that only inspire to shoot better.

Cheers
Keep shooting only way to improve and learn .

[superdiver]

You have managed great photos with the lenses you have. Once you have better lenses you will be golden I bet.

I didnt see the ball in that second picture. If the pictures were larger they would probably look alot better....

[bombay_shutterbug]

You have managed great photos with the lenses you have. Once you have better lenses you will be golden I bet.

I didnt see the ball in that second picture. If the pictures were larger they would probably look alot better....

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Soon as i have saved some money i will get the L lens.

It's a white ball just waiting to be smacked ;) , its very much in the frame.

I have enlaged them and corrected them in PS and look great. They are my pics so of course I THINK they look great, but it is the opinion here that matters to me.

Cheers

[Nick C.]

This was the first tournament that had the flooring also of glass :cool: . It is a portable court and was put up on the grounds of a palace. Amazing setting.
Looks awesome! Is that court outside without a roof? I hope they checked the weather forecast.

[bombay_shutterbug]

Looks awesome! Is that court outside without a roof? I hope they checked the weather forecast.

Yes Nick, the court was outside without the roof. While the construction of the court was going on it rained and had the organizers in panic. The forcast was for clear skies, and the prediction of the weather gurus came true. :rolleyes:

cheers
MM

[bombay_shutterbug]

Try http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/ for the lens.


I checked the website, but they dont list the 70-200L 2.8 IS. They have a very limited choice on their website for canon lenses.

Any other alternatives?

Thanks
MM

[bombay_shutterbug]

HI. I notice you use the Sigma 70-200 2.8 what r ur opinions on the lens? How would you compare it to the 70-200L 2.8? Any pictures on the forum with the lens? I have the Sigma 70-300 but a slower lens, need something faster.
Thanks
MM

[tom30]

I checked the website, but they dont list the 70-200L 2.8 IS. They have a very limited choice on their website for canon lenses.

Any other alternatives?

Thanks
MM
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=productlist.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=70-200&image.x=10&image.y=7
If this link doesn't work, do a search for 70-200 at the B & H site.

[bombay_shutterbug]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=productlist.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=70-200&image.x=10&image.y=7
If this link doesn't work, do a search for 70-200 at the B & H site.

Thanks Tom, the link worked. surprisingly the demo lens is as expensive as the new, and has no other items included with it.