First time shooting sports

[gh0st]

This is my first time shooting a sporting event, and also my first time watching a lacrosse game.

I used my 70-300mm lens. Both shots were taking at 1/320, f/7.1, ISO-100.

Any advice, suggestions and CC is welcome. I'd really like to know where my weak points are and how to fix them.

1.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2339/2288063724_167196cab2_b.jpg

2.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2200/2288061240_fa74a00a4e_b.jpg

One thing I did find difficult was trying to focus on constantly moving objects. Would AF have been a better option, or is it just something you learn to do over time?

[RonnieA]

Yes, AF would have been a waaaayyyy better option.

Also ...
- use AI Servo (AF tracks moving subjects)
- activate center focus point only
- shoot wide open (which means f/4-5.6 with your lens). this will help blur the background and also increase your shutter speed
- 1/320 is on the bottom end of shutter speed needed to capture sports. as mentioned, shooting wide open will get your shutter speed up as will increasing your ISO. with such a sunny day, you could get 1/1000 easy.

have fun and keep posting.

[khall]

Up the ISO.
Up the shutter speed.
Center spot focusing.
And practice, practice and more practice.
Which is all the same advice as RonnieA

[totalphoto]

khall, RonnieA
Perfect advice
1/1000 of a sec should be no problem on a sunny day

[Zivnuska]

Welcome. You're getting good advice. Tweak your techniques, keep shooting, and post your next outing.

[gh0st]

Thanks a lot. I'll remember that next time I get a chance to shoot another sporting event.

[bobbyz]

Up the ISO.
Up the shutter speed.
Center spot focusing.
And practice, practice and more practice.
Which is all the same advice as RonnieA


All of the above and use wide apertures if your lens allows them.

[uva185]

When I shoot sports (rugby) I set the ISO to 400, Aperture Priority @ 4-5.6 depending on focal length. This gives me a bare minimum of 1/1000 and in most cases closer to 1/1600+. Additionally I use AF Servo. This allows me to freeze the ball which is very important.

I use a piece of sh!t 70-300mm lens and here are some of the photos I take with it. Rugby photos (http://palcher.smugmug.com/Rugby%20Photography) (The night game was shot with a different lens)

[gh0st]

@uva185... those are some good shots. When I shot the photos at the lacrosse game, I didn't want to use too high of an ISO because the sun was obnoxiously bright and the first few test shots I took were too bright.

Also, I didn't realize that for sports photography you need 1/1000+ shutter speed. I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time I take sports photos. Thanks for all of the help and I'll definitely put them to use the next time around. And I'll be sure to post some of those photos.

[aRKay]

just try to learn what did they said and u will see the result =).....
practice makes perfect! cheers =)

[namasste]

remember that there are about 6 different "perfect" exposures for any image (good old B. Peterson!) but only one for the shto you are taking. for sports, stopping action is key so emphasize shutter speed. consider that 1/1000s, f5.6 and ISO 200 would have given you the same exposure as what you shot but would have frozen the action without a huge DOF sacrifice (arguably better since you might get better player isolation). Heck, you could have gone 1/2000s and ISO 400 or 1/4000s and ISO 800. Lots of options there so don't be afraid to bump ISO and let shutter speed dictate your settings in M.

The other advice given is also very good. ctr. point, servo, and definitely AF. I'd also say to use the daylight WB setting unless you want to use a custom setting which probably isn't going to make a huge difference with good light like that.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

[uva185]

@uva185... those are some good shots. When I shot the photos at the lacrosse game, I didn't want to use too high of an ISO because the sun was obnoxiously bright and the first few test shots I took were too bright.

Also, I didn't realize that for sports photography you need 1/1000+ shutter speed. I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time I take sports photos. Thanks for all of the help and I'll definitely put them to use the next time around. And I'll be sure to post some of those photos.

Thanks...practice does help. :)

The first game I shot was with a borrowed 100-400L lens and even with that nice lens the results were not too great. (I didn't use a high enough shutter speed) The 1/1000 shutter speed is not *required* but I strongly recommend not going under it. I would rather have an underexposed shot (which could be corrected in Lightroom) than a photo with motion blur which is ruined. Even at 1/1000 there may be some motion blur so I do try to stay higher than that. With lacrosse I might even try to stay above 1/1600 because the ball and swinging sticks are moving much faster than the players and ball in rugby. Just experiment to check what settings stop the action.

[namasste]

I would rather have an underexposed shot (which could be corrected in Lightroom) than a photo with motion blur which is ruined. Even at 1/1000 there may be some motion blur so I do try to stay higher than that.

Definitely experiment. If you have kids, make em run around teh backyard swinging some sticks (not near each other if mom is home!) if not, borrow some neighbor kids.

One thing I would note is that the threshold for most HS level sports is probably closer to 1/500-640s as a minimum. Sticks can be tough at that speed for sure but you'll find that unless you can open up to 2.8, you may have a tough time getting much higher than that on overcast days even with an ISO bump. Id' also have to differ in opinion about underexposing. You'll start to introduce lots of noise and color issues doing this (assuming 2/3 or more under) so I'd be careful. Sometimes there's simply not enough light and you become a spectator rather than photog. Just how it goes.

[gh0st]

Another question about shooting sports...

for those of you who have shot either college baseball or football games, how well are the stadium lights. I'm shooting some of the football games for LSU next season and I don't know how well stadium lights work for exposure. Should I invest in a better flash -- I have a 430ex atm -- or just hope for the best?

[dmwierz]

You won't be able to use flash at any NCAA football or baseball games. Div 1 football lighting is usually pretty decent - not great, but good enough to photograph.

Baseball, on the other hand, is luck of the draw. Most NCAA baseball stadium lighting is substantially dimmer than MLB lighting, and even MLB lighting isn't the greatest.

From another web site, Tiger Stadium's lighting is reported to be ISO1600 between 1/640 and 1/800 f/2.8 which is consistent with what I've seen covering U of Miami and Notre Dame football over the last couple years.

[gh0st]

Are the football shots at ISO1600 full of noise? I'm using an XTI.

[dmwierz]

Any shots taken at ISO1600 will have noise. Will they be useable? Yes.

A program like Noise Ninja is your friend. This will make your images taken at high ISO much better (when used properly)

[RonnieA]

I have the XT and it handles the noise pretty well when images are exposed properly. Underexposure introduces more noise.

I like to expose to the right as far as possible when shooting at high ISOs, without blowing highlights and keeping a reasonable shutter speed for sports. Whether that's possible or not obviously depends on available light. I shot a few night high school football games last season under ambient light with my 70-200mm and was still one stop underexposed at 1/250.

[gh0st]

i'll probably find a few informal football games at our "parade grounds" and take some shots to test what settings i need.

the hard part is determining settings for nighttime stadium lights in death valley.

[dmwierz]

the hard part is determining settings for nighttime stadium lights in death valley.

Didn't you see this, posted earlier in this thread?

"From another web site, Tiger Stadium's lighting is reported to be ISO1600 between 1/640 and 1/800 f/2.8 which is consistent with what I've seen covering U of Miami and Notre Dame football over the last couple years"

That report was from last October...

[namasste]

Didn't you see this, posted earlier in this thread?

"From another web site, Tiger Stadium's lighting is reported to be ISO1600 between 1/640 and 1/800 f/2.8 which is consistent with what I've seen covering U of Miami and Notre Dame football over the last couple years"

That report was from last October...
I saw that and thought how nice that would be. Most HS and smaller colleges around here are 3200ISO, 1/500 f2.8 on a good day. Chances are, most college fields will fall somewhere in between the settings I listed and the one's Dennis did. That is at least a starting point but obviously nothing more than that.

[dmwierz]

Scott,

The thing is, though, that this isn't a report from "most college fields" - it's a report directly from the very field the OP asked about, from "another web site", which will remain nameless.

Maybe I'm not making myself clear...

Anyway, the lighting at D1 college fields, especially major D1 schools, is a quantum level brighter than other colleges and not even comparable to HS fields.

At the Orange Bowl in Miami I shot at ISO: 1600 Aperture: 2.8 Shutter: 1/500 and at Notre Dame, I got comparable exposures. But, no need to use comparable when someone who has actually shot there is reporting ISO1600, a shutter speed between 1/640 and 1/800, and an aperture of f/2.8

[namasste]

Scott,

The thing is, though, that this isn't a report from "most college fields" - it's a report directly from the very field the OP asked about, from "another web site", which will remain nameless.

Maybe I'm not making myself clear...

Anyway, the lighting at D1 college fields, especially major D1 schools, is a quantum level brighter than other colleges and not even comparable to HS fields.

At the Orange Bowl in Miami I shot at ISO: 1600 Aperture: 2.8 Shutter: 1/500 and at Notre Dame, I got comparable exposures. But, no need to use comparable when someone who has actually shot there is reporting ISO1600, a shutter speed between 1/640 and 1/800, and an aperture of f/2.8

my bad Dennis, I must have misunderstood. I did not think the OP was actually shooting at that same location. Please disregard my comment above. Apologoes if it created confusion.

[gh0st]

@dmwierz... Sorry, I misread the post about Tiger Stadium's settings. I read it as U of Miami and ND stadium settings.

Thanks for all the help, it's definitely going to help next season. I'll post some photos up when I get them.