Ball on bat action.

[illm4k3uscr3am]

Well I got the ball on the bat, but I am not 100% happy and I don't know why. C&C Please.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/68Whiskey/Baseball/IMG_0122-3.jpg

Here are a few more from that game.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/68Whiskey/Baseball/IMG_00352.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/68Whiskey/Baseball/IMG_00582.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/68Whiskey/Baseball/IMG_00622.jpg

[Strnge]

The white uniform is blown out on my screen. How does someone adapt for white uniforms?

[dmwierz]

Yeah, the whites are blown, and the shots are pretty soft. There's also a notable purple fringe around some of the whites, which could be a result of their being overexposed, or could be symptomatic of a lens issue. See the close-up below.

My money is on the whites being blown and not a lens problem. This is sometimes called "blooming". In practical terms an overdose of light hits each individual pixel and 'spills over' and affects the pixels surrounding it. This results in a kind of 'domino' effect. Each individual pixel affects others around it and you end up with unwanted halos and color/light bleeding into areas where it shouldn't be. Blooming most frequently is seen in bright areas of digital images where the dynamic range was exceeded.

In the batter shot, nothing is in focus, so I'm gonna guess the shutter speed was too low, or you moved your camera during the exposure, or maybe even both.

When posting for comments, critiques or help, it is essential you post your exposure information (I tried to retrieve it, but you have stripped it by using "Save for Web" in PhotoShop) and the hardware used to take the shots. Otherwise, there is no way anyone can help you improve your work.

It's like telling your Doctor you don't feel well, but not telling him what is ailing you, and not letting him take your temperature or take any other tests. With photos, the only things we have to go on are the settings used to take the image, the situation that was underway at the moment of the shot (normally evident from the picture itself), and the hardware that was in use.

Also, what AF scheme did you use? AI Servo? Which focus points? What exposure mode (Av, Tv, Manual?)

To answer the question on how one adapts to white uniforms, you kinda have it backwards. Ask yourself the question: "What is more important to have properly exposed - the uniforms or the faces?". Often you'll have to choose between these because the faces may be in shadow of a hat or a helmet. IMO, and that of most folks shooting day time sports, I'll take a little overexposure on my whites in return for properly exposed faces. You do this by adding a little + Exposure Compensation if you're shooting in Av mode, or by taking a meter reading on the grass and intentionally overexposing from this reading by up to a stop when the facial shadows are particularly severe.

However, in the shots posted, the whites are WAY blown out. See the histogram I posted below? Notice the spike all the way to the far right, and the fact that the top is clipped off? This is a clear indication that the shot was overexposed in the highlight area, which is what is meant by blowing out the whites. Look at the white uniforms - there is almost no detail within them. Hardly any wrinkle or shadows, and no fabric texture at all. What we have here is a bunch of big, bright white blobs. Not what you want.

[bobbyz]

I can see (from embedded exif) that OP is using manual white balance, which is way off. Maybe it is wrong post processing not sure.

I also agree, focus is off in these.

[dmwierz]

Bobby - you're correct. The images I tried to pull the EXIF out of didn't have it, but after reading your post, I went back in and pulled this out:

Exposure Mode: Auto
White Balance: Manual
Scene Capture Type: Standard
Exposure Time: 1/8000 sec
F-Number: f/3.2
Exposure Program: Aperture Priority
ISO Speed Rating: 400
Lens Aperture: f/3.2
Exposure Bias: -0.7 EV
Metering Mode: Pattern

Curious about the -2/3 EC, also. Personally, I'm guessing the ISO was too high, and the OP just lost track of the shutter speed and the fact that he was "topped out" from an exposure standpoint. In the middle of the day, ISO400 is frequently way too high, and judging from the 1/8000s shutter speed the camera chose, I'm gonna guess a higher shutter speed would have been required but the camera couldn't go any higher, so as a result, the overexposure occurred. Maybe this is why the OP chose the -2/3 EC, but in reality, the right thing to do would have been to lower the ISO and/or stop the lens down.

[illm4k3uscr3am]

Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon EOS 20D
Focal length: 130 mm
Exposure: 1/4000 at f/2.8
Flash: Not fired, compulsory mode
Exposure bias: -2/3 EV
Exposure mode: Auto
Exposure prog.: Aperture priority
ISO speed: ISO 400
Metering mode: Pattern

I usually shoot 400 ISO standard when outside (unless the sun is out in full force), and I guess I have been doing it wrong. Also, the first image was a failed photoshop, some excessive editing. It was shady during certain parts of the game due to clouds, so I was bumping between 200 and 400 and eventually got pissed switching.

I also have noticed that the focus on most of my shots have been off focus. I don't know if it is me, the 20D or the lens.

I was using SI Servo, on AV, with all focal points.

[dmwierz]

I was using SI Servo, on AV, with all focal points.


You mean AI Servo, and I would recommend against using all focal points. I only use one FWIW, and most folks who do this a lot use one (and some expand this to a pattern).

ISO400 is way high for most day time shooting.

Here's something to remember for shooting under the Sun, called the "Sunny 16 Rule":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule

Under bright sunshine, set your aperture to f/16 and your shutter speed to the reciprocal of the ISO. Since we normally like shooting sports at wider apertures than f/16, open up your lens and then adjust your ISO and shutter speed to maintain the same EV.

Examples: Say you want to shoot at ISO 200 under bright sunshine (where I am normally - you getting the message? ISO400 is too high for sunshine ).

At ISO200, the Sunny 16 rule would say you should set your shutter speed to 1/200s at f/16, which is 1/400s at f/11; 1/800s at f/8; 1/1600s at f/5.6; 1/3200s at f/4.0 and 1/6400s at f/2.8 .

If you insist on keeping your ISO at 400, the numbers work out this way: 1/400s at f/16; 1/800s at f/11; 1/1600s at f/8; 1/3200s at f/5.6; 1/6400s at f/4.0 and 1/12800s at f/2.8. THIS explains why your shots are overexposed since your camera can't go higher than 1/8000s, but with your ISO set so high the only thing that can happen is the shot gets overexposed. As you see in the last set of numbers, you could have shot at f/4.0 and been at 1/6400s.

DId you notice the "8000" blinking in your viewfinder (don't remember if the 20D does this or not, but I think it does)? This would have been an indication of the over exposure.

Apparently you tried to recover by dialing in -2/3 EC, but this isn't how to handle exposures. Set your camera up for the CORRECT exposure, and THEN you can fine tune it with EC.

[illm4k3uscr3am]

Could I leave it as F/2.8 and drop the ISO to 100 if the exposure time is lover than 1/8000th's a second? What constitutes a good exposure time? I thought that F/16 increased your depth of field......

I also don't know why it was on -2/3 EC sadly.

[dmwierz]

Could I leave it as F/2.8 and drop the ISO to 100 if the exposure time is lover than 1/8000th's a second? What constitutes a good exposure time? I thought that F/16 increased your depth of field......

I also don't know why it was on -2/3 EC sadly.

Read my entire post. I never said to shoot at f/16. The Sunny 16 rule only starts there.

Also, there is no such thing as a "good exposure time". Shutter speeds for action should be > 1/640s. Generally, anything over 1/4000s produces freakishly stopped action which most people don't care for. Some motion blur is thought to add to the feeling of action.

I have occasionally had my shutter up to 1/8000s and achieved decent results, but this wasn't by design - the shutter speed shot up when I was shooting in Av because the Sun peaked out from behind the clouds, and before I had the chance to adjust my ISO downward, something happened in the event I was covering and I snapped the picture.

If you dropped your ISO from 400 to 100, your shutter speed would drop from 1/8000s to 1/2000s which is still plenty fast for this level of baseball.

[illm4k3uscr3am]

Read my entire post. I never said to shoot at f/16. The Sunny 16 rule only starts there.

Also, there is no such thing as a "good exposure time". Shutter speeds for action should be > 1/640s. Generally, anything over 1/4000s produces freakishly stopped action which most people don't care for. Some motion blur is thought to add to the feeling of action.

I have occasionally had my shutter up to 1/8000s and achieved decent results, but this wasn't by design - the shutter speed shot up when I was shooting in Av because the Sun peaked out from behind the clouds, and before I had the chance to adjust my ISO downward, something happened in the event I was covering and I snapped the picture.

If you dropped your ISO from 400 to 100, your shutter speed would drop from 1/8000s to 1/2000s which is still plenty fast for this level of baseball.

Thanks for the advice! I will give your advice on Monday (Another baseball game), I think ISO 100 should do well seeing as it is supposed to rain so I might have to wait longer :(.

[bobbyz]

I will start with ISO200 rather than ISO 100, like Dennis mentioned. Also use center focus point only.

What lens you using?

[dmwierz]

I will start with ISO200 rather than ISO 100, like Dennis mentioned. Also use center focus point only.

What lens you using?

Bobby,

Actually, I wasn't suggesting ISO100 - only using it as an example of the ISO extreme, and what the resulting shutter speed would be for the OP's apparent conditions.

I also start shooting at ISO200 for sunny conditions and see what happens. I don't think I've ever had to go lower than 200, as if I did, I'd just stop down my lens.

Dennis

[bobbyz]

Sorry Dennis, I meant OP start with ISO 200 like you suggested, unlike ISO100 which OP is thinking of starting with.