Lax on a bright sunny afternoon...

[spalmer]

I need some ideas on how to improve my photos on bright sunny afternoons. I'm looking for pointers on how to obtain more colorful and sharper images. Here is a couple from an early evening game at around 5 PM. I primarily use a Canon 400mm 2.8 I with a 1dMIIN set in Av mode, partial metering, AI Servo with AWB. Feel free to PP.

[spalmer]

NO ideas anyone? No pointers for bright sunny days?

[Lacks_focus]

What have you done to them already? If those are out of the camera with nothing but a resize, they don’t look bad at all to me. Maybe a bump in contrast and saturation would make them pop a little. You can use the wand tool to select the darker spots in the players face mask. Then use levels to brighten them up a bit.

Bright sunny day at 5PM is going to be hard due to the uneven light. Your first shot may have benefited from a +1/3 or more bump in EC if you're going to stick with AV. Maybe a little fill flash if it's aloud on the field? I shoot indoor sports, so the light is more even. Very poor most of the time, but at least even! Good luck.

Which team are you shooting for? I only ask because my Son’s hockey team plays Rockville in ice hockey. The teams name is actually Manville as it is a pairing of Rockville and Manchester. I wonder if any of those kids also play hockey. They are our biggest rival and share the same rink as home ice…

[Joe Cyr]

Is partial metering what you always use? I haven't used that or spot metering very much, but maybe that is the way to go? These look good.

[spalmer]

Thanks for the input. The white team in the photo is a Rockville CT player. The purple is Ellington CT. Yes, there are quite of few hockey players on both teams, Tri-Town and ManRock. In fact, both goalies are hockey players.
I have been mixing the metering up lately, but 90% of the time I am using partial. I use this mode exclusively for ice hockey, and just recently started varying it to see if other settings work better in the outdoors. I still haven't determined which works better, yet.

[Lacks_focus]

Interesting that you mention using partial metering for ice hockey. I assume you're using AV mode there as well? Something you may not have tried yet and possibly not the best idea for 5PM bright sun, but maybe give Manual a chance. I use it exclusively for ice hockey. I just meter off the ice and then bump the EV +2 stops. Works well. Makes the ice nice and white and puts the players in the middle of the histogram. In the rinks around here I get 1/250 @ 2.8 and 1600 or 1/320 to 1/400 @ 2.8 and 3200. I'd imagine you could meter off the grass, or maybe the players jerseys and get decent results. The key would be to get the player exposed properly. This may mean the background is a little blown out, or maybe dark, but you’re after a good shot of the player, so no problem... Maybe to mitigate the late afternoon sun problems, pick one spot to shoot from at a time and meter for that location and shooting direction. The light shouldn't change too much if you’re shooting in the same spot, say near the goal line.

You mentioned focus. With that lens and camera combo, those pics should be pretty sharp without too much work. What are you using for a focus point? Most people say ALWAYS use the center point. Well, I guess that's good advice for most situations, but I have found the 1D series can give better (more consistent) results if you modify that a bit. I pick a point above center (depending on whether you're shooting H or V). My reasoning is if your goal is to get a clean face shot, why are you putting a focus point somewhere near the player’s belly? If you're shooting wide open, your DOF may be shallow enough to give an OOF face but sharp mid section. If you put a focus point on the upper chest, you’re going to have a much better chance of getting a sharp face shot. This is especially true if the sport is something like hockey where the players spend a lot of time leaning forward. Helps you frame the shot better too.

So, are you from Ellington? I saw a few other parents shooting this hockey season, but I don’t remember anyone shooting for the Rockville / Manchester team. We didn’t play Ellington this year, but they are changing the league around again, so maybe I’ll see you out there next year. My son plays for BCL. Not a great season for us last year, but they were recovering from a loss of 10(!) seniors. This year should be better.

[spalmer]

I always shoot hockey in Manual, center focus point, partial metering and with the highest shutter speed attainable. Unfortunately, the 1dIIN is terribly noisy at ISO 3200, so typicaly I will shoot ISO 1600, 2.8 and 1/320 and faster and always in RAW.
I never considered using anything other than the center focus point. I think trying a different point, one that is closer to the player's face may indeed make an improvement. I did notice that I get quite a few missed shots because the camera focussed in on the players hands, which are extended a good distance out in front of their face. I have to review my camera manual, I do believe I am able to switch points on the fly to a preselected position. Is this true?
Anyways, my son plays for Tri-Town. Looking forward to next season, both my sons will be playing together for the first time. Should make for some great photo moments. Here are a few of my hockey pics taken this past season.

[Lacks_focus]

Unfortunately, the 1dIIN is terribly noisy at ISO 3200, so typicaly I will shoot ISO 1600, 2.8 and 1/320 and faster and always in RAW.

I do believe I am able to switch points on the fly to a preselected position. Is this true?

I used to think 3200 was barely usable on my MK2 until I actually tried it. It was about 1/2 way through the season that I started using 3200 for most rinks. If you over expose a little you can get pretty good results. I do a very light batch process in Noiseware Pro to clean them up, but I could probably get away with out doing that. The key is to NOT underexpose. If I meter 1/250 @ 2.8 and 1600, I'll shoot at 1/320 or 1/400 @2.8 and 3200. In other words, I'm effectively using EC +1/3 to 2/3rds. I shoot JPG only. RAW would take too long to process! I am getting 700 - 1000 shots per game at two to three games a week during the season!

Here are a few examples shot at 3200.

http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/482956134_JyebE-XL.jpg

http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/481165990_kW9v2-XL.jpg

http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/478003780_iWpKu-XL.jpg

Yes, you can change focus points on the fly. Another easy way is if you have focus set to the * button rather than the shutter. You can set one point to the * butting for shooting horizontal, and then you can register a point for the other button (forget what it's called) for when you're shooting vertical.

[spalmer]

Wow. Those hockey shots were taken at Bolton Ice Palace? That rink is lit like a dungeon. I am impressed. I will definately take your advice next season using iso 3200 & overexposing. I read about that technique before, overexposing to compensate for noise, I guess it really works. My logo was taken 26 years ago at that very same rink against Manchester. Small world.

[Lacks_focus]

My logo was taken 26 years ago at that very same rink against Manchester. Small world.

That's pretty cool! The BIP is definitely one of the older rinks. I'm new to the area, so I've only been to rinks BCL has played in during the 08/09 season. From what I saw, the BIP is definitely one of the darker ones!