A little bit of Rugby Union...

[gmen]

I don't often get the opportunity to shoot Rugby (in this case the Union variety - just to avoid any confusion!), but I always enjoy it when I do - here are a few pics from last Sunday...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc001.jpg

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc002.jpg

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc003.jpg

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc004.jpg

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc005.jpg

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc006.jpg

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc007.jpg

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bc008.jpg

[kawter2]

wow great shots!!

Seems like a relaxing way to spend an afternoon ;)

[Skip Souza]

I'm impressed.

[Croasdail]

Great shots. Question for you - I was reading on another forum (I know - first mistake) a long running argument about DOF and having it as small as possible. It does not seem as though these are shot wide open - as you are catching a lot more then the immediate ball handler - and are getting a lot of emotion in the immediate area. You have any suggestions or recommendations. I have a 2.8 lens but almost never shoot it that way. Thanks for sharing and awsome shots.... I will have to check out the local rugby scene...

[gmen]

Great shots. Question for you - I was reading on another forum (I know - first mistake) a long running argument about DOF and having it as small as possible. It does not seem as though these are shot wide open - as you are catching a lot more then the immediate ball handler - and are getting a lot of emotion in the immediate area. You have any suggestions or recommendations. I have a 2.8 lens but almost never shoot it that way. Thanks for sharing and awsome shots.... I will have to check out the local rugby scene...

Thanks Croasdail!

To answer your question, these shots are taken wide open with a 300mm f/2.8L + 1.4x extender - all the exposures are 1/1000s at f/4. If I'm shooting sports pics of this type, I rarely (if ever) stop my lens down. Obviously using a straight 400mm f/2.8 wide open would make a difference to the dof - but I'd probably still be shooting wide open. Investing considerable sums in fast glass definitely makes you want to get your money's worth by using that maximum aperture as much as possible!

Having said that... with rugby, there may be an argument for stopping down slightly. There is a certain 'density' to the action - often both in front of and behind the player on the ball (more so than football for example). So f/4 when working at 400mm or so might be about right for rugby. It's certainly an interesting debate.

[PhotosGuy]

Great shots!

[gmen]

Great shots!

Much appreciated PhotosGuy!

[Hydro]

GMEN, great shots as always. If you don't mind keeping the clinic open a bit longer, I have a couple of questions. After some good results shooting basketball with the 85mm 1.8, I am now starting to shoot my daughters soccer with the Sigma 70-200. After reading about that lens being soft at 2.8 I stopped down a click while still getting some acceptable DOF. But I don't come close to achieving that tack sharpness present in your images.

Is there an ISO range you try to stay in while shooting in good daylight conditions? I am under the impression that the lower the ISO the less noise and better image. Is noise reduction always required? Is there a lot of post processing necessary?

I am kind of frustrated because of my still limited ability in PSE3. I shoot raw, adjust the exposure/white balance if required, then do the quickie buttons in the standard editing screen. Sometimes I seem to do more harm than good.

Maybe it is the Sigma lens also---and it can't match the L lens. I was thinking about getting the 1.4 extender, but now think that maybe I should sell the thing, bite the bullet, and get the Canon.

Sorry for all the questions. If anyone else has any insights I sure would appreciate hearing them. Until then, I sure am learning alot from this forum, and really enjoy some of the excellent examples of sports photography. It really gives me something to shoot for.

[bigrob]

For me nos 4 & 8 are the best.

In 4 the three guys faces and how they are lined up is brilliant.

In 8 the concentration on the guys faces is great. You think the guy in white is going to get the ball, but the way a rugby ball bounces, you can't be sure.

I've just posted a few rugby pics in Critique corner if anyone has any comments.

Hope I'm not hijacking Gmen, just want people to look at my rugger ones (after yours).

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=69878

[gmen]

GMEN, great shots as always. If you don't mind keeping the clinic open a bit longer, I have a couple of questions. After some good results shooting basketball with the 85mm 1.8, I am now starting to shoot my daughters soccer with the Sigma 70-200. After reading about that lens being soft at 2.8 I stopped down a click while still getting some acceptable DOF. But I don't come close to achieving that tack sharpness present in your images.

Is there an ISO range you try to stay in while shooting in good daylight conditions? I am under the impression that the lower the ISO the less noise and better image. Is noise reduction always required? Is there a lot of post processing necessary?

I am kind of frustrated because of my still limited ability in PSE3. I shoot raw, adjust the exposure/white balance if required, then do the quickie buttons in the standard editing screen. Sometimes I seem to do more harm than good.

Maybe it is the Sigma lens also---and it can't match the L lens. I was thinking about getting the 1.4 extender, but now think that maybe I should sell the thing, bite the bullet, and get the Canon.

Sorry for all the questions. If anyone else has any insights I sure would appreciate hearing them. Until then, I sure am learning alot from this forum, and really enjoy some of the excellent examples of sports photography. It really gives me something to shoot for.

Cheers Hydro.

Much of my work is on a very tight deadline - often I need to transmit images 20-30 minutes into a match or immediately after full-time. Therefore shooting RAW isn't always an option for me - the few minutes of additional processing time can be problematic.

So my philosophy is simple. Get it right first time and maximise the quality of those high res jpegs whilst minimising the post-processing time. All I really want to have to do is perhaps add a little contrast/tweak the levels, crop, resize, apply USM (depending on the publication and ISO used), caption and send.

With sport shots like these, I tend to shoot at around 1/1000s wide open. I only shift the ISO upwards if the light is fading as I try to maintain the shutter speed. The only time I consider the use of noise reduction is when I hit ISO3200. The noise is highly acceptable on the 1D MkII at all other ISO ratings IF you get the exposure right. To that end, I (almost) always shoot in manual and use my handheld meter.

Another factor is the nailing the focus. Use your focus points wisely. I always register a focus point that is relevant to the subject matter that I'm shooting and use CF 4-1. Also, if I'm not shooting RAW (i.e. more often than not), I'll be careful about the white balance - particularly indoors and under floodlighting.

If you get these factors right, then the 'potential' image quality will just be down to the glass you are using. I have no direct experience of the Sigma lens you have - but I'd be surprised if it wasn't pretty good if stopped down to f/3.5 or f/4.0. Although if you want to be able to shoot successfully at f/2.8 then an L lens is probably the only way to go.

On deadline the less post production work I need to do the better! Obviously when there's no deadline to hit, RAW is the way to go but getting the basics right is fundamental no matter what format you're shooting. Also I've found that auto-levels and auto-contrast on PS can sometimes be your worst enemy - so avoid them if you can!

[Hydro]

GMEN, Thanks so much for taking the time to help out a newbie. I really appreciate it, and always look forward to your posts.

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Woah, looks like a very painful sport! haha! Nice shots though. I love all the action.

[3oh6]

good stuff as always gavin, but i am complimenting you on answering the questions others have for you more than on the photos, not that they are not of your quality...get my drift. it is nice to see such a quality answer without wearing out your keyboard on a couple of pretty broad questions...i thank you as well for that.

[gmen]

GMEN, Thanks so much for taking the time to help out a newbie. I really appreciate it, and always look forward to your posts.

No problem at all Hydro - hope it helps a little.