First time shooting soccer

[Television]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2468/4024811928_07613350f9.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4024056419_d962550f56.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2784/4024811490_b626a18fab.jpg

any suggestions always help :)

thanks

[aroundlsu]

Were these really the best images you got? I would say they are OK, but don't show much. Doesn't look like any big plays or anything. They are in focus and exposed properly but they just don't show me anything interesting.

[Television]

sorry!

heres a couple more

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b148/l28888/IMG_5660.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b148/l28888/IMG_5702.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b148/l28888/IMG_5646.jpg

[Robert_Lay]

The second shot is the one with the greatest potential. However, be advised that you have to be quite careful when shooting into the sun that way. It really needed a lens hood to avoid all that glare on the lens, which reduces the contrast.

[joedlh]

Soccer shots are tough. The lighting is often harsh due to the time of day. Another factor is the large field. One must wait for the action to come near. When I did it, I was always on the wrong side of the field. On the rare occasions that I was on the right side, the sun was on the wrong side.

#1 is a nice action shot. However, I haven't seen players all bunched up like that since my kids played in the 6-year old league.

#2 pretty good shot, given that she's back lit. It looks a little tonally flat (blacks appear gray). Check the levels histogram.

#3 I'm not a fan of shots of people walking away from the camera. A problem here is the juxtaposition of the black and white shirts, which exceeded the camera's dynamic range. Something has to give. In this case, it was the white shirt, as evidenced by the blown out highlights.

[Television]

Thanks a ton!

#1 was a corner kick, thus the huge bunch

i definately agree with you on the large field but i still find it pretty intriguing to take pictures of especially with good friends on the team


more suggestions and tips are always welcome! thanks!

[ShutteringFocus]

Tele - Sports are all about timing and position. You have to be in a position to see the action, and you have to push the button at the right time.

Soccer is hard for the above mentioned reasons, hard light, fast action, huge field, etc.

I find the best place to position myself is actually in the "end zones" to the right or left of the goals. I sometimes get kicked out of this position by refs or field managers because they think it is distracting to the players, but with nothing more than 200mm I can stand far enough back from the field and still get good shots.

I also watch the players closely and memorize numbers. If there is a guy who always gets the ball, either because he is really good or his team strategy involves playing his side heavily, I will move. If there is a forward playing left side that gets the ball all the time you can bet your 70-200 2.8L that I'm going to be on the left side of the field on the end that his team is approaching. That way I'm on his side, and he will be coming straight at me!

Here are a few examples of how shooting from the ends gets you a better perspective. You can see faces and you are facing the action, rather than the side of it. It's true that you only get to see 50% of the action (the other 50% is moving away from you) but the 50% you do see is right in your face.

Also, most of the exciting stuff happens close to the goal. It's where a lot of "moves" are made.

[ShutteringFocus]

One more: This one is from one of my favorite spots on the field, right in the corner, slightly towards the goal. (this shot was blocked by the way - if I had a Mark series pro body I could have had a burst speed fast enough to capture that too! ;) )

[juanpafer]

You can probably pump the contrast a little. I would also use a wider aperture to isolate the subjects from the background.