550EX Flash with sports

[avaloncm]

I hope this is the right place to post this, while sports is the topic, it is a flash question.

I am shooting some high school football in not so well lit stadiums. I have a 30D with a 550EX flash, and a Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6 lens.

First of all, I realize that my lens is a large part of the problem and I need a faster lens. I will deal with that as I can, but have to make do right now.

I am mounting the flash on top of the camera and shooting with a monopod. I am on the sidelines and generally shoot when the action is half way across the field or closer.

The other night I was shooting with the flash and many times the first picture would be overexposed, the second would be just about right and the 3rd a little dark. So obviously, I am shooting 3 quick shots and the flash is too strong on the first. Any ideas how to adjust this on the 550EX. I am getting red-eye on players further away, I would like to eliminate that.

Also, I saw a guy with his flash mounted on his monopod about a foot and a half lower than his camera. Why would this be done and what are the advantages.

Thanks for any input you may have!

[DavidW]

Red eye is avoided by getting the flash further away from the lens axis. Conventionally this is done by mounting the flash on a flash bracket above the camera - but seeing as you have no background to cast shadows on, below the camera will work just as well - hence, I guess, the flash on the monopod (via an off shoe cord and the appropriate mounting hardware).


The 'too strong flash' problem is fairly simple - dial in some negative FEC. It sounds as if the second flash is firing as a quick flash without full recycling, hence it's weaker. By the third flash, you had so little charge left in the flash capacitor (without time for it to recover) that you had underexposure.

If you get the negative FEC correct and the flash isn't recycling fast enough, make sure you're using good NiMH batteries in the flash (Alkaline are pretty useless in a flash - their higher internal resistance makes for slower recycling). If that still doesn't do the trick, you probably need an external high voltage battery pack for the flash so that it recycles faster.



David

[Curtis N]

Originally Posted by avaloncm

many times the first picture would be overexposed...

Besides adjusting the FEC as David mentioned, check your custom function 14 setting on the 30D. I would probably recommend setting it to 0 (Evaluative ETTL). The other setting (Average ETTL) will often overexpose when there is no close background.

Disclaimer: Night sports really aren't my thing.

[Moppie]

Originally Posted by avaloncm

and a Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6 lens.

Iv tried useing mine in the day time to shoot soccer, I wouldn't even bother at night.
As I'm sure your finding out, its not the ideal lens, if you get good results from it then you can safely say its all because of your skill and nothing to do with the lens.

I have however used my 550ex and a borrowed 70-200 to shoot basket ball.
If you keep your sigma in that 70-200 range the 550 will have no trouble keeping up for 2-3 shots if the batteries are good. As you get beyond the 200 mm range the extra power required will reduce the number of flashes you get before the capictor is full discharged.
You will of course need to keep the 70-300 wide open.

Also shooting at ISO 3200 if its really dark will help. It reduces how much power the flash needs to put out, and means you might get enough abmient light as well to provide some atmosphere.


All of that said I never liked how the flashed basketball photos looked, and stuck with shooting wide open at ISO 3200.

[avaloncm]

Thanks for the ideas - any more thoughts are greatly appreciated!