HS Volleyball

OK, back into vball season and here are a few from my daughters last match. Please feel free to C+C on anything that might help me improve. WB all over the place as the gym got darker. Noise reduction using Nik Dfine 2.0 automatic settings. Any assistance with that would be appreciated also...
1.

IMAGE LINK: http://mvandenburg.smu​gmug.com …078379&k=Dj4MvV​B&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: http://mvandenburg.smu​gmug.com …079494&k=9RFXwF​X&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: http://mvandenburg.smu​gmug.com …079767&k=x7Jv7Q​j&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: http://mvandenburg.smu​gmug.com …079307&k=nx4PWq​F&lb=1&s=A

Big windows in a gym are a mixed bag. I really like # 3 and #4, nice action, but the windows in the background are a distraction. Too bad architects don't ask our advice when they build gyms, right? Last night I was shooting my daughter's VB match and about half the lights were off. What the...?

Nice action shots, but most look underexposed. What mode where you shooting in? I see lots of windows with natural light in the gym. Looks like your camera may have exposed for the natural light it was catching through the windows instead of the players. Don't really know - just a guess - I'm still learning and pretty green myself.

BTW, I think you did a good job on WB considering the mix of artificial and natural light, especially on #3. I can't tell in #4 if the whites are a little grey due to WB off a little or underexposure. Someone with a better eye than mine might be able to comment.

Overall, good capture of the action.

On #1, I would crop it tighter to get rid of the onlookers to the left. They somewhat detract from the image and look bored. If they appeared excited, I might leave them in. I think 2 and 4 could also be cropped a little closer which might help get rid of some of the distracting window at the top of the frame.

All four look a little flat. I would spend some time working on the contrast and sharpening to see if you can get a little more "pop." If you are shooting in RAW, which I recommend, play with the various sliders in ACR - clarity, vibrance, saturation, highlights, etc. to increase the pop.

Thanks for the suggestions...All are appreciated. I was shooting my 7D with 135 f/2 @ 1/800, f/2, Auto ISO (most often around 1600). The windows are a bit deceptive. You walk in the gym and then down stairs to get to the court. They are 30 feet away and 15 feet above on one side and 20 feet away and 5-10 feet above on the other. The worst part of the gym is no AC and blazing hot.

I need to work on my PP skills for sure. I shoot RAW and use Aperture for processing. my workflow is pretty sad...I hit auto enhance, then auto exposure and adjust maybe a little. I use the dropper for WB and choose the natural gray setting and click it on the ball somewhere (my ghetto gray card). I actually use an expodisc before the game starts but usually about halfway through the sun goes down and everything changes. I then sharpen the eyes and run the photo through Dfine for noise reduction (auto). Crop and then done. I haven't tried messing with ACR - clarity, vibrance, saturation, highlights. I'm afraid I would make it worse but maybe I need to give it a go. I normally would crop a lot tighter but tried to show more this time...maybe I go back and re-crop a few.

Really nice action shots.

I envy all the light you had available I normally end up at ISO6400 and is lucky to get 1/500 @ 2.8 ( I prefer to use a 70-200 2.8 for more flexibility).

bulldog-yota wrote in post #14995638
Really nice action shots.

I envy all the light you had available I normally end up at ISO6400 and is lucky to get 1/500 @ 2.8 ( I prefer to use a 70-200 2.8 for more flexibility).

Thanks, I normally shoot with the 70-200 2.8 mkii as well but have been trying different things lately just to change it up.

scsurfdad wrote in post #14996525
Thanks, I normally shoot with the 70-200 2.8 mkii as well but have been trying different things lately just to change it up.

Hey I don't know if you have shot the 85mm 1.8, that lens works real nice in VB as well as the 135 F2 and the 100mm F2.
Good Luck