Shooting Football (Soccer) from the Crowd ?

Its been a while since Ive been to a live football match and not just because I am Leeds supporter ... I just dont seem to get time these days (except for a Barcelona game earlier this year thatw as great even if we were sat up in the gods) but a friend has invited me to the Birmingham V Wolves game this weeked and I am able to make it.

Question is, will I be able to indulge my fairly new hobby and take some shots from the crowd and can I expect to manage much with a 70-200 F4 L on my 30D ? (+ hopefully a couple of wide angle shots with the 10-22)

Apparently were right on the half way line and only 6 rows back so probably not a bad position to shoot from ... you reckon ? Also are stewards likely to obejct to me lugging a smallish camera bag in is one of things I arent sure of.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry i gotta say this.. take it as you will.. probably ignore as many do

Your not allowed to photograph from the terraces or stands of any ground at any level in the UK ... Not even official photographers with permission to be there are allowed to take photographs of a match from the stands...

OK so old trafford and KO .. 50 thousand flashes go off.. its a hard rule to enforce.. especially with mega pixel phones... But at the end of the day the stewards can turf you out.. and thats more likely if your using a big lens. (200 is considered BIG to non photographers)


Otherwise half way line 6 rows back with a 200 and you will caputer anything on that sideline nicely.. but take them within the first half an hr... light fades fast in these winter months and I doubt an F4 will hack it when the floodlights come on...

have fun and dont get caught

Cheers for the info matey and thats exactly the sort of info. I was after, I hear what your saying about the rules etc but as youve already said they are completely silly with 2+ megapixel camera phones these days arent they, it would be harder to find someone without a camera than with one at sme times I reckon !

When I went to the Nou Camp I took my camera and it wasnt a problem getting it in at all and there were tons of other people using cameras and the stewards didnt seem to mind at all ... although there werent as many stewards there as you see at English games and also we were nearly right at the back so a telescope would have been better than a camera

One of the good things is that its a 12 oclock kick off so gonna get as much light as yah can expect this time of year in the UK .. which aint a lot but better than it would have been with a 3pm kick off.

Hmm still undecided ... may just end up taking my 350D with the 10-22 to get a couple of nice wide angles.

Thanks again for your reply.

You need to ask yourself, when the steward asks you at the gate to hand over the camera and collect at full time or not enter the ground, will you be concerned that it is going to be easy to find that steward come full time?. or are you happy in that instance to not enter the ground.
I have a friend who takes photos with a camera phone and can get that into a ground because its a phone, but has been given the choice of taking his bridge camera back to the car or leaving it with a steward. kipax is right, you almost surely will have this problem. Steve

Banbert...

I'd certainly go along with the advice that the other guys have posted, i.e. that it's probably advisable to leave the 70-200 at home. The rules are strictly observed both at Premiership and Football League grounds nowadays, not least in light of the very rigorous Licencing restrictions that the accredited photographers have to adhere to.

soccersnaps wrote in post #2271820
You need to ask yourself, when the steward asks you at the gate to hand over the camera and collect at full time or not enter the ground, will you be concerned that it is going to be easy to find that steward come full time?. or are you happy in that instance to not enter the ground.
I have a friend who takes photos with a camera phone and can get that into a ground because its a phone, but has been given the choice of taking his bridge camera back to the car or leaving it with a steward. kipax is right, you almost surely will have this problem. Steve

On a side note Steve, I was just having a quick peek at your website and it was interesting to see that we have both shot at the same (fairly obscure) game in the past: Ilford vs Flackwell Heath, Associate Members Trophy Final back in May 2005. Small world...

---- Gavin

Hi, i remeber talking to another tog at that game at half time, as there was just the 2 of us, hello again. My son played in goal that day for Flackwell Heath, he's now playing for Bracknell town. hope we run into each other again at a future match . Steve

Cheers guys, sounds like i would be better off leaving the proper camera at home then and making do with the camera phone and enjoying the game .... maybe I will see if the local leamington team has anyone that photographs them and see if I can do some there.