First time shooting sports. Advice?

Well guys, after speaking with a few fellow photogs, both here in my area and 2 who I spent vacation visiting, I have decided to dable in youth sports in my area and see how it goes.

I know a few coaches in my area here and alot of parents who have kids in baseball, soccer, and lax. so I have an in and plan to try a little of each and see what happens.

I called one of the parents and found out she is on a committee who works with the baseball and softball leauges around here. She said she will arrange a meeting with the correct people I need to speak to.

Said that there is no one shooting anything in our area at the moment. They usually try to find someone to shoot the tournies but said even that is a PITA. She said they would love to find someone to shoot more of the games through the season.


Now for the technical stuff. Currently I only have the one camera and only one lens. The economy has forced me to sell alot of gear. Ill be shooting with a 5D and 70-200 2.8IS. may buy a 1.4x or 2x converter if I need one. I have never shot sports of any kind so ofcourse my first few outings will be for practice

My plan is to photograph the games and upload them to photoreflect and let the parents buy from there. Ill have some business cards with me to hand out and was thinking about having a few shirts printed with the website on the back so while Im shooting the game, the parents in the stand can see where the pictures will be available.

Is there anything else I should be doing or any tips you guys would mind passing along for shooting?

I have shot lots of weddings, portraits of seniors and kids and know my gear inside and out and how to use it so I guess Ill just have to get used to a new shooting situation.

Field sports will be best shot with longer lenses. Hopefully, these are all day games. If so, you may want to start by using the 70-200 f/2.8 with the 1.4 TC. Try that for a while and see how that goes before spending big $$$. Here is a college football shot with that lens combo:

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Study the sport you will be shooting. In your case, that's baseball and softball. Make sure you have basic knowledge about these sports games so you would know your approach. For example, softball is boundary-based. With this in mind, you would gauge better where is the best place (where there will be action) to shoot at.

Cheers!

Captain Kimo

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=136949

You might get a bit frustrated by the AF system of the 5D, it's really not made for sports but that won't stop you getting some great shots out of it. Good luck and have fun.

Thank you all very much for the info. That link is very helpful also sledhed.

For baseball, I would think that your 5D would do just fine as long as the games aren't at night. The players shouldn't be difficult to track at all since they only run in a very predictable direction for the most part. I think that you should try shooting some baseball and softball first before you dive into this just to see how well the 5D actually performs.

If you do end up buying something then I'd recommend a 40D. It will be good to have a second body on hand which might be better suited to sports and the crop factor will eliminate the need for a TC. When I shot baseball the one time (I absolutely hated it and will never shoot baseball/softball again if I can help it) I found that I was waiting for action a lot. So while I waited for action, I was getting my basics shots with either the 300 or the 70-200. Well, needless to say that sometimes when the action did come about, I didn't always have the right lens mounted and a second body would have certainly helped.

You can find cheap 40D's and even 30D's should get the job done.

JasonRussell wrote in post #7893011
That link is very helpful also sledhed.

Jerry's one of the best baseball photographers around here.

Instead of making someone else rich (eg. photo hosting co.) - IMHO before you do any shooting spend enough time getting your own selling website together - Why split any profits with some company when with a little work you can keep everything yourself.

Sure it can be a little work setting up you own website but in the long run it will be time / money well spent.

IMHO - this is the most important part of the equation and it's most often the most overlooked.

Work for yourself or make someone else rich - now is the time to decide.

Thanks guys. After doing more research I think Im in over my head if I go through with this idea haha.

I know I can pull it off but I just dont think I have the right equipment right now. I really should have another body and a longer lens. I may just put this off till next season after seeing how this wedding season is going to go for me.

JasonRussell wrote in post #7895195
Thanks guys. After doing more research I think Im in over my head if I go through with this idea haha.

I know I can pull it off but I just dont think I have the right equipment right now. I really should have another body and a longer lens. I may just put this off till next season after seeing how this wedding season is going to go for me.

Use this season to do a little experimenting with what you have. Try softball for example (pitchers/catchers/inf​ield). If nothing else, it will help you decide what you do or don't need for next year.

Good point. Ill just speak with the parents I know and go photograph their kids atleast

You can also rent lenses to see which works better for you.