Cloudy Day Football Game C&C Please

I'm seeking some C&C on the following images. After I get some feedback, I'll tell you why I was asking. Thanks guys! By the way, great NJ small school football game. Both teams came in undefeated, and they could meet again in the playoffs. #11 in the white is the son of former Oakland Raider great Phil Villipiano by the way.

All taken with the 50D, 70-200 f2.8 (non-IS) with a 1.4x TC

1. ISO 1000 1/1250 f4 +2/3 EV

All seem a bit cool (blue tint)
All have horizon off
Could be cropped tighter

Thanks for the feedback Dave. I have been primarily shooting night football, so this was my first day game in a while. I do have a problem with my horizons. I'm working on it!

I am not a post processing expert by a long shot, but they look like they could use a bit more contrast for day time shots

lets see...

there is clipping on the red jerseys on almost all of the shots. Id tone down your saturation a tad at least with the red levels.

You also have some blown high lights in the white jerseys..

#2 is underexposed...

I take it you were in AV for all of these? what I would do is learn to shoot in manual for football unless the light is changing like every few minutes..

Not bad but You do have some stuff to work out . Good luck with the rest of the season.

Not sure how many games you've shot with the 50D and 70-200, but better results than when I started out! And the shots will get better for you as well. As Canonloader pointed out, shooting in AV isn't really necessary unless it's a fast moving clouds/sun mix going on. If things are pretty overcast, pic a lower ISO and about 1/640 and you'll be good to go.

You did a great job positioning yourself to get faces AND action. Great job, there.

Here are a couple of shots from last saturday, (clouds/sun mix) with the exact same gear:

1) Run Play

snyderman wrote in post #8867114
As Canonloader pointed out...

I find this funny, I'm not the only one who likes to play your parents and rename ya.

H20boy wrote in post #8867195
I find this funny, I'm not the only one who likes to play your parents and rename ya.

Oops! meant CanonNOOB!!! Sorry Dave, didn't mean any disrespect!

dave

Rofl everyone has been getting my name wrong lately lol.. I have been called canonbob twice and bob, and now canon loader lol someone should send him a link and see what he thinks ..

nice shots. what schools are these?

CosmoKid wrote in post #8867408
nice shots. what schools are these?

The schools are Keyport (red) vs. Rumson Fair Haven (white). Both teams came in undefeated. RFH won in double OT on a field goal 24-21. This is Shore Conference Football. What part of the state are you from Cosmo?

Thanks to all for your feedback. You guys are a great source of information, and it is truly appreciated. The reason I asked for your opinions, was that these shots (and others from this game) were rejected by MaxPreps. The reason they rejected them is not anything that was mentioned on this board. They stated that there was a focusing issue. Do any of these shots look OOF to you guys? There were a few in the gallery where the shutter speed dropped below 500, possibly due to my shooting in Av. The light was changing, as it did get lighter as the game progressed, and then started getting cloudy again right at the end.

I was shooting with the 1.4x TC on, which I have found to slow down my focus at times, but that does not appear to be the case in these shots.

I will try to shoot manual for the next day game I get to attend. Due to other commitments on Saturdays, I have only been shooting night games.

Another question for the board: I am using center point focus, but what metering mode would you recommend for day, and night shots?

Thanks again guys!

bnorm27 wrote in post #8872636
The schools are Keyport (red) vs. Rumson Fair Haven (white). Both teams came in undefeated. RFH won in double OT on a field goal 24-21. This is Shore Conference Football. What part of the state are you from Cosmo?

Much closer to the swamps then you are! I live in Nutley but my aunt lives in Fair Haven and I almost bought a house there. I play poker at Kevin Smith's comic store in Red Bank a few times a year.

bnorm27 wrote in post #8872669
Thanks to all for your feedback. You guys are a great source of information, and it is truly appreciated. The reason I asked for your opinions, was that these shots (and others from this game) were rejected by MaxPreps. The reason they rejected them is not anything that was mentioned on this board. They stated that there was a focusing issue. Do any of these shots look OOF to you guys? There were a few in the gallery where the shutter speed dropped below 500

Yes, I saw them yesterday and thought they looked soft. But I wouldn't say OOF unless I can point to a specific point in the picture where it was actually focussed.

Where did you intend to focus in pic #1? Ideally you want his eyes to be sharp. But in sports, most of us aim at the jersey... even at 2.8, most of the time you get enough depth of field to include the face.

Can you post a 100% crop of the QB's face... without any PP... no sharpening at all. Are you using default Sharpness settings in camera? Are you using any USM in post?

SS is fast enough at 1/1250". DoF is deep enough at f/4. So IMHO, you should be able to get sharper than what we're seeing. So it's either your 1.4x TC, your lens/body misfocus, or technique (IS not spun up, breathing, steady hand, down motion during shutter press, etc)

clarence wrote in post #8872784
Yes, I saw them yesterday and thought they looked soft. But I wouldn't say OOF unless I can point to a specific point in the picture where it was actually focussed.

Where did you intend to focus in pic #1? Ideally you want his eyes to be sharp. But in sports, most of us aim at the jersey... even at 2.8, most of the time you get enough depth of field to include the face.

Can you post a 100% crop of the QB's face... without any PP... no sharpening at all. Are you using default Sharpness settings in camera? Are you using any USM in post?

SS is fast enough at 1/1250". DoF is deep enough at f/4. So IMHO, you should be able to get sharper than what we're seeing. So it's either your 1.4x TC, your lens/body misfocus, or technique (IS not spun up, breathing, steady hand, down motion during shutter press, etc)

Clarence, thanks for your input. The lens is a non-IS version, and it was mounted on a monopod. I looked at the 100% crop, and it does look soft. I'm going to blame the TC at this moment. I'll go without the TC for now, and just wait for the action to come to me a bit more.

As far as the sharpening, I am using a user defined setting in the camera. This is what it includes:

File Name IMG_0067.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS 50D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.7
Shooting Date/Time 10/17/2009 12:30:15 PM
Author Photographer: Bill Normile
Owner's Name Bill Normile
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/1250
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation +2/3
ISO Speed 1000
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM +1.4x
Focal Length 280.0mm
Image Size 3267x2178
Image Quality sRAW1
Flash Off
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Servo AF
Picture Style User Defined 1(Neutral)
Sharpness 5
Contrast 1
Saturation 2
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Standard
Highlight tone priority 0isable
Auto Lighting Optimizer 0:Standard
Peripheral illumination correction Disable
File Size 12675KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode High-speed continuous shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
AF Microadjustment 0
Date/Time(UTC)
Latitude
Longitude
Altitude
Geographic coordinate system
Camera Body No. 1320501517
Comment

I did sharpen a tad more in Digital Photo Professional, I think I brought it uo to an 8 (out of 10).