More Night Football (almost there)

I almost feel as if it is time to give up on flashing night football and stick with the high ISO.

I left the field Friday sky high, thinking I nailed do many shots ... enough to get me approved for MaxPreps night shooting ... but I would never even consider sending these.

Here are a few of my better shots ... sadly enough, I grabbed the video mono-pod and not the mono-pod set up for night football, so my flash was only a few inches below the lens, thus a lot of RED EYE!!

p.s. I also unpacked and charged the 7D's batteries at 3 pm that day. It was shooting on the fly without even looking at the manual.

Setup:
1) 7D with 300 2.8 on a mono, Flash hanging hooked underneath (aout 3 inches)
2) 50D with 70-200 2.8

C&C, advice, critique all welcome.

1. 7D; 1/200; f/2.8; 300 mm; Ex +2.57; ISO 400; Exposure Bias: 0 EV; Flash: Off -- This really confuses me, it really did.

Flash: Off

You may be experience the same thing as me. When the players were at perfect range for the flash, I got a well exposed, sharp shot. If they were farther away, dark; too close were blown out.

I'm sticking to high ISO ambient shots. Even those who completely nail flashed football and get great shots, it's not what it looks like to my eyes.

dave

what are you using to fire your flash? if you are wirelessly triggering the flash it wont show up as "Flash Fired"

to me it looks like your flash is pointed too low and thus you are getting quite a bit of lighted grass in front of the play... that or the field has a huge crown in it and you cant help that.

Also, Id up your ISO just a tad so that you can get some ambient in there... you dont want that black hole syndrom that you see so often.

canonnoob wrote in post #8947759
what are you using to fire your flash? if you are wirelessly triggering the flash it wont show up as "Flash Fired"

to me it looks like your flash is pointed too low and thus you are getting quite a bit of lighted grass in front of the play... that or the field has a huge crown in it and you cant help that.

Also, Id up your ISO just a tad so that you can get some ambient in there... you dont want that black hole syndrom that you see so often.

Wouldn't upping the ISO create more motion blur/ghosting? It seems to me that the only way to have the flash (at 1/250 ss) help with stopping action is to lower the ambient exposure.??? I am having difficulties with my Flashed Football, my first try was around 800-1000 iso, 1/250, f/2.8-4. Some shots came out okay, MOST of them have some motion blur (feet,ball,etc...) I only got one or two with red or demon eye because I had my flash strapped to my leg when I wasn't using the monopod. I was using a 300 f/2.8. ?? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

P.S. I don't like using the monopod but the weight of the lens was killing me towards the end of the game! (& even more the next day)