some ski action

A couple from the slopes today... Totally unprocessed. But I had a killer sequence of my son doing a rodeo 5 and they were all soft focus. I'll change those settings before I shoot skiers again... Blast away!!!

What sets did you use? Focus point mode, tracking, ISO,shutter speed, & etc

JeffCanon wrote in post #9705567
What sets did you use? Focus point mode, tracking, ISO,shutter speed, & etc

For all this I was using SPOT AF for focus (kind of a bad idea) in AI SERVO
F4.0, ISO200, and shutter speed of 1/1500
I was going for total stopped motion in hopes of getting some great spray shots of the snow when the skier hits a jump. Next time out I will slow the SS down to get more of a blurred background.

When I shoot skiing, I try to keep the *minimum* SS at 1/2000. Anything else and you're risking motion blur.

mattymx wrote in post #9706593
For all this I was using SPOT AF for focus (kind of a bad idea) in AI SERVO
F4.0, ISO200, and shutter speed of 1/1500
I was going for total stopped motion in hopes of getting some great spray shots of the snow when the skier hits a jump. Next time out I will slow the SS down to get more of a blurred background.

Try AF with Expansion Points. Works great for me!

NicolasRubio wrote in post #9706977
Try AF with Expansion Points. Works great for me!

That is exactly what I will use my next time out. Thanks...

Here is another one I liked... Too bad he is dead center, but maybe it works because of the box he is coming off of... maybe?

last one is nice, cropping some off the right would but him off center, and form a nice leading line from the botton right

yea i agree w cropping a bit off the top and the right for the last one... background is nice and clean as well...

mattymx wrote in post #9706593
For all this I was using SPOT AF for focus (kind of a bad idea) in AI SERVO
F4.0, ISO200, and shutter speed of 1/1500
I was going for total stopped motion in hopes of getting some great spray shots of the snow when the skier hits a jump. Next time out I will slow the SS down to get more of a blurred background.

Interested to know why spot AF is wrong for this stuff.

I have not done skiers, but kite surfers, and I find that trying to pan for blurred background is not good if they are doing any sort of trick, because you just get motion blur. You can't track all bits at once.

Doesn't matter. I don't have expansion points.

Spot focus is the only thing I can use on skiers and snowboarders. Just sometimes it messes up. Shooting fast moving objects in the snow especially with trees in the background is hard on a little camera.

Good shots. They look really up there, but the only one that conveys that is #1. I would like to see a launch or landing or just something under them to judge how huge the air is.

Just get your kid to do another rodeo five. heck push him to do a nine. My friends always go bigger than their skill level when I bring the camera out.

Snowshooters wrote in post #9720305
Spot focus is the only thing I can use on skiers and snowboarders. Just sometimes it messes up. Shooting fast moving objects in the snow especially with trees in the background is hard on a little camera.

Good shots. They look really up there, but the only one that conveys that is #1. I would like to see a launch or landing or just something under them to judge how huge the air is.

Just get your kid to do another rodeo five. heck push him to do a nine. My friends always go bigger than their skill level when I bring the camera out.

I will try some different focus settings when I go to the slopes again this weekend. Also tomorrow I am going to a motocross track to get some shots so I can try some of different settings as well.
My son loves to go big and has a comp this weekend and next as well. This weekend is the Analog "go huck yourself" event and next is a USASA Slopestyle Event. I will shoot those for sure. I never ask him to go bigger. Thats all on his own. And afterall, he is only 14.... Here is something his friend shot with my little Powershot...

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=_CeZAX7HQqM

mattymx wrote in post #9721757
I will try some different focus settings when I go to the slopes again this weekend. Also tomorrow I am going to a motocross track to get some shots so I can try some of different settings as well.
My son loves to go big and has a comp this weekend and next as well. This weekend is the Analog "go huck yourself" event and next is a USASA Slopestyle Event. I will shoot those for sure. I never ask him to go bigger. Thats all on his own. And afterall, he is only 14.... Here is something his friend shot with my little Powershot...

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=_CeZAX7HQqM

He's 14? holy crap. Nice. Looking forward to seeing your photos from the contests?