1st Time Football

First time for shooting football, these were from a few weeks ago during an evening game. Since then they play latter on around 7:30-8:00 kickoff.
I know what all of you go thru now.. the home field not this one, is like shooting in a hole.. just enough light between the 40 yard lines.

Hope to get better over the season, will have a game indoors at the Ga Dome in Oct. that will be nice.

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Welcome to the forum. Your second picture shows some reasonable action but is under exposed. Next time, you will want to add some exposure compensation to properly expose the faces inside the helmets which typically cloak the player's face in shadow. This is particularily important to players with darker skin. It is OK to 'burn out' some highlights of the uniforms inorder to do this.

thanks, thats what I was wondering.. wish i could have that light now, the game this past friday I shot most of the game at ISO 6400 just to get a decent shutter speed.

Phi:
Have you shot any at ISO 6400 or higher? It seems that's what I will have to shoot with this year just to get some decent shutter speeds, the coach is new and from what the booster told me he does not want flash during the home games.
What do you suggest... just post processing, using exposure compensation or fill light to highlight their faces?

JohnPAtl wrote in post #10900945
Phil:
Have you shot any at ISO 6400 or higher? It seems that's what I will have to shoot with this year just to get some decent shutter speeds, the coach is new and from what the booster told me he does not want flash during the home games.
What do you suggest... just post processing, using exposure compensation or fill light to highlight their faces?

I have taken some football pictures at ISO 6400 with mixed results. The problem is that even if your camera body allows you to take those shots, the light quality is often so poor, with so many shadows, that those shots are not usable. If your field has sufficient, even light and you are satified with the quality of those images in your 50D, then fine. If not and flash is not possible, you may just have to pack it up. Try it with your camera and your field and see. Stay in areas between the light poles.

To see what shadows I am talking about, check the "Bonus Tip" on this thread:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=735799

Those shots were taken with a 1D Mark III which is a pretty good high ISO camera. Your field lighting will be different.

One other thing. Don't rely on second hand information from a booster, ask the coach and/or AD directly if they wish to not have flash photography. Tell them you want to stay within their wishes. Stay cooperative.

thanks, I have used 6400 and even 12,500 ISO on the 50d and then used Lightroom to clean up the noise, thats a pretty cool program.. but I know what you mean about the deep shadows they are bad..
thanks