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06/30/2006 11:58:57 PM · #1 |
| OK maybe alot of advice. I am shooting an assignment in Los Angeles Saturday night. A local kid is going to attempt to become the fifth high school runner in U.S. history to break the 4 minute barrier in the mile. I have a 70-200 2.8, 20-40 2.8, 28-200 5.6, 55 2.8 and possibly a 300 2.8 if it isn't out on rental. I will be shooting my D70 and have the SB800 and an SB25. I have never shot track before and if I get the right shot I may be able to off it on the AP or as my editor said some of those sports mags like Sports Illustrated. You probably already know I am REALLY REALLY REALLY nervous. Can anyone who has shot track give me a little advice???? |
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07/01/2006 12:34:47 AM · #2 |
| Get a spot where you can concentrate on the finish, quite possibly the infield if possible -- scout beforehand. Don't be nervous, just remember that you only have one shot at The Shot :) |
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07/01/2006 12:38:28 AM · #3 |
Canon Calls it AI Servo, whatever that is in Nikon Terms, you will need it, that is my suggestion.
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07/01/2006 12:41:06 AM · #4 |
what a blast of an opportunity!!!
the shot you're gonna want is the finish line shot, with him coming at you dead-on. you're gonna want to shoot as many shots like this as you can BEFORE the kid runs. you really want the 300. if you can't have that, you'll want the 70-200. you want to practice, looking for two things: focus, and exposure. i would recommend getting your focus set, the turning off the autofocus. you're also going to want to get enough shots ahead of time so that you can set your exposure manually, based on your histogram, rather than off any metering. the meter is a guess, the histogram is reality. also, you might want a monopod.
you might also want to see if you can get ahold of a 2nd body, just to be able to shoot some wide shots (especially after the finish), without having to change lenses. if worse comes to worse, see if brad will let you use his 350; that, with the kit lens, will give you decent shots.
lastly, forget everything else going on at the meet. stake out your spot to get your shot. chances are, this kid is going to attract other attention, and you don't want to be caught with 20 other shooters on the front row.
good luck, and, as always, be sure to post up your results!
skip |
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07/01/2006 01:04:28 AM · #5 |
| Definetly use the longest lens you can to get an up close and personal shot. Not sure I completely agree with skiprow that autofocus should be off. With a nice lens your camera should be able to track the focus. This way you can shoot him coming down the track as well as at the finish. Not solely at the finish line. Reaction shots are key. I find I almost always get the best shots right at the end of any game or run. Most importantly have fun with it. |
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07/01/2006 01:24:37 AM · #6 |
Emotion emotion emotion. Capture the human emotion of the event. The picture has to say - THIS IS SPECIAL. More than just the finish you have to capture the joy or the failure. Otherwise you just have a High School kid running laps.
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07/01/2006 01:35:26 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by trnqlty:
Definetly use the longest lens you can to get an up close and personal shot. Not sure I completely agree with skiprow that autofocus should be off. With a nice lens your camera should be able to track the focus. This way you can shoot him coming down the track as well as at the finish. Not solely at the finish line. Reaction shots are key. I find I almost always get the best shots right at the end of any game or run. Most importantly have fun with it. |
autofocus is great for side to side action, but for someone bearing down on you straight, well, maybe it will be perfect, or maybe not...do you really want to risk it? especially when you are really looking for one particular shot. also, even with the 300, you're not going to be able to track him all the way around the track, and still get a finish line shot. with the 300, you can probably get an ok shot of him coming around the final turn, but he's still going to be about 300 yards away, and that would only make maybe 15% of the frame. that's why i would recommend getting ready for the finish line shot and focusing just on that. if nick can get ahold of a 2nd body, then he can screw around with the other stuff. maybe if there are enough events or heats ahead of time where nick can get enough practice in, maybe he'll feel comfortable with leaving the autofocus on. for me, though, whenever i'm in these only-one-opporunity situations, i prefer to pre-focus and then turn the AF off. another consideration is whether there could be anything whatsoever that could throw the autofocus off, the way splashing water throws the focus off the swimmer or spraying sand throws the focus off the diving base-runner. again, if there's anything that could screw up the shot, it should be eliminated ahead of time.
just my 02, feel free to disregard... |
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07/01/2006 01:59:29 AM · #8 |
| Night or day...inside or out? |
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07/01/2006 02:35:34 AM · #9 |
| Heat starts at 9:00 pm and it's an outside meet. Pretty big college called Mt San Antonio in Walnut CA. Thanks so much for the response so far. I'm feeling pretty confident now. I have ran my check list and made sure everything is charged cards are empty and I am good to go. I'm only worried about the 9:45 deadline. Where the heck am I going to get a connect? Student services says it has WI FI in public area but, can't ever trust what you read on the net. I'll go early and see what the students do for net access. Fingers crossed, cards empty and batteries cahrges. Wish me luck and thanx for the replies. |
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07/01/2006 02:38:40 AM · #10 |
| Good luck! I'm looking forward to seeing "the picture". |
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07/01/2006 02:39:31 AM · #11 |
For connections: If the wi-fi doesn't work, be sure to check the closest libraries. Also, if someone else from the school paper(s) is there, they might be able to grant you net access from their offices. I don't think you'll have a problem with the wi-fi though. Many schools have made a serious effort to have their entire campus wi-fi enabled, so everything should be alright
Have fun!!
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07/01/2006 02:55:07 AM · #12 |
edit by me sorry
Message edited by author 2006-07-01 02:55:30. |
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07/01/2006 07:48:12 AM · #13 |
just a few more considerations, nick
take your flash and practice with it on other heats and/or sprints, shooting the same type shot you are after. again, the key is the histogram. shoot, check the histogram, adjust, then shoot again. the amount of flash you need is going to depend on how well lit the place is. what you don't want is the classic 50's-style shot where you have a huge amount of flash. hopefully, your gear supports flash exposure compensation.
also, you'll want to shoot manual. use av mode to get your settings while shooting practice shots (in similar light), then switch to manual mode. here again, if you have your settings dialed in ahead of time, you'll know what to expect, and you should achieve consistent results. in av or tv mode, the camera is going to make evaluations on every single frame, which, depending on what its reading, can give you inconsistent results from one frame to the next, even in burst mode.
i don't know about the noise on your camera, but you'll probably want to be shooting at least at 800, maybe 1000 or 1250. again, take test shots, check the histogram, and check the actual pixels in your previewer.
as for delivery, get in touch with the school's sports information director, and see if he/she can help you. you might have to get your editor to get in touch with them, but they have to deal with this all the time. if the school is large enough, they probably have a media center somewhere on campus, just for this type of thing.
good luck! |
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