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03/21/2005 10:02:17 AM · #1 |
Any advice on photographing swimmeets? I was trying to get some pics at my daughter's swimmeets with my digital camera and I must say, they were the hardest sports pictures I've ever tried to take! (I've done some other sports in the past with my 35mm camera that did fine.) Problems: the lighting is not great a lot of the times inside of the aquatic centers (pics tend to come out with a yellow tint at some places), she's constantly moving (talking to people or cheering on her teammates,etc., if she's standing still the people around her are constantly moving, if she's swimming then she's again moving and the water's moving! Aghh! I got a few decent ones but am not enthusiastic about any of them. Part of the time I just used my video camera since it's much easier to use for something like this, but it would be nice to have some good "still" pictures too, ya know? But between the lighting and everything moving......did I mention that this was really aggravating? lol (baseball, softball and soccer were much easier!)
Message edited by author 2005-03-21 10:48:24. |
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03/21/2005 12:01:24 PM · #2 |
| Find out the kind of lights they use and set white balance accordingly. Some aquatic centers use mercury or sodium vapor lights and can be very crummy for taking good photos with digital. |
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03/21/2005 01:04:02 PM · #3 |
This past weekend I was shooting at a water polo game. I gotta tell ya, it's not easy, even with a good camera and a good lens! (shooting with the Canon 20D and a fast 28-78mm 2.8 lens)
First thing... white balance: I took a gray card and shot it first in each location (we went to two different swimming pools). I used that first picture to set my white balance. Some cameras can do this. But if it can't, you can use that first picture to set your color balance in photoshop and apply the same changes to all of the subsequent pictures.
Second thing: Speed. I hear ya on poor lighting! I was shooting at ISO 1600 most of the time and still had to keep my shutter speed down to 1/50th at times (some areas of the pool were darker than others). The trouble is... as fast as these swimmers are moving, 1/50th just doesn't cut it. And no... flash is just generally not an option. Either because they are too far away or (in my case) I didn't want to "blind the polo players" and be blamed for missed shots. Though I did consider using flash and taking pictures of the *other* team! :-)
To aid with the speed situtation you need to do two things: 1) Get good at panning with the action and 2) watch for opportunities to capture less action. Granted, in swimming you really don't have much of that. But in water polo there are times where the swimmers are less active (setting up a shot versus shooting).
Third thing: Optics. A wide angle view of the action generally produces a yawner of a picture. Often the more compelling shot is the one that is "right in on the action" with a good long lens.
But above all... I find that most swimming and water polo shots are "crap" when it comes to composition and story telling. This is where you probably need to spend the most time "practicing with them". Learn the swimmer's routine, or the polo player's routine. Figure out when the action is important and capture that.
For example, at a swim meet, the classic low to the ground head-on shot of the butterfly swimmer as he comes up for air with his arms spread out above water. This is a great shot to get. But if the swimmer is doing the breathstroke, you may never get a good shot of him. Freestyle, I happen to really like a "long lens" and the ability to see right into the swimmer's face from the side.
One thing I gotta say: I just barely picked up the 20D last week. I tell ya, 5 frames per second is awesome for sports photography. I'm still not used to it yet, and missed many good shots this past weekend. But the basic idea is this: Start pressing the shutter at the beginning of the action (watch for when it starts) and then hold the button thru the finish of the action. You're bound to end up with a couple of good shots in the middle. (remember to pan with the action)
For what it's worth... I'm still learning! The thing is, it's hard to get the shot right and you generally don't know how "bad" you've done until you see the picture full size on the computer. Then it might be awhile before your "next chance" to try to learn from your mistakes and do better.
So keep shooting! I'd love to see pictures from others! |
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03/21/2005 01:07:31 PM · #4 |
Some sample shots done with my Digital Rebel awhile back:
 ,  , 
And some sample water polo shots from this past weekend using the 20D:
 ,  ,  |
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03/21/2005 06:43:24 PM · #5 |
Thanks! Yours came out better than mine did. I'm still trying to learn what all my camera does, so I'll have to see if I can figure out how to get the settings right. I have enough problems with blurry pictures as it is, even with the image stabilizer(hands just aren't as steady as they used to be, I guess.), so with everything else constantly moving, it was interesting to say the least. One good thing about the digital though, I was able to "practice" on the other kids while I was waiting for my kid to come up to swim. I did have it on the rapid shoot mode. I also tried the sports mode, regular mode, auto and manual focus, etc. I need to play with the white balance more now.
fsteddy, I did notice that the aquatic center at our school is lit better than the other one that we go to. I'm also able to get beside the pool and at the ends at ours, where as at the other guest one, we're up in a balcony area, which makes it tougher. My camera also has modes for cool colors, warm colors, etc. Would that be better, too do you think?
Message edited by author 2005-03-21 18:45:05. |
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