Sports shooting thread - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

10/21/2007 01:03:15 AM · #202

hahaha, looks like quite a show. Nice action shots too.

I wish I could get a chance to shoot some football during the day. It might actually make me like the game at least a little.

FrankRobinson

Canon EOS-50D

10/23/2007 10:38:06 AM · #203

Originally posted by session416:

i wish there were more "extreme" sports photographers here

How extreme? ;o)

At least you get to use the viewfinder and release the shutter with a finger...

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MattO

Nikon D4

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

10/23/2007 08:59:37 PM · #204

A couple from tonight. Some shot with the 1D and the 135 1600ISO, 1/320 F2.0, and some shot with the 1DMKIIn 3200 ISO 70-200 F2.8, 1/400 and 2.8.

MattO

MattO

Nikon D4

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

10/27/2007 01:28:25 AM · #205

A couple from tonights game. Shot alot different then I normally do and had some success. Might rethink my whole way of shooting football after tonight. Now off to bed cause soccer most of the day tomorrow.

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MattO

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

10/27/2007 02:29:38 AM · #206

Some of my stuff from tonight. It was a pretty big game, two of the better teams from the area. Aztec won 36-0 though, I would have thought it'd be more evenly matched. When they play Kirtland it'll be good.

Man_Called_Horse

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

10/27/2007 08:25:09 PM · #207

Sports Photography Diary

Message edited by author 2007-10-27 20:25:50.

Photologist

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

11/04/2007 09:50:55 PM · #208

I just updated my portfolio with some newer sports action shots...

...among a few others.

Any comments would be appreciated!

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

11/05/2007 01:46:14 AM · #209

Stuff since my last post.

Volleyball:

Football:

Rodeo:

For the VB and rodeo ones I used the 550EX off camera with a radio trigger.

Photologist

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

11/05/2007 02:03:11 AM · #210

Originally posted by MadMan2k:

Stuff since my last post...

Thanks Jon, for the comment on one of my photos in the sports collection. I didn't rely on timing--I relied on the 6.5 frames-per-second to get lucky. LOL!

By the way, when you used a flash for the volleyball shots, wasn't that distracting to the players? Do the teams normally allow flashes at that venue?

Tokina AF 11-16mm f/2.8 116 AT-X Pro DX for Nikon

11/06/2007 12:29:04 AM · #211

Motor drive is nice for getting a variety of shots from a running/tackle play type of situation, but you can't rely on it for impact or throwing shots. If you hammer away at 8fps, there'll be one frame where the ball is coming at their head from a foot away, and the next one it'll probably be out of the frame (if you shoot it pretty tight; it'll just be far away if you're out farther).

The flash wasn't really that bright (I think it was on 1/16th power), but I was a little concerned about screwing them up and making them miss the ball or something. Most of the time they're looking toward the other side of the net, and the flash would be in the corner of their eye and just a little bright starburst for a fraction of a second.

My (not exactly nice, maybe) policy is, I do what I think I should do to get the shots I want, until somebody tells me to stop. In that case, I start complying step by step until they stop telling me to stop. No one told me to stop with the flash, but some people got mad when I stood in the stands where I needed to be to get the best angle (they wanted to see the game, or something weird like that... :p) - so I moved.

FocusPoint

XIAOMI Redmi Note 8 Pro

11/06/2007 12:45:23 AM · #212

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chrisp

Nikon D90

11/07/2007 01:45:30 AM · #213

a lot of dead space. but very intentional

edit: forgot those two ^^^

Message edited by author 2007-11-07 01:50:15.

drewbixcube

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

11/07/2007 02:39:00 PM · #214

Some more pictures from my brother's football season. One of them made my hometown paper's article on Gerrit. I will have to post a scan of the paper when I get a copy this weekend.

11/07/2007 05:52:52 PM · #215

Originally posted by madman:

some people got mad when I stood in the stands where I needed to be to get the best angle (they wanted to see the game, or something weird like that...)

sometimes you have to do it, but do be mindful of the fans. visualize your shot, go get it, then sit down or get out of the way. yes, you do have a job to do, but don't take all night doing it. along these lines, the more you practice when it doesn't matter, the more likely you'll be able to simply step up and get the shot when it does--without having to piss anyone off ;-)

11/07/2007 06:53:38 PM · #216

We found a compromise.. I found a spot that didn't look quite as good, but there weren't any people behind me being blocked and complaining.

It's pretty hard to just run up to a spot and knock out the shot you want during a game. Most of the time, the play doesn't work out that way. If it was just a wide shot of the whole place, I see what you mean, and I don't spend forever on those. Game action shots are different, gotta camp out somewhere.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

11/07/2007 08:23:51 PM · #217

Originally posted by MadMan2k:

Most of the time, the play doesn't work out that way.

patience...and having a good shotlist...and it will work out ;-)

i've mentioned before how you need to compare photos that run in local weeklies to the photos that run in the dailies or in the nationals (like USAToday). most of the time, the weeklies are running photos that look like someone took a camera to a game and just pointed it towards the action and just fired off shots, hoping for something to be in focus. they take these shots without having any clue about the sport or its inherent grace, beauty, and/or violence.

on the other hand, if you spend enough time learning a sport and how to shoot it, and if you can develop a good shotlist, you can get just the shots you need without having to kill yourself or really take away from anyone else's enjoyment of the game ;-)

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some semi-recent stuff...

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Message edited by author 2007-11-07 20:24:39.

MattO

Nikon D4

11/07/2007 10:48:27 PM · #218

Originally posted by Skip:

Originally posted by MadMan2k:
Most of the time, the play doesn't work out that way.

patience...and having a good shotlist...and it will work out ;-)

i've mentioned before how you need to compare photos that run in local weeklies to the photos that run in the dailies or in the nationals (like USAToday). most of the time, the weeklies are running photos that look like someone took a camera to a game and just pointed it towards the action and just fired off shots, hoping for something to be in focus. they take these shots without having any clue about the sport or its inherent grace, beauty, and/or violence.

Dang and I work at a weekly! you cut me deep Sensei, real deep.

MattO

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

11/07/2007 11:33:28 PM · #219

Originally posted by Skip:

Good food for thought. By shotlist, do you mean looking for a specific situation with particular players to happen? Or the kind of action you want to capture?

Do you look for a particular kind of play to fold out so you can capture it and portray the sports' traits that you mentioned?

I guess I try to figure out roughly what kind of play is going to happen and (for field sports) try to position myself so that I can shoot the faces and the ball best.

I'd been trying to get a shot like this one of the TD for a while, but the O team's strategies and the D team's... defense... made it happen somewhere else so they weren't looking toward me.

Of course there's other shots that I've seen that I'd like to get something similar to at my games. But a lot of times, it really doesn't work out that way, so I just pick the best spot I can think of to stand (or lie in the grass, as I've found makes field sports shots look a hell of a lot better), and document what does happen.

I'd love a reciever to leap into the endzone and try to recieve the ball for a TD that would break the tie with 2 seconds to go in the 4th, only to be tackled first and miss it by an inch, but that hasn't happened in any of the games I've shot so far...

I also wouldn't mind the running back leaping over a pile of other players right next to the sidelines at the 20 yard line, staring wide-eyed ahead as the team and the coach were behind him cheering him on, and going on to score the tie-breaking TD...

But I'll settle for documenting it as well as I can and if those really happen, hopefully I'll be ready. If I keep covering the same sports beat somewhere, maybe I'll get to know the teams (and the game) better, and have an easier time knowing where to be.

drewbixcube

Canon EOS-7D

11/08/2007 12:24:37 AM · #220

Originally posted by MadMan2k:

By shotlist, do you mean looking for a specific situation with particular players to happen? Or the kind of action you want to capture?

I think he means to have certain situations in mind, things that are likely to happen. If a team has a great defense and their opponent has a poor offensive line, learn which hand the opponent's QB throws with and position youself to capture a backside blitz that turns into a huge blindsided sack.
Like my pals at bearcatblitz.com did (not my picks, but my brother on defense):

Along those lines, know that the best players play earlier in an easy game, so be ready ahead of time. Sometimes by the time you have your stuff figured out, the B-team is in and you have to start learning all over again. I am sure by now Skip can predict a 4th and short at the end of a tight game could be a fake punt to the wide side of the field...and be keyed in on the punter and upback to capture the action unfolding.

I am amazed at how far behind I am compared to some of these guys.

11/08/2007 04:59:46 AM · #221

Originally posted by MattO:

Dang and I work at a weekly! you cut me deep Sensei, real deep.

no, i said "most". hopefully, you can tell the difference between your work and "most" ;-) (seriously, matt, probably everything you've posted in this thread could easily run in the Post-Dispatch.)

Originally posted by drewbixcube:

I think he means to have certain situations in mind, things that are likely to happen.

it's a combination of that and actually having a written out list of images to look for. it's one thing to anticipate the action, it's another thing to be specifically on the hunt. yes, you might miss a great action shot because you're keying on a particular player, but, if you stay out there long enough, you'll get the shots you need and want. along those lines, here's some ideas as to what to shoot.

Originally posted by MadMan2K:

But I'll settle for documenting it as well as I can and if those really happen, hopefully I'll be ready. If I keep covering the same sports beat somewhere, maybe I'll get to know the teams (and the game) better, and have an easier time knowing where to be.

the name of the game: practice, practice, practice. shoot as much as you can, pay attention to what you are shooting, of course, but, afterwards, pay attention to what you've shot and figure out what makes the difference between what really stands out and what really sucks. then, the next time, don't take the pictures that suck ;-)

11/08/2007 02:03:28 PM · #222

I started out not taking the pictures that suck, and not using the drive mode.

After I had to throw away some good shots because I couldn't ID the players (when you get back to the office at 10 and the sports guys want the pictures as soon as possible, you can't really go over every photo with a fine toothed comb trying to match up faces to a shot where the same player's number was visible), so I shoot plenty of follow-up shots and sequences in order to be able to see who did what.

When you have captions to write, you can't just turn over a DVD or a gallery link and forget about it.

I think there's a certain responsibility to document the game rather than just making pretty pictures of the home team QB in a million different poses.

At the same time, a lot of the other shots you mentioned are a great idea. The last game I shot was a championship, so I shot the celebrations afterward and went into the press box for the first time and shot down from there. Hopefully the shots will come in handy later. One of the games a few weeks back, I got there early and shot the team lining up before the game and the shot got used as lead A1 a couple weeks later because the team pulled out of the league due to excessive injuries.

The staff here isn't really big on variation for the most part - most of what ends up running is the same shot, with different players on a different day. I'd like to show up with nothing but wide shots of sideline out-of-bounds pushes, running plays and coaches yelling at the players, but I'd get yelled at myself if I didn't have the same long, tight tackle shot out on the field. And if I did have that, it'd get used.

11/08/2007 03:33:18 PM · #223

jon, here's something i do that might help you. i have a pocket-sized notepad with the spiral on top. on one side, i list all the shots i want to get, including the jersey numbers of key players i want to look out for. you can tailor your list however you need to suit yourself and your editors. on the other side, i make notes of what i shot, basically jersey numbers and frame id's. i don't write down everything i shoot, just the ones that i know i'm going to be interested in. and, when i get something that i had on my shotlist, i simply flip the pad over and scratch it off. this takes a little getting used to, but it tends to work out pretty well.

also, make it a point to hit the press box every game, to either get a copy of the rosters, or to shoot a picture of the roster. it makes id'ing the players a lot easier when you get back to the office. (also, it gets your face in front of more people...)

Message edited by author 2007-11-08 15:33:53.

11/08/2007 07:41:00 PM · #224

No need to grab the roster every time, at least for big HS sports:
//nmact.org/

I don't think the shotlist thing is going to work too well in my case... the sports writers basically don't have any requests and we're on our own to pick out shots and send them over. If they don't like the shots, or don't have room, they'll just not use them. They'll tell us how many pictures to come back with, sometimes specify vertical or horizontal, and that's about it. The only people who help me edit are the two staff photogs, and I'm grateful for their help but like I said earlier, they're not usually big on variation. They also have a job to do shooting their own stuff.

Still, I will make a point of tracking down a couple articles about one of the teams that I'm 90% sure I'll be shooting tomorrow night (I hate the Bloomfield.. field, but it's probably the secondary story on the page so that's where I'll be sent), and make an effort to come up with a few shots to look for. Thanks for the advice.

I do something similar for rodeo (don't get me started on trying to listen for a name when an announcer is screaming with a hick accent over a crappy loudspeaker and may or may not actually say the next competitor's name), with the file numbers and competitor name. Numbers are easier, because I can focus on shooting and getting all the numbers in a follow-up shot, and worry about the names later.

Message edited by author 2007-11-08 19:45:22.