Sports Shooting Tips - DPChallenge Forums

06/09/2004 09:49:46 AM · #1

I have a friend who is looking for advice on shooting sports. I'm starting to put together a short list of tips - any suggestions/ additions are very welcome.

1/ Know the sport.
Be able to predict what is going to happen, when. If you know where things are likely to happen, you can set up the shot better.

2/ Watch the background.
Try to minimise distracting elements, either by using a wide open aperture or by careful placement - in some cases shooting from above can help, by using the ground as the background.

3/ Get in tight.
Longer lenses can make the viewer feel part of the action. Tight shots are often the most dynamic (not that wide angle stuff cannot also be interesting)

4/ Shoot a lot.
Don't expect to take one perfect picture, shoot a lot and be prepared to throw many away.

5/ Aperture priority mode.
Wide open aperture and let the camera worry about the exposure. Watch that the shutter speed is 1/focal length of lens or higher. Switch to higher ISO values if needed.

6/ Experiment with panning.
High shutter speeds can give perfectly stopped motion, but panning and slower shutter speeds can capture more of the dynamic action.

7/ Focus.
The subject should be sharp. Manual focus can help here with practice, or experiment with the automatic focus tracking modes of your camera (AI Focus on Canon SLRs).

dpchallenger

Canon PowerShot G2

06/09/2004 09:54:13 AM · #2

In case you haven't seen it, there is a tutorial on shooting sporting evens in the "Learn | Tutorials" section.

Lafaminit

Nikon D80

06/09/2004 09:54:49 AM · #3

My 2 cents after a season of lacrosse and baseball shooting:

-Invest in a monopod...long lenses get heavy after a while
-Follow the ball (if there is one) - that's where the action will be
-Lighting is key. Keep the sun to your back if possible, but watch for shadows. If it's not a distraction, invest in a flash extender (<>$35)
-Learn the players
-Make friends with the referees...they'll let you get away with more that way :)

06/09/2004 10:11:10 AM · #4

What camera will they be shooting with, Gordon?

06/09/2004 10:12:45 AM · #5

Originally posted by PaulMdx:

What camera will they be shooting with, Gordon?

Drebel, shooting a triathlon

Message edited by author 2004-06-09 10:13:01.

06/09/2004 10:13:26 AM · #6

5.1/ Slightly underexposing (-1/3 or -1/2 Ev) will prevent overexposure when action is too quick to meter well, and speed up the shutter a little.

06/09/2004 10:17:30 AM · #7

Originally posted by Gordon:

Drebel, shooting a triathlon

a) Get a feel for filling up the buffer quickly, and make sure you don't end up short of frames. (Nothing worse than using rapid fire then missing a shot because it's writing.)

b) Don't use RAW, it's too damn slow.

c) Keep your eye on the free frame indicator on the bottom right of the view finder, showing how many shots you can fit into cache.

d) If the glass is high quality don't be afraid to crop a fair amount.

e) High ISO 400-1600 will look fine for a lot of sports, but avoid 1600 (possibly 800) for tight portrait shots (noise looks very ugly on skin).

f) Don't rely on AiAF switching into AI-Servo mode. Unless the motion is very slow, chances are rapid fire shooting will be too quick. To make sure the shot is focused, consider lifting your finger off the shutter and depress it completely again.

I'll add more as I think of them.

Gordon, what lens, btw?

Message edited by author 2004-06-09 10:22:46.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR DG IF-ED

06/09/2004 10:36:47 AM · #8

Originally posted by PaulMdx:

Gordon, what lens, btw?

From his email

Anyways, I just want to get some advice on shooting some shots of Michelle in the ironman - which is in 2.5wks. For lenses, right now I have a 70-210 f4 (it's ok, but focuses slow and is not very sharp above ~120mm, colors are a little washed out), 200 f2.8L (awesome lens, but only focal length is 200mm), and the kit lens (18-55). I was considering buying the 70-200 f4L for the race, but don't know if it's worth it - or if I should improve my photo taking abilities with the other lenses.

md8speed

Nikon D200

06/09/2004 10:54:25 AM · #9

I think taking lots of shots is very important. No matter what camera or lens system you use, a good portion of your photos will be slightly out of focus- especially if the sport has a lot of movement. I would say a good success rate is about 15% for moderate-good photos and 2-5% for excellent photos (at least this has been my experience with track and field). Also, I think a good vantage point is very important.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR DG IF-ED

06/09/2004 10:56:21 AM · #10

Originally posted by Gordon:

Anyways, I just want to get some advice on shooting some shots of Michelle in the ironman - which is in 2.5wks. For lenses, right now I have a 70-210 f4 (it's ok, but focuses slow and is not very sharp above ~120mm, colors are a little washed out), 200 f2.8L (awesome lens, but only focal length is 200mm), and the kit lens (18-55). I was considering buying the 70-200 f4L for the race, but don't know if it's worth it - or if I should improve my photo taking abilities with the other lenses.

I can't offer advice about buying lenses, but he's got a reasonable select to play with.

If the weather is reasonably bright I'd recommend stopping the lens down to improve sharpness and make focusing that little bit easier. I was shooting polo (granted hardly a triathalon) the other day using f/8 and ISO 400 with my 75-300 and the shots came out surprisingly crisp at 300mm.

If it was me personally, I'd probably use the 70-210mm over 70% of the time, and the 200mm only once I was comfortable I wouldn't lose a shot because the subject is too close.. It's no good a shot being mega crisp with the 200mm if all you've got is half the face in shot. ;-)

md8speed

Nikon D200

06/09/2004 11:01:01 AM · #11

I have had good results with the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 AF APO HSM lens. Another suggestion is to shoot in aperature priority mode- more of your photos will be in focus if you shoot around f/8-ish but generally I shoot at f/4 or f/5 (track and field). Though this can lead to a number of slightly out of focus pictures, it makes the subject stand out much more.

garlic

Canon EOS-10D

Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX Aspherical DG DF for Canon

06/09/2004 11:18:27 AM · #12

Focus on a spot where possible action is coming up, be ready on the shutter and shoot when the action comes into the viewfinder.
This is important when shooting at wide apperture.

tfaust

Canon EOS 80D

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

06/09/2004 11:22:51 AM · #13

I shoot motocross using the sports mode of the Rebel, it works great, but I've also got really fast moving subjects, which that mode seems to work better for. When the peewee's are on the track it's not as good and at times I'll switch to AV mode.

I'm using the 100-400mm L IS and that lens is awesome for sports. A bit on the heavy side, but my arms are getting used to it. I don't use a monopod, I'm moving around way too much and it gets in the way.

It's already been stated, but I'll second it - take a lot of pictures! Only a percentage of them turn out really good. I also prefer tighter frames in sports shots.

You've got a good list going...

Mick

Canon EOS-5D

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

06/09/2004 11:31:12 AM · #14

1. Scout around for a good location before the event begins. Look for a spot that will give you a good angle to shoot from without obstacles, such as spectators, fences, buildings, trees, etc. Keep 1, 2, and 3 in mind when selecting the location.

2. Dress for success, and be prepared for the weather. It�s hard to hold still when you�re shivering from the cold, and if you pass out from the heat, you might miss a good shot. :) Having lots of large pockets is a good thing.

3. Don�t bring kids or extra gear (including lenses, etc) along that you will have to keep an eye on. (unless you have a willing assistant)

Message edited by author 2004-06-09 11:33:45.

MWitt

Canon EOS-5D

Tokina AF 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro-SV for Canon EOS

06/09/2004 11:55:39 AM · #15

Originally posted by Gordon:

Originally posted by PaulMdx:

Gordon, what lens, btw?

From his email

Anyways, I just want to get some advice on shooting some shots of Michelle in the ironman - which is in 2.5wks. For lenses, right now I have a 70-210 f4 (it's ok, but focuses slow and is not very sharp above ~120mm, colors are a little washed out), 200 f2.8L (awesome lens, but only focal length is 200mm), and the kit lens (18-55). I was considering buying the 70-200 f4L for the race, but don't know if it's worth it - or if I should improve my photo taking abilities with the other lenses.

For what its worth, I use the Canon 70-200mm f4/L. I would recommend this lens, especially for the price. It is extremely bright and clear.

Some Sports Samples

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

06/09/2004 12:30:43 PM · #16

Originally posted by Olympian:

For what its worth, I use the Canon 70-200mm f4/L. I would recommend this lens, especially for the price. It is extremely bright and clear.

Some Sports Samples

That's the lens I've been using recently, along with a 1.4x tele. Though for the next event, I'm considering using the 17-40 a bit more

labuds

Nikon D800

06/09/2004 12:32:41 PM · #17

Originally posted by Gordon:

5/ Aperture priority mode.
Wide open aperture and let the camera worry about the exposure. Watch that the shutter speed is 1/focal length of lens or higher. Switch to higher ISO values if needed.

Trying to figure out how I could relate "1/focal length", which is a spatial frequency (1/mm), with shutter speed, which is in seconds.

garlic

Canon EOS-10D

Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX Aspherical DG DF for Canon

06/09/2004 12:43:08 PM · #18

Originally posted by labuda:

Trying to figure out how I could relate "1/focal length", which is a spatial frequency (1/mm), with shutter speed, which is in seconds.

Think he is meaning that when handhelding the shutter speed should not be lower than the number of 1/focal length without risking motion blurr. F. inst. using 100mm lens then not shoot at slower shutter speed than 1/100s.
But of cours you often need a much faster shutter when freezing action in sports.