Photo Jabber: sports

Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts

Thursday, May 10, 2012

More Softball Fun

Here's a link to a previous post I did about shooting my kids' softball games- LINK

I had a chance to shoot a few more softball game pics the other night. It was a late game so I ran out of light pretty quick, but I was able to get the first inning. This is my seven-year-old's team, a fun age to watch. The girls are really just starting to figure things out and get a little bit of an understanding of the game.

I shot the batters from my usual spot, near the first base line dugout. Should have worn a helmet as I nearly took a foul ball to the head! These were shot at f2.8 in Aperture Priority mode, which at ISO 400, gave me a shutter speed of around 1/800th. I used continuous focus so I could track the players as they ran to first base.

If you're a softball Mom or Dad with a camera, there are a few more tips back on that previous post-

HERE

Tim

photo jabber blog by tim wyler

basic photography tips

for taking better family photos

Monday, April 2, 2012

Soccer Saturday

For all you soccer Moms & Dads out there-

On Saturday morning my youngest had her first soccer game of the season. I thought I'd share a few pictures along with some soccer shooting tips...

Capturing the intimidation factor

Shooting from a low perspective

Shutter speed of at least 1/800th sec. will the freeze action

I really like to shoot through the net for a unique perspective

Zooming in tight

f4 Aperture setting for a shallow depth of field.

Capturing the moments after the score!

Breakdown-

As always, avoid mid-afternoon sun when possible. Check your soccer schedule and choose a morning or evening game to shoot.
Move around the field. The corners of the field offer good shooting angles. Try some shots from behind the goal, shooting through the net.
Avoid busy backgrounds. If possible, shoot in a direction that doesn't fill your background with people, cars, lawn chairs, trashcans, etc...
Get low. Your knees may get green and wet, but shooting from a low perspective will improve the look of your images.
Use a long lens- Zoom in tight, and then crop in even tighter in post.
Shoot in Aperture Priority mode and set your Aperture to the lowest number available for your lens (assuming it is between f2.8 - f5.6). This will keep your depth of field shallow.
Watch your shutter speed. In Aperture Priority mode your camera will automatically adjust your shutter speed- Be aware of what it's doing. You'll need at least 1/800th of a second to freeze the action. If your shutter speed is too slow, increase your ISO.
Set White Balance to "Cloudy" for warm skin tones.
Set up your camera's focus to use only the center focus point, and keep that point on your subject.
Select Continuous Autofocus, this is "AI Servo" on Canons. Hold the shutter button half way down as you track your subject. The autofocus will adjust continuously as your subject moves.
Set your drive mode to Burst or High Speed Continuous, and take a LOT of shots.
Don't put the camera down after a goal is scored, be ready to capture the reactions.

Tim

photojabber blog by tim wyler

easy tips and techniques for beginner photographers

shooting soccer games sports

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Softball Season

Around here we go from one sport right into the next. My three young girls are into nearly every activity there is, so I have plenty of opportunities for shooting sports. Softball is one of my favorite photographic sporting events, and the season is fast approaching.

Softball offers a variety of shooting situations..

Some action.............. Some not.............

I like shooting softball for many reasons.. First, it's outdoors and usually in the evening, which means great light! And second, I usually don't have to run around too much... most of the action can be captured from one spot. But the action shots are just a part of the photographic opportunities at the game. I really like to try to capture a lot of the off field moments too... in the dugout, warm-ups, cheering, chanting, etc..

If you have a softball player in your family, here are a few shooting tips- Try to take advantage of the Magic Hour, avoid shooting the mid-afternoon games if possible. As with any sport, use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. Select Aperture Priority mode and the smallest aperture number available. This wide aperture will keep your shutter speed fast, and your depth of field shallow. (sport shots are always better with blurred backgrounds) Shoot from a low perspective, this is important. Set your camera's shooting mode to Burst for the action shots, and fire off several. Remember to zoom in tight as possible, this will isolate your subject and further help to blur out the background. Set White Balance to Cloudy to give your images a slightly warm tone.

Most importantly, don't forget to capture some of those non-action shots. Take close ups of bats, bases, catcher's mask, etc.... Also get lots of shots of the players having fun in the dugout, cheering and yelling their crazy chants!

Use Burst mode for action shots to capture a sequence.