Help with shooting at dog trials

[lvcrtrs]

Ok, all you experienced people. Time to help Sherry with shooting at dog trials. I assume that any advice you give me here can be applied to shooting at horse events as well. I fell across a dog event while heading to a state park and stopped in. A professional photog told me to focus on the post the dog would cross. So, that is all I tried to do. If it is was a dark dog I added a little +/- button. Below are probably the only good ones out of who knows how many shots. Probably over 100.

So, if you can please give me something to go out and try next time as many of the rest of the shots were hit and miss with the blur. Also, it was a nice sunny day so I shot at 1/1000. What if it wasn't? How do you figure out how to handle the speed issue with the blur problem when shooting these events.

1. F6.3, 1/1000, 200, 105mm, Pattern meter, Shutter Pr.



2. f5, 1/1000, 220, 52mm, +.3, Pattern meter, Shutter Pr.



3. F5.6, 1/1000, 200, 90mm, +.3, Pattern meter, Shutter Pr.



4. F5.6, 1/1000, 200, 110mm, Center weighted meter, Shutter Pr.



5. F5.6, 1/1000, 200, 110mm, Center weighted meter, Shutter Pr.



6. F6.3, 1/1000, 200, 116mm, Center weighted meter, Shutter Pr.



7. F4.5, 1/000, 220, 110mm, +1, Center weighted meter, Shutter Pr.

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[gsgary]

These are good, if you are going to use any of the modes aperture priority is best for this situation because it will always give you the fastest shutter speed for the given aperture and if the speed drops below 1/640 up your ISO nd try partial metering or spot, focus just infront of the jump because the speed these go at there is not much room for error ( i always shoot in manual) @ F4 or F5.6 with a 300mmF2.8L because i dont want to see the messy backgrounds you get at these events.
I shot an indoor event a few months ago and had to use ISO3200 at F2.8-F4 and could only get 1/640 at most (only trouble you have a narrow depth of field)
A few from the event

[lvcrtrs]

These are good, if you are going to use any of the modes aperture priority is best for this situation because it will always give you the fastest shutter speed for the given aperture and if the speed drops below 1/640 up your ISO nd try partial metering or spot, focus just infront of the jump because the speed these go at there is not much room for error ( i always shoot in manual) @ F4 or F5.6 with a 300mmF2.8L because i dont want to see the messy backgrounds you get at these events.
I shot an indoor event a few months ago and had to use ISO3200 at F2.8-F4 and could only get 1/640 at most (only trouble you have a narrow depth of field)
A few from the event

Thank you so much, now there's some info I can go out and work with. On top of trying to focus quickly, there is the nightmare of stopping the action and DOF. I can't imagine having the job of shooting this type of event with crappy weather. They would want pictures and I just don't know how you could handle it. I couldn't take the stress of being a pro.

Thanks again.

[gsgary]

These are good, if you are going to use any of the modes aperture priority is best for this situation because it will always give you the fastest shutter speed for the given aperture and if the speed drops below 1/640 up your ISO nd try partial metering or spot, focus just infront of the jump because the speed these go at there is not much room for error ( i always shoot in manual) @ F4 or F5.6 with a 300mmF2.8L because i dont want to see the messy backgrounds you get at these events.
I shot an indoor event a few months ago and had to use ISO3200 at F2.8-F4 and could only get 1/640 at most (only trouble you have a narrow depth of field)
A few from the event

Thank you so much, now there's some info I can go out and work with. On top of trying to focus quickly, there is the nightmare of stopping the action and DOF. I can't imagine having the job of shooting this type of event with crappy weather. They would want pictures and I just don't know how you could handle it. I couldn't take the stress of being a pro.

Thanks again.

I was out all day Saturday in heavy rain shooting dogs
what about snow these were beginers training, took the 5D to see how it handled sport

[lvcrtrs]

Nice, using all the techniques you mentioned earlier? I would think in the rain it would be really hard to get the ap/speed combination that would give you usable images. Apparently not if you know what you are doing.
Thanks,
S

[musicaleCA]

I'd just say, good call on setting EV to +1/3 for the dark doggies. That's thinking ahead, which is important. Getting the camera to do the heavy lifting but finagling it to expose for where you really want detail in scene. You might try EV -1/3 for those especially bright dogs, like in #4; let the blacks go black, and I suspect those specular highlights (the really bright patches) would keep the form of the fur intact.

I'm of the opinion that a little motion blur will add a sense of motion. It makes a scene dynamic, when it's in the right place. Freezing moving things is cool; doing it 100% of the time, not so much.

[gsgary]

I'd just say, good call on setting EV to +1/3 for the dark doggies. That's thinking ahead, which is important. Getting the camera to do the heavy lifting but finagling it to expose for where you really want detail in scene. You might try EV -1/3 for those especially bright dogs, like in #4; let the blacks go black, and I suspect those specular highlights (the really bright patches) would keep the form of the fur intact.

I'm of the opinion that a little motion blur will add a sense of motion. It makes a scene dynamic, when it's in the right place. Freezing moving things is cool; doing it 100% of the time, not so much.

When we are printing at shows thats how they want them, because i love to use slow shutter speeds

[musicaleCA]

Ah, well good to know. That's not something I was aware of; I haven't shot a dog show before. Thanks though; if I'm ever asked to, now I know beforehand.