Football Photography! Need Help!

cbay · Sep 20, 2005

Hello

Well i went to my first football game tonight with my camera. Well it was dark and the floodlights were on, and most of my 300 pictures i tuk were blured somehow or another, even when i was trying to take still ones, anyone got any ideas! as i really enjoyed it, but taking the such disappointing pictures really depressed me!

All Help and ideas wanted please!

Big Mike · Sep 20, 2005

I'm guessing that they were blurry because your shutter speed wasn't fast enough to freeze the action. However, if you used a faster shutter speed, you will probably be limited by the maximum aperture of your lens...and you are probably too far away for effective use of flash.

The solution is to use a higher ISO setting. If you had interchangeable lenses, the solution would be to use a faster lens as well (bigger maximum aperture). Those lenses are expensive though. Take a look at the lenses that pro sports photographers use, they are long and wide...and cost many thousands of dollars. They use them because that's what you really need to use to get the type of shots they get.

In the future, use as fast a shutter speed as you can with your equipment. Try to anticipate the height of action...when the players aren't moving at full speed...like the top of a jump.

Jeff Canes · Sep 20, 2005

This is one of those times that equipment quality really makes a different. I assume you are using the Fuji Finepix S7000. I glanced at the S7000 specs your likely pushing the limits of the camera. But you could try a fell thinks. First go to day games only. Second will stadium security allow you bring in a monopod? If so try that. Get as close to the pitch as possible. Try setting the camera to the maximum ISO and use a grin removal filter in PS. Learn the limits of your camera and shoot with in them. IMHO You should be able to get some decent shots. And take a ton shots.

When I go to the ski-park or baseball games, I will often shoot 750-1000 shoots and get around 200 OK ones.

cbay · Sep 20, 2005

i believe the highest ISO on my camera is 800 but therefore leading to only 3M pics. Does this sound right to you?

SLOShooter · Sep 20, 2005

Jeff Canes · Sep 20, 2005

Looking at the spec 800 ISO is the max. As for lower 3m pics at 800 ISO. I dont know? Most likely it is compensating for high grin, that is possible.

montresor · Sep 21, 2005

Sigh, that's why I like film. Too much about digital is like math, which I was absolutely no good at. As for getting good pictures, what's wrong with blur? It was a football match, and there's a lot of movement. A daytime match might be easier to shoot too. I say go with a wide-angle and get as close to the action as you dare or are allowed. Watch out for flying balls and hurtling players, though. Jeff Canes' advice is good, go with that.

cbay · Sep 21, 2005

Well i used a Wide Angle lense last night along with as close as i was allowed as i had PRESS privaliages. But i didnt use my flash as thought that would put players off but when i did it didnt work very well anyway.

Another thing i was thinking would it be better to use RAW's instead of JPEG's then format when i get back home?

Big Mike · Sep 21, 2005

It would be better to use RAW because you could underexpose (with faster shutter speed) and get a better image once it's processed.

However, RAW files are bigger so they take up more card space and take longer to process which may have you waiting for the camera's buffer to clear.

cbay · Sep 21, 2005

Right! Okay, well im gona have to see... I'll try it next time.

Force of Nature · Sep 22, 2005

wow, you managed to get press rights! Well then I'd suggest taking a tripod then, Im sure you are allowed one of them, or chat to the other photographers, see what they suggest, they may have an old camera they might give you! You never know do you!