Going for a soccer shoot at my school. What should I do?

[TriggerLoft]

Equipment:
- Camera of course
- I'm going to use my tripod as a monopod.
- My 55-200mm lens with a lens hood.
Is there a good camera setting that I should use to shoot soccer and where is the best place to position myself on the sidelines?

 

[weepete]

I don't know about positioning for shooting football, but you'll want to be in continuous focus mode and I normally go manual to set my dof and shutter speed appropriately with auto ISO and a single focus point.

 

[KmH]

Exact settings will depend on the light direction and quality.
I agree on continuous focus mode with single point area focus mode set, but aperture priority or manual shooting mode, with Auto ISO set.
You'll have to keep an eye in the viewfinder on what ISO the camera is choosing. You don't want it to get to high.

Unfortunately your lens has a variable aperture that has to change as you zoom the lens out from f/3.5 @ 55 mm to f/5.6 @ about 180 mm.
You could set the aperture to f/5.6 and the aperture will stay at f/5.6 from 55 mm to 200 mm, but a larger lens aperture, like f/2.8.
A larger aperture is desirable to aid having a shallower depth-of-field, so background elements are not sharply in focus.
If the day is overcast you may want to use a flash unit for fill, definition, and somewhat of a lighting ratio.

Ideally you'll want to move up and down the sidelines and you want the camera to be just a bit lower than the players chests.
That makes the players seem taller and more powerful while also limiting some background clutter due to the slightly upward perspective of the camera lens
A key is being able to anticipate the action and then shooting at the height of the action. The height of the action usually has the players moving the slowest.

You're going to find that 55 mm is to long a focal length if the action is close to your shooting position. For action shots close to me I used 24 mm.
I shot soccer from the end line with 3 lenses • 24-85 mm f/2.8-4, 80-200 mm f/2.8, 150-500 mm f/5-6.3 • with each lens mounted and ready on a separate camera body.

I shot soccer while down on one knee and always shot from the end line area as the action was moving towards me for several reasons:
• We don't need as much shutter speed for things moving towards the camera compared to things moving side to side past the camera.
• Shooting from the end line makes it more likely the shot will show players faces and expressions. Faces and expressions are highly desired in action sports shots.
• Shooting from the end line, each team's goal was at my end of the pitch for 1/2 of the game, increasing my chances of getting the faces of players from each team.

 

[vintagesnaps]

You gotta learn how to shoot sports... I've done mostly hockey but overall I'd say it takes anticipating the action. Think about vantage points you can try, get set where you expect the play will go next and be ready. I don't think it works well to try to 'chase' the players around the field, but people do what seems to be just sprayin' and prayin' that something will turn out. That's a poor technique.

I'd think about what player or team you're trying to photograph and which end they'll be starting in and which direction they'll be moving once play starts. Maybe try setting up on whichever side might give you a better background. Go early, look at the background you'd be getting from various vantage points, if need be do some test shots to see what you'll be getting once play starts (but mostly look thru your viewfinder and think about how it looks). Obviously you'll need to move up/down the field accordingly.

You could try taking a look at Sports Photography and Photojournalism for Professional Photographers and Photography | SportsShooter.com and see if you can find anything on soccer, but I don't know since it's a US based site and most photographers are most likely shooting football this time of year. But being a field sport it might give you an idea anyway. Or look at some pro sports magazines and see what kind of shots they get at soccer matches.

 

[beagle100]

Equipment:
- Camera of course
- I'm going to use my tripod as a monopod.
- My 55-200mm lens with a lens hood.
Is there a good camera setting that I should use to shoot soccer and where is the best place to position myself on the sidelines?

I agree with some of the other suggestions, look for the best background and light and be at the offensive end. I try for a shutter speed of at least 1600
And forget the tripod !
Untitled by PhotosCW, on Flickr

 

[table1349]

You don't have enough lens to park yourself on the goal line and shoot so you are going to have to move with the action. Shoot from the right side of the team you are shooting. This may mean you are on the opponents side of the field. Most, not all, but most soccer players like most people are right handed/footed. You want to be on their left side to see their face/body to catch the forward action. Granted there will be times their bodies will be turned but in general you will get your best views on the left side of the players you are shooting.

You need a shutter speed of 1/500th to freeze the action in soccer. Many shoot for much higher shutter speeds but they are not necessary for this type of sport. If it is sunny and you SS can be higher that is fine but not necessary. Once you start shooting speed sports, NASCAR/Formula 1/NHRA etc. then you need to be in the 1/1000th and above range.

Shoot wide open if possible. I don't know how sharp your 55-200 is wide open but you want only the action in focus to make it pop from the photo. Depending on the performance of that lens you may have to compromise a bit. Shoot from a knee, soccer players generally are looking at the players the are engaged with or at the ball, generally on the ground. It's the little things when shooting sports that differentiate the sports shot from the sports snapshot.

 

[The_Traveler]

I shot a county traveling team and, depending on the skill of their opponents, I would try to be on the half of the field where most of the action was.
I would try to capture each child in some action shots and then work on mid field and attacking shots.

My goal was to get good action shots but also to include every child in some way.

 

[jcdeboever]

For older kids soccer (bigger fields), I use a 150-600 mm on a mono pod, shoot manual at f8, and a shutter speed of 800 to 1000. Continuously focus mode, dynamic af area mode. I adjust the ISO range depending on light, so cloudy days I bump up the range higher 100-1600. Smaller fields, I use the 70-200 f2.8.
I have used the 55-200 before I sold it and I found on cloudy days, f5.6 worked best in order to get the faster shutter speed and the ISO usually averaged around 800 to maintain shutter speed. D3300.
At half field for defense, corner end on offense.

 

[astroNikon]

what age group are you shooting ?

as a Soccer Ref, soccer coach, parent and soccer photographer I would have a massive objection to you actually constantly walking the sidelines to take pictures. You have to keep yourself behind the line action. And the Refs needs their space (for larger ages with side Refs). Then you have the roving coaches, sideline action, etc. I would say stay in the first 20 yards of each side, or back further from the sidelines after that .. usually behind parents who don't like to lose their visual if there aren't stands.

With smaller kids I've gotten away with 1/320 for some leg motion. Larger kids 1/500 and up to stop action. It all depends. We take spring action shots so I get plenty of practice for our various teams and get some leg/ball blur.

With shots try to get their faces, not their backs. So in smaller fields U4-6 I normally shot from behind the goal line to get the action coming to the opposing goal. In larger U8-19 you are at the end line but not behind it nor towards to goal (ref doesn't like it). and shot action coming towards you. Depending upon the location of sun light you want to have the sun more towards your back (ie, more on the action front) so you may be on either side to get the action coming towards the opposing goal. Be aware of which sidelines they prefer to move the ball, and position on the opposite side. If you want to get the defense/goalie then you move back towards that side. I've also been lately on a full size field being up in the stands and using my 150-600 to get action both ways .. I still prefer being on the sidelines. Also, don't forget to get cheering parents.

I shoot a specific aperture, shutter and let AUTO ISO control the rest.
I use a 80-200/2.8, 150-600/8 and for close shots on my 24-85/2.8-4.
I also use AFC-Single and BackButton Focus Lock to catch ball movement between player and other player/goal while maintaining focus on the shooter/passer until I move it.

height-wise I try to keep my shots at shoulder level. Sometimes I shoot from lower for more of a power shot if they are closer.

and have fun doing it ...

 

[JoeW]

First, for some level of of play, you will not be allowed to shoot on the sidelines--you'll be restricted to the end lines. For instance, the past two Washington Spirit matches I shot, I was only allowed on the sidelines during warmups. If you are allowed on the sidelines, a lot depends upon the level of play of the teams. Usually you're going to get the best shots next to the goal b/c you'll be able to capture expressions and any balls in that area are generally critical ones, lots of big moments. What you'll often find is that one team is better than the other so play tends to be on one end of the field as that team dominates chances and/or possession.

Second, skip the tripod. Monopods make sense when you have a bazooka-sized lens on your camera and you don't want to have to hold it consistently.

Third, for settings (unless it's bright day), I want the fastest shutter speed I can manage. So I jack up the ISO (usually at least 1,000 and usually more like 2,000 or 3200) and narrow the DoF. If you're shooting in daylight on a sunny day, you won't need to be that extreme.

Last of all, 200mm (unless you're on a youth field) won't allow you to capture good shots unless the play is right next to you.