Help with shooting a gymnastics meets

hippychickmom

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I usually shoot with a 70-200 Canon f2.8 lens with a canon t3i and I use the AF and I shoot on 3200 or high for speed

My photos come out blurry
I am uploading a photo to see if I can get some help on maybe better settings and such.

sorry my file was too big I will see about making it small and uploading
 
Blurriness would be from a couple items
- Shutter Speed too low
- Aperture setting to small for being up close
- movement in holding the camera plus above

Can you be more specific on your AF setting ?
There's usually an AF Area and Mode settings

Normally to Correct, in low light
- use a larger opening aperture to compensate higher shutter speed. But not too much to cause Depth of Field issues
- increase ISO to allow a higher Shutter speed at an appropriate Aperture setting.

but all this needs to make sure the AF system is the optimal setting for the environment.
 
image.jpeg
Here is a photo , I will add more info in a min
 
Does your camera or your editing software indicate the exact point of focus? My system is Nikon, so I cannot see the focus point in Canon.

I also could not read the EXIF, but just looking at the photo, it looks as if your camera may have focused on one of the stantions holding the rope.

Lots of motion blur, so I'm assuming a slow shutter speed as well.

BTW: is there some kind of filter on the front of your lens?
 
Does your camera or your editing software indicate the exact point of focus? My system is Nikon, so I cannot see the focus point in Canon.

I also could not read the EXIF, but just looking at the photo, it looks as if your camera may have focused on one of the stantions holding the rope.

Lots of motion blur, so I'm assuming a slow shutter speed as well.

BTW: is there some kind of filter on the front of your lens?
No filter,
 
image.jpeg


Here is the photo info using iPhoto , I do have photoshop and light room but I am still not sure how to use them since I used to use PSP or PSE and they are def diff.
 
My editing software (Aperture) will indicate the point of focus, and though I don't know anything about Lightroom, I am guessing that it will, or maybe your camera LCD.

With your aperture wide open, you will have a thin DOF (or thinner than you would like).

At 1/100 second, you can't effectively stop the motion of the flying girl, but even the spectator's face is blurred by her motion.

I think you should learn Lightroom, and I can't imagine that it would be any more difficult than Aperture. FWIW; I chose not to use iPhoto. For anything.
 
You'll need a faster shutter speed to capture movement. For indoor gym lighting you might want to try 1/250 or 1/500 or faster would be better. (I've found that the low light in gyms might limit using as fast a shutter speed as I would like.) Maybe do some test shots and jot down what you did so later you can look at the pictures and see what worked.

The faster the shutter is moving the less time it's open and letting in light. So the camera's other settings will need to be adjusted. You'll probably need a fairly high ISO (light sensitivity). I would say at that distance not to use too large an aperture; maybe try f8 then smaller if needed to get whatever's in the scene you want to be sharp. Obviously a smaller aperture allows less light coming into the camera too. In general in sports a midrange or smaller aperture is used to get the players/participants all in focus; I usually use a larger aperture if I'm at ice/floor level getting a close up.

It's a matter of figuring out what combination of a faster shutter speed and which aperture and ISO works best in this gym. I've found it to be different in various arenas, etc.

I find doing sports that even if the background isn't sharply in focus it can still be noticeable. Try to go early and figure out where you can sit that the background will look OK (since gyms seem to often have chairs and cans etc. sitting around!).

Make sure your camera is straight, think about when you're framing shots what's in that rectangle of a viewfinder - if something is part of the action or scene, keep it in the frame, if something is not part of the picture, keep it out of the frame - try to not chop things off along the sides/bottom of the frame.

It may take some practice to figure out what settings work best and to get the hang of shooting a sport. If you know the routine it can help to anticipate what's coming next to know when you might get a good shot.
 
There is nothing in that photograph that is in sharp focus, however there is some vertical motion blur on things that were fixed (specifically the stanchions holding the rope) indicating that you moved the camera while the shutter was open. At 47mm 1/100 second should have worked so my suggestion would be to work on your technique and don't slap the shutter release.
 
With that slow shutter speed I also think that you moved the camera up/down
Looking at the back of the chair to the right (the judges) I think I see double in a vertical plane.

The shutter is too slow for gymnastics. You need to increase it and with you at f/2.8 you need to increase the ISO. it will increase noise but I think getting closer to the correct shutter speed will be better.
 
Thank you , I think the shutter makes a diff , Ill try that at the next meet.
I had it set to app priority and I noticed the next photo, literally seconds after was shot at 125 and was a little better. I will try and post that , I need to make the file smaller to upload it tho.
 
View attachment 115166

Here is the photo info using iPhoto , I do have photoshop and light room but I am still not sure how to use them since I used to use PSP or PSE and they are def diff.
btw, your LCD image
this shows auto ISO
and "matrix" metering (nikon speak)
but it doesn't show the Focus Mode ... this is more about it for the T3i
you still need a faster shutter speed.
 
In that gym, I would suggest that you just set the camera at 3200iso, 500th, 2.8 and if you can, shoot closer to the athletes. Get away from using any of the auto modes on the camera, except the autofocus. The settings I gave you, will work.

If you have a 70-200 2.8, use it.
 

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