6 favs of football season so far...

[jajomo]

hey all its been awhile..busy mom/daughter/wife/student/employee stuff and all..lol...but here are some of football season so far. Input is always welcome.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

 

[Boomn4x4]

Watch your horizons... all of them are crooked (excpet maybe 6)

 

[jajomo]

Thanks for the reply..I do see it in #3. I'll keep it in mind for the next game.

 

[Big Mike]

Also, most of them are underexposed. Set your exposure for the players, and don't just let the auto modes pick the exposure for you. This might mean that your background will be overexposed...but better that than underexposed players.

 

[jajomo]

@Big Mike....I assume that means moving to Manual. I just got comfortable moving to the A an S settings. I would hate to experiment on my kids memories. I know each game would be different due to lighting..but could you give me an example of a manual setting for exposure you may use for lets say a 5pm cloudy and gray game. Thanks for any help...I'm not asking for you to pre program my camera..but seeing a suggested setting helps...me keep those numbers in mind when I try it myself.

 

[D-B-J]

@Big Mike....I assume that means moving to Manual. I just got comfortable moving to the A an S settings. I would hate to experiment on my kids memories. I know each game would be different due to lighting..but could you give me an example of a manual setting for exposure you may use for lets say a 5pm cloudy and gray game. Thanks for any help...I'm not asking for you to pre program my camera..but seeing a suggested setting helps...me keep those numbers in mind when I try it myself.

The only way to be comfortable with manual is to force yourself to use it and mess up ALOT of photos. I started with manual on the first day, and it was a great decision. I strictly use manual now, which is great because i can set the settings using the light meter on camera, take a shot, then based on the histogram and "Blinkies" (highlights that blink when blown, shown under image review), i can tweak the setting i want to ( its normally shutter speed or aperture), then try again. Sure, i messed up ALOT of photos starting in manual, but looking back, im glad i forced myself to learn that way.

 

[Big Mike]

The mode you are in, really doesn't matter....you just have to take charge of your exposure.

For example, in A or S modes, you can still use EC (exposure compensation) to adjust the exposure positive or negative. This gives you more or less exposure, from the metered value. Normally, your 'meter' will be on zero (---0---), but you can dial in some positive EC, then all your shots will be that much brighter.

Also, the lighting should be mostly the same while you are shooting a game. So you could find what exposure works for the players, then switch to manual and dial in those settings. Then you wouldn't have to worry about exposure, unless the light changes.

Either way, it's not hard to take a peek at the shots you're getting and adjust your exposure if needed.

The actual problem here, is that your camera is metering the scene, probably the whole scene. So when you have a bright background taking up a significant part of the image, the camera just thinks that it's bright, and gives you less exposure (it tries to make everything average out to middle tone/grey).

So I'd suggest that you play with your exposure a little bit, test out a few settings and see what works. I'm sure you'll have many more years of football games to practice on.

 

[Inst!nct]

@Big Mike....I assume that means moving to Manual. I just got comfortable moving to the A an S settings. I would hate to experiment on my kids memories. I know each game would be different due to lighting..but could you give me an example of a manual setting for exposure you may use for lets say a 5pm cloudy and gray game. Thanks for any help...I'm not asking for you to pre program my camera..but seeing a suggested setting helps...me keep those numbers in mind when I try it myself.

The only way to be comfortable with manual is to force yourself to use it and mess up ALOT of photos. I started with manual on the first day, and it was a great decision. I strictly use manual now, which is great because i can set the settings using the light meter on camera, take a shot, then based on the histogram and "Blinkies" (highlights that blink when blown, shown under image review), i can tweak the setting i want to ( its normally shutter speed or aperture), then try again. Sure, i messed up ALOT of photos starting in manual, but looking back, im glad i forced myself to learn that way.

So you use manual all the time? Humm, I wouldn't call myself a beginner photographer, but, I do still shoot most of the time in Av/Tv unless the need arises that I want to control more of the photo. I don't see the problem with those modes if you are know what you would want out of a manual mode. That might not have made sense :er:, in other words, if I know when av/tv are setting the exposure correctly or incorrectly, do i really need to be shooting in manual all the time?

 

[jajomo]

The only way to be comfortable with manual is to force yourself to use it and mess up ALOT of photos.

I know your right. :thumbup:

The mode you are in, really doesn't matter....you just have to take charge of your exposure.

For example, in A or S modes, you can still use EC (exposure compensation) to adjust the exposure positive or negative. This gives you more or less exposure, from the metered value. Normally, your 'meter' will be on zero (---0---), but you can dial in some positive EC, then all your shots will be that much brighter.

Also, the lighting should be mostly the same while you are shooting a game. So you could find what exposure works for the players, then switch to manual and dial in those settings. Then you wouldn't have to worry about exposure, unless the light changes.

Either way, it's not hard to take a peek at the shots you're getting and adjust your exposure if needed.

The actual problem here, is that your camera is metering the scene, probably the whole scene. So when you have a bright background taking up a significant part of the image, the camera just thinks that it's bright, and gives you less exposure (it tries to make everything average out to middle tone/grey).

So I'd suggest that you play with your exposure a little bit, test out a few settings and see what works. I'm sure you'll have many more years of football games to practice on.

Thanks for the reply..it really helps me understand exposure a little better. I guess I'll have suck it up and be a little more brave for football. Thanks again.

 

[Big Mike]

So you use manual all the time? Humm,

Certainly not.

I wouldn't call myself a beginner photographer, but, I do still shoot most of the time in Av/Tv unless the need arises that I want to control more of the photo. I don't see the problem with those modes if you are know what you would want out of a manual mode. That might not have made sense , in other words, if I know when av/tv are setting the exposure correctly or incorrectly, do i really need to be shooting in manual all the time?

My point was that there is no difference between the modes (to the final photo) as long as the settings end up the same. You could be in manual, shooting at F8 & 1/125...or you could be in Av, with a +1 EC and if you end up at F8 & 1/125...there will be no difference.

In practice though, the benefit of manual is that the exposure won't change based on what gets into the scene. In the auto modes, your exposure will change depending on the reflectivity of the subject (dark or light), so you may end up with varied results. If you are shooting in consitent light, manual may be the better way to go, but if you are shooting various scenes from shot to shot, then the auto modes are great.