Appetite exceeded knowledge

[Jharper]

My name is Joan Harper. I have done portrait work, shot weddings (very clumsily and mostly in panic mode) but have achieved some good results without fully understanding the camera and lenses. I’ve read a lot and basically get the idea that fast speed requires more light and thus a more open aperature and also that a open aperature with long exposure requires a tripod. Truly I know just enough to get by but am typically disappointed in my photos pre-editing.

I shoot with old model camera: Olympus E-3. I’m ashamed to say that my appetite for equipment exceeded my knowledge. There is a lot I just don’t understand. So yesterday I wanted to get pictures at an indoor pool of competitive swimmers. I thought my expensive ED 50-200 mm 1.28-3.5 would be a good choice. I knew I would need a fast speed but I could not get a fast enough speed with an aperture that worked. I thought this was considered a fast lens. All my pictures were blurry and awful. I raised the iso thinking that would help. Nothing I did worked. My goal was to use the camera handheld to get good angles. I was completely frustrated. I also don’t really understand which shooting mode I should have used. I thought speed priority but when in that mode, I couldn’t balance aperture. When in A mode, I also couldn’t balance and couldn’t in manual mode either. Is something wrong with my camera body? If not what lens should I have used for fast swimming shots at an indoor pool where the lighting is challenging?

Would someone patient and kind with an idiot like me please help? I would be so appreciative.

 

[PJM]

First, welcome to TPF.

I'm sure folks here would be happy to help. But a couple of sample images and the settings they were shot at would help.

 

[RacePhoto]

I can't answer your swimming question from experience in poolside shooting, but... here's the simple answer for what I'd do. (in my imagination)

ISO say 400 at most. Shutter speed 500th maybe even lower, but being safe, and let the aperture be what it is. Manual, using a setting where I set the camera for shadows. Center point auto focus for the subject that's in the center, unless of course you are going to shoot with space in front, then pick an appropriate point. But focus on the main subject, because anything else will confuse the heck out of a camera.

There are so many potential issues with water, reflections, false Auto reading, speed and the lighting being tricky.

Learn to pan. Learn to Pan...

You aren't going to get everything stopped. You aren't going to get really deep depth of focus. But if you can get the subject in focus with a good exposure, you can win.

Just an example, I might have taken 40 images to get this one right. I'm sure you will get a more balanced setting and get many more good shots. But plan on taking many more than you need, because... it's only electrons, you can delete the bad ones.

ISO 100, 1/30, f/14 manual focus, manual exposure 100mm lens. Shot as JPG, sorry I don't do RAW because I need speed to capture speed.

The point isn't about how far out or extreme someone can go, but instead how panning and Manual settings put you in control. I only used manual focus because I had to catch the car coming out from behind the trees and nothing I own will catch sharp focus that fast. For swimming you are tracking, panning and following, you need auto focus.

The Sun was going down. The cars are moving at speed. If you can get your angles more straight on or 3/4 towards you, instead of straight to the side, you'll also have less blur.

I don't get to use a flash, but something you might consider if your swimming is indoors and no one objects? And that could create more issues with more reflections? On the other hand it would freeze the action. I'm not a fan of sports or action that's frozen in time.

Good luck, have fun!

Oops I'm on the wrong side of the shadows. Partial car is blurred, it's closer, but you can see how distance and angles can work in your favor also. Cars coming at the camera will have less relative motion to the camera.

 

[weepete]

Welcometo TPF Joan!

The basic way I think about it is:

If I want to control motion blur, and depth of field doesn't matter, I can use shutter priority

if I want to control depth of field, and motion blur does not matter, I can use aperture priority

If I need to control both motion blur, and depth of field I can use manual mode.

Indoor sports can be tough, often the lighting is poor, and though you can see clearly with your eyes, there isn't enough light to use ideal camera settings. Often this means cranking the ISO up to the max in order to get a faster shutter speed, and shooting wide open.

Exactly how fast you'll need to go depends on how fast the athletes are moving. I'd normally start at 1/800th when I was shooting some basketball.

Missed focus can also lead to blur on the subject, espeially with thin depth of field.

Can you post an example of the blur you are getting, and the settings you used?

 

[Jeff15]

hello and welcome, let's see some of your work.....

 

[jeffashman]

Howdy and welcome!