Baseball Photography

[canonbraden]

A new season of baseball is just around the corner. This weekend I will be going to shoot at a baseball tournament. I got new gear for Christmas. I have the Canon T3 with an 18-55mm and 75-300mm, what can I do to produce the best images possible?

Thanks.
Braden

 

[ArlynD]

Practice. Put on the 75-300 and leave the rest home - baseball kicks up a lot of dust and you don't want to be changing lenses unless you want gobs of dust on the sensor. Put a filter on the lens to protect it from the dust and bring along a fine lens brush and blower.

Learn the game - (practice). Anticipate bunts, steals, pick off plays, etc. get your camera up and ready and look with both eyes.

 

[texkam]

what can I do to produce the best images possible?

Upgrade your glass. Sell the 75-300. The 55-250, for less than $200 used, is better than your 75-300. The 70-200 f/4L for about $550 used is much better than the 55-250. Other brands are an option too.

Choose a faster shutter at the expense of a higher iso. Sharp with grain is better than clean and blurry.

 

[gw2424]

Stop down whichever zoom you are using. Try 7.1-9.0. Bump the iso to 200 and overexpose about 1/3 of a stop. That way, you can get as much detail as possible.

 

[texkam]

Stop down whichever zoom you are using. Try 7.1-9.0. Bump the iso to 200 and overexpose about 1/3 of a stop. That way, you can get as much detail as possible.

???

 

[canonbraden]

Okay I will give it a try. Thanks!

 

[cynicaster]

Here’s what I’d do:

• Use the telephoto lens exclusively
• Set the camera to Tv mode, and set it to something between 1/500 and 1/1000 of a second
• Activate auto ISO, but go into the settings and set a max auto ISO of 1600
• Only shoot at the max zoom when absolutely necessary (remember, you can crop later)

Last summer I snapped a few dozen pics of a pick-up ball game the broke out at a family BBQ using my old T3 fitted with the 55-250 lens. I used this general approach and the results were sharp and well exposed.

Note, my intent was to freeze motion; if you want “motion blur” to imply speed and whatnot, slow down the shutter. I don’t like doing that personally, because to my eye, it more often than not makes the photo look botched.

These settings should pretty much work in a set-it-and-forget-it way. Some might disagree on my ISO advice, but I’d argue that it’s the best option for the gear you’re using. The quality is still acceptable in daylight conditions and the auto ISO gives the camera a bit more latitude in getting a good exposure using its internal smarts, thus freeing you up to take more shots. Remember: every second you spend farting around with your settings is a second you cannot be capturing memorable pictures.

 

[ronlane]

Stop down whichever zoom you are using. Try 7.1-9.0. Bump the iso to 200 and overexpose about 1/3 of a stop. That way, you can get as much detail as possible.

How does overexpose help you get as much detail as possible? Wouldn't that risk blowing out the highlights to the point of non-recovery?

 

[runnah]

Are we talking about the sport or the actual ball?

 

[cynicaster]

Stop down whichever zoom you are using. Try 7.1-9.0. Bump the iso to 200 and overexpose about 1/3 of a stop. That way, you can get as much detail as possible.

How does overexpose help you get as much detail as possible? Wouldn't that risk blowing out the highlights to the point of non-recovery?

Well, I suppose the risk of blown highlights goes up when you add +1/3 exposure compensation, but IMO it’s pretty low risk in broad daylight (which is what I’m assuming for the baseball photo session) as long as you keep an eye out for blinkies.

It’s a good technique to use because of the way sensor dynamic range works. The “upper stops” of light in the photo have way more detectable levels than the “lower stops” do (a crude way of explaining it, but it gets the point across). This means that in the brighter areas the camera is able to detect much smaller differences in brightness. Not only does this provide richer detail, but it gives you much more latitude in post processing to make adjustments before ugly artifacts start appearing. That’s why it’s always better to slightly over expose (i.e., “expose to the right&#8221 and darken later, rather than vice versa.

 

[EIngerson]

I would not over expose, and I would NOT set to auto ISO. The BEST thing you can do is learn exposure.

I would mostly shoot in AV (aperture priority) for any sport. Set the proper ISO to get the shutter speed you need for the Aperture you want.

 

[cynicaster]

I would not over expose, and I would NOT set to auto ISO. The BEST thing you can do is learn exposure.

I would mostly shoot in AV (aperture priority) for any sport. Set the proper ISO to get the shutter speed you need for the Aperture you want.

That's just another way of doing it; there is usually more than one way to skin a cat. I think the suggestions I gave were a good way for a beginner to get some good photos while still taking baby steps away from full auto.

While I agree 110% that auto functionality is no long-term substitute for a true understanding of exposure, that doesn't mean that the best approach for a newcomer to the hobby is to jump right in with intermediate to advanced techniques. What is second nature to you is going to seem a bit overwhelming to understand for somebody who hasn't yet had their "eureka moment" on how the exposure triangle works from a technical perspective. Gradually "weening" yourself off auto functionality is a good way to learn, IMO.

 

[imagemaker46]

Here’s what I’d do:

• Use the telephoto lens exclusively
• Set the camera to Tv mode, and set it to something between 1/500 and 1/1000 of a second
• Activate auto ISO, but go into the settings and set a max auto ISO of 1600
• Only shoot at the max zoom when absolutely necessary (remember, you can crop later)

Last summer I snapped a few dozen pics of a pick-up ball game the broke out at a family BBQ using my old T3 fitted with the 55-250 lens. I used this general approach and the results were sharp and well exposed.

Note, my intent was to freeze motion; if you want “motion blur” to imply speed and whatnot, slow down the shutter. I don’t like doing that personally, because to my eye, it more often than not makes the photo look botched.

These settings should pretty much work in a set-it-and-forget-it way. Some might disagree on my ISO advice, but I’d argue that it’s the best option for the gear you’re using. The quality is still acceptable in daylight conditions and the auto ISO gives the camera a bit more latitude in getting a good exposure using its internal smarts, thus freeing you up to take more shots. Remember: every second you spend farting around with your settings is a second you cannot be capturing memorable pictures.

Can you post some of your baseball shots?

 

[imagemaker46]

Outside on a sunny day, set the iso at 400, shutter speed between 640-800, aperture 5.6-8. If it gets cloudy adjust the aperture, not the shutter speed. If it gets heavy overcast bump the iso up.

 

[EIngerson]

I would not over expose, and I would NOT set to auto ISO. The BEST thing you can do is learn exposure.

I would mostly shoot in AV (aperture priority) for any sport. Set the proper ISO to get the shutter speed you need for the Aperture you want.

That's just another way of doing it; there is usually more than one way to skin a cat. I think the suggestions I gave were a good way for a beginner to get some good photos while still taking baby steps away from full auto.

While I agree 110% that auto functionality is no long-term substitute for a true understanding of exposure, that doesn't mean that the best approach for a newcomer to the hobby is to jump right in with intermediate to advanced techniques. What is second nature to you is going to seem a bit overwhelming to understand for somebody who hasn't yet had their "eureka moment" on how the exposure triangle works from a technical perspective. Gradually "weening" yourself off auto functionality is a good way to learn, IMO.

I wouldn't call knowing how to use ISO intermediate to advanced techniques, but I agree with the "eureka moment" comment. lol.