Beginner needs help with Sport photography

Fairfaxthunder

TPF Noob!
Joined
Apr 28, 2024
Messages
2
Reaction score
1
Location
Northern VA
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
Hello,

I am looking for assistance to make my sports photography better. I am a beginner trying to improve my shots of our children playing sports.

Equipment: NIKON D700, AF-S NIKKOR 18-200mm zoom lens. Sometimes I use the NIKON DX 18-55mm zoom lens.
Settings: I use the Sports SCENE and AF-A mode and single focus point. (is this best??)

Problem: I cannot seem to focus on what I want to. I often get pics where the subject I am clearly trying to capture is blurry but the background is focused. If you have this camera and have preferred settings and want to share your experiences that would be great. I added a couple pics where the subjects are or are not in focus. On each one I had time for the camera to focus, and I had my single point focused on the subject but it still picked up the background. This seems to be happening on most of my shots.
 

Attachments

  • DSC_2818.webp
    DSC_2818.webp
    860.7 KB · Views: 35
  • DSC_2822.webp
    DSC_2822.webp
    1.1 MB · Views: 23
  • DSC_2855.webp
    DSC_2855.webp
    2 MB · Views: 24
You might try AF-C mode and small area instead of single point. This allows the camera to constantly refocus with moving subjects. Nikon cameras tend to focus on the thing closest to the lens within the focus area. When the action gets fast, it's hard to hold the single point focus, so small area seems to work better for me. You want to try and blur the background as much as possible, so try a wide open aperture.

I set my D500 to manual, aperture wide open, shutter speed around 1/500sec, auto ISO, AF-C, 9 focus points. I use a 70-200mm f/2.8 wide open.
 
AF-C mode as mentioned above. Shutter Priority (TV) with 1/500 or above (light permitting). Use your EC button to adjust exposure as required. This let's you compose, shoot and adjust on the fly.
 
All very helpful advice. I will try it all next Saturday and post my results.

Thank you very much.
 
If you can use manual focus, with practice you can pick your focus point and be spot on each time.
I find my auto focus will try and pick the focal point and not where i want
hope this helps
 
Thing I miss about my old Nikon FG film camera is the way it focused. Focus point was right in the middle of the frame and everything was focused there. Then holding the shutter at half cock move the camera to the shot you want and the focus didn't change. I don't have a clue how they work on my D7000! Never really know where they are going to come up in the view finder! Somehow it seems to work most the time though!
 
With SINGLE POINT focus. Close does NOT count. You have to put the AF point ON the subject.
With a dSLR, the problem is, the AF sensor may not be EXACTLY where the marker on the viewfinder is. You need to experiment to find out exactly where it is.

On my Nikon Sport Scene and SINGLE POINT AF is NOT available, at the SAME time.
Sport scene uses area/zone AF, NOT single point AF.
 
Last edited:
Without your EXIF data we're all just guessing. We really don't know what "Sports Mode" is doing to your settings. A smaller aperture does ease the job of the auto focus system. Even though you have a relatively old sensor it is full frame so you could use ISO 800-1600 if you need to get your shutter speeds into correct range.
 
I assume you're talking soccer (given the examples). Soccer is tough to shoot until you get some specific techniques down. When you're on the end line (ie: by a goal) and players are moving either towards you or away from you, that's really tough to focus. Do NOT use the "Sport" mode--it's basically just setting your camera on "automatic" (except the camera tweaks the settings). And the problem with a very mobile sport (like soccer or hockey or lacrosse), is the sport setting will mostly fail.

Try going to a practice and shooting the practice so YOU can practice. Additionally, start by trying to key on plays/action where you can anticipate what is going to happen. For instance, a corner kick--you know someone is going to put it in play from the corner flag and they're going to try and cross it in front of goal. So you can pre-focus on the players in front of goal. Or on the player putting the ball in play. Same with restarts/dead-ball situations (like free kicks, goal kicks, throw-ins).

Totally agree with the single point focus. Additionally, once you get better at managing the composition and basic focusing issues (like shutter speed and staying in focus), you'll ultimately want to shoot with Aperture setting (so the foreground and background is blurred.

Here's are a couple of examples: 2 from a USWNT practice, 1 from a professional men's match, and 1 from a youth match. For the youth player, I was shooting in daylight at ISO 1600, 1/8000th of a second, and 200mm. I shot all of them on aperture priority, single point focus, Nikon body. I had to crop all of these and do screen captures to get them to fit on TPF so forgive the composition--it is off from the original in each case.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.41.48 PM.webp
    Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.41.48 PM.webp
    120.7 KB · Views: 22
  • Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.44.38 PM.webp
    Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.44.38 PM.webp
    74.4 KB · Views: 20
  • Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.47.59 PM.webp
    Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.47.59 PM.webp
    75.9 KB · Views: 25
  • Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.56.57 PM.webp
    Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.56.57 PM.webp
    131.9 KB · Views: 26
A few things:

I keep my Sony SS around 500-800.

I like my aperture fairly open because there's almost always going to be background noise in field sports.



Zoom way out until you have your subject and have some idea if where they're going, then gradually zoom in.

Know that you can always crop later, so shoot wider than you'd think.

Try to pay attention to the game as much as you can. As an example, if you see a wing flying up the sideline, take a gamble and focus on them. That way you're not chasing the shot after they receive the ball.



If you can, sitting in the goal line makes for some good angles.

 
I am looking for assistance to make my sports photography better. I am a beginner trying to improve my shots of our children playing sports.

Equipment: NIKON D700, AF-S NIKKOR 18-200mm zoom lens. Sometimes I use the NIKON DX 18-55mm zoom lens.
Settings: I use the Sports SCENE and AF-A mode and single focus point. (is this best??)

Problem: I cannot seem to focus on what I want to. I often get pics where the subject I am clearly trying to capture is blurry but the background is focused. If you have this camera and have preferred settings and want to share your experiences that would be great. I added a couple pics where the subjects are or are not in focus. On each one I had time for the camera to focus, and I had my single point focused on the subject but it still picked up the background. This seems to be happening on most of my shots.
It’s great that you’re diving into sports photography! Capturing kids in action can be a lot of fun but also a bit tricky, especially when it comes to focus. Here are a few tips that might help improve your shots:

  1. Use Continuous Autofocus (AF-C): Switching from AF-A to AF-C (Continuous AF) can significantly help. This mode keeps adjusting focus on moving subjects, which is crucial in sports photography.
  2. Single Point Focus: Using a single focus point is a good choice, but make sure you’re selecting the focus point that is directly over your subject. It can be helpful to practice tracking your subject with the focus point as they move.
  3. Shutter Speed: Ensure you’re using a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. A good starting point is at least 1/500 second, but you may need to go faster depending on the speed of the sport and movement of the players.
  4. Wide Aperture: Using a wider aperture (lower f-stop number) can help create a shallow depth of field, which allows your subject to stand out against a blurred background. This is particularly useful in sports photography to isolate your subject.
  5. Shooting in Manual Mode: While Scene modes can be convenient, using Manual or Aperture Priority mode can give you more control over your settings. You’ll be able to adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO as needed for the conditions.
  6. Practice Panning: When your subjects are moving quickly, try panning with them as you take the shot. This technique can help keep the subject in focus while creating a nice motion blur in the background.
If you find that focusing is still an issue despite trying these tips, it could be worth checking if your lenses are functioning properly.

Best of luck, and keep shooting—practice makes perfect!

edit: "commercial" removed by a moderator
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'll add to the AF-C selection, that you set it to 3D. That will present you with a single focus point in the viewfinder, and when you half-press with that point over your subject, the camera will shift focus points automatically to follow that subject in the frame, and keep it in focus.

I had a friend who didn't believe it could do that, and when we were at an airshow, I told him how to turn on the AF-C 3D, then I had him aim at a wind sock across the airfield, then move the camera so the wind sock shifted around in the viewfinder. The camera kept a highlighted focus point over the wind sock and he was a converted believer! :encouragement:

Also, I say shutter priority, just to make sure that aperture priority doesn't select a completely inappropriate slow shutter without you being fully aware. Lighting can change significantly on a partly cloudy day, dropping 2 or 3 stops of light when a cloud moves over. Also, night lighting is absolutely not as bright as it looks to the eye, and if you're not aware of that, you'll be astonished at the underexposure you get if you expected bright lights out there.
 
Last edited:
You have to TEST 3D on your camera in your environment.
I tried 3D once, and it FAILED. I would lose the subject and lock focus on the lines on the tennis court. After that failure, I gave up on 3D AF.
Next problem is the subject. According to my manual, 3D uses subject color to track your subject. But in sports, half of the players are wearing the SAME color uniform. How does it track YOUR subject?
Maybe 3D on the newer camera use other subject parameters to try to track your subject and not get confused by other players on the same team.
 
If you're shooting in Sports SCENE mode, the camera is making many decisions for you. Try shooting in Shutter Priority (S mode) instead, so you can control the shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture and ISO.
 

Most reactions

New Topics

Back
Top