Blurry Pics

ropeman · Sep 4, 2013

I was not asking for you to post a larger size photograph, what I was asking for is the intact EXIF, or at least your shutter speed, the ISO, and the aperture, at least, and if you could, the entire EXIF, which has more information in it. The reason I was asking for that is so we could evaluate the photograph in terms of the actual settings used. The method you used to post the pictures has stripped most of the data from the individual pictures.

If you can't post photographs while leaving the EXIF intact, at least you can look at it on your own computer, and post the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture with each photograph.

Second part: do you have any filters attached, such as a UV filter?

I will have to look at my computer and see if I can get that info for you. No UV filter just a clear filter.

This might give some ideas on vantage points etc. - at the bottom of the article is a link to the photographer's Sportsshooter member page and his website. GOOOOOOOAL! A new team debuts in Seattle

Thanks I will look at this site and see what he says.

Edit: Could the focus point selected by the camera be on a subject (another player) that was physically closer to you than the desired subjects which are likely outside of the DOF? That might be the explanation for why some of the pictures are blurry. Understanding how your camera decides which of multiple focus points to use is critical. It's usually the one that's the closest 'lockable' focus point. If you haven't already done so, change your camera settings to use only the center focus point. That would solve the 'wrong subject focus' problem.

I will have to look at my setting for the focus point. Thanks for the info.

Designer · Sep 4, 2013

ropeman said:
I will have to look at my computer and see if I can get that info for you. No UV filter just a clear filter.

The EXIF can also be displayed in your camera.

I suggest you lose the clear filter and try again.

ToddnTN · Sep 4, 2013

ropeman said:
Designer said:

Hi, ropeman. Thanks you for posting some pictures. Unfortunately, the EXIF does not contain the exposure data. Will you please post the EXIF for one or more of these shots, please? Include the lens, ISO, shutter, and aperture.

BTW: do you have any filters attached, such as a UV filter?

Click to expand...

The pic are too big to post. they are over 2 mb in size. The lens I use is 70 to 300 canon. The iso is large setting. I do not remember the shutter or aperture setting. I changed them through out the tourney which was over 2 days.

Use flickr.com, they will let you post 1tb of pictures to their site free of charge. Then you can just provide a link to the original pictures, at which point you will receive far more help.

ropeman · Sep 4, 2013

Designer said:
ropeman said:

I will have to look at my computer and see if I can get that info for you. No UV filter just a clear filter.

Click to expand...

The EXIF can also be displayed in your camera.

I suggest you lose the clear filter and try again.

Here is the EXIF info you were looking for.

F=stop = f/5
Exposure time = 1/1250 sec
iso speed = iso-200
exposure bias = 0 step

Designer · Sep 4, 2013

Thanks, ropeman. With an exposure time of 1/1250, you should be getting sharp focus. We have seen with some filters on the lens it could affect the sharpness. I think you should try your next photography without the filter. Also, check the inside surface of the lens for dust. That is one place that is often overlooked when examining a lens for dust.

sm4him · Sep 4, 2013

First of all, I would NOT buy a "better" lens right now. It might be better quality, but my guess is at least 75% of your issues are user-related, so figure those out FIRST, then upgrade the equipment if you want. It IS possible to get decent soccer photos with a standard lens like that. I used the Nikon equivalent for the most part last year shooting my niece's soccer games, and after a few "learning experience" games, got pretty decent results.

I would NOT stay in one place, and I would NEVER try to shoot the whole game from one end of the field. If I HAD to stand in one place, it would be as near to the middle of the field as I could get, along the sidelines. But it's better if you can move around. Don't worry about the fact that it means you're not getting shots "head on." You actually WILL get some "head on" shots, as the players angle themselves according to where the ball is. But even if you don't--actions pics from the side are fine, since that's the way most people are used to seeing soccer.

Make sure your shutter speed is at a MINIMUM of 1/500. 1/1000 is even better, if you have enough light. Aperture maybe 6.3 or 7.1 and ISO, whatever it has to be to get a decent exposure.

Now comes the tricky part. If you understand the game, it will be easier. I was a keeper myself for many, many years, so that helped me anticipate what was going to happen. You will get MUCH better action shots if you take the time to learn the game well enough and anticipate where the ball is going. You said you tried that and didn't have much luck with it. KEEP doing it; the more you work on following that ball, learning the game and being able to anticipate the next move, the more "luck" you will start having. Yes, the younger kids can be a challenge because of their unpredictability (such as, they don't always GO to the ball like they should), but you will learn how to anticipate their moves better and better with practice.
Focus right on the number on their jerseys as they're running, or on your daughter's chest as she's going for the ball. If you focus on the ball, you'll end up with oof players.

EDIT: Oh, and as others have already said, if you have a "protective filter" on the camera, carefully unscrew it before the game...and then hurl it as far away from you as you possibly can, and leave it there.

ropeman · Sep 5, 2013

Thanks, ropeman. With an exposure time of 1/1250, you should be getting sharp focus. We have seen with some filters on the lens it could affect the sharpness. I think you should try your next photography without the filter. Also, check the inside surface of the lens for dust. That is one place that is often overlooked when examining a lens for dust.

Thanks I will check the surfaces for dirt. I will also get rid of the protective lens cover. I try to stay at one end so I get the girls faces in the pics. I shot from the side for 2 yrs and then read somewhere about going to the ends of the field and shooting. I decided to do that and started getting better action photos of the team just not my daughter. Also, by going to the end of field I can get away from all the other parents. Sometimes other parents are annoying and I do not say a word during the game. You would understand because you played the position but you really need to concentrate more then other positions because there is no one behind if you make a mistake.

Thanks to everyone for all the great info. My daughter has a scrimmage this weekend and I will stand on the sidelines to take pics. See if they come out good. I will post here and let everyone know what happens. My other daughter has a Field Hockey tourney so it will be a weekend of picture taking.

Thanks again.

First of all, I would NOT buy a "better" lens right now. It might be better quality, but my guess is at least 75% of your issues are user-related, so figure those out FIRST, then upgrade the equipment if you want. It IS possible to get decent soccer photos with a standard lens like that. I used the Nikon equivalent for the most part last year shooting my niece's soccer games, and after a few "learning experience" games, got pretty decent results.

I would NOT stay in one place, and I would NEVER try to shoot the whole game from one end of the field. If I HAD to stand in one place, it would be as near to the middle of the field as I could get, along the sidelines. But it's better if you can move around. Don't worry about the fact that it means you're not getting shots "head on." You actually WILL get some "head on" shots, as the players angle themselves according to where the ball is. But even if you don't--actions pics from the side are fine, since that's the way most people are used to seeing soccer.

Make sure your shutter speed is at a MINIMUM of 1/500. 1/1000 is even better, if you have enough light. Aperture maybe 6.3 or 7.1 and ISO, whatever it has to be to get a decent exposure.

Now comes the tricky part. If you understand the game, it will be easier. I was a keeper myself for many, many years, so that helped me anticipate what was going to happen. You will get MUCH better action shots if you take the time to learn the game well enough and anticipate where the ball is going. You said you tried that and didn't have much luck with it. KEEP doing it; the more you work on following that ball, learning the game and being able to anticipate the next move, the more "luck" you will start having. Yes, the younger kids can be a challenge because of their unpredictability (such as, they don't always GO to the ball like they should), but you will learn how to anticipate their moves better and better with practice.
Focus right on the number on their jerseys as they're running, or on your daughter's chest as she's going for the ball. If you focus on the ball, you'll end up with oof players.

EDIT: Oh, and as others have already said, if you have a "protective filter" on the camera, carefully unscrew it before the game...and then hurl it as far away from you as you possibly can, and leave it there.

Thanks for the info. I will work on anticipating the action better.

cbarnard7 · Sep 5, 2013

Hi ropeman,

I'm no expert (and there are a few pro sports photogs here that can probably help more) but I recently tried shooting my wife's coed game while I was injured. (http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...allery/334928-coed-soccer-football-shots.html) They're not excellent, but what helped me was on my Nikon, I used the AF-C mode that constantly focused while I was panning. I also have a VR lens, so that helped with blur as well. I shot these all handheld with a 55-200VR on a full-sized field at ISO ~1600 and 1/250-1/500s.

Also, you're much better off (in my opinion) standing at half and shooting. I know your 300 can zoom across the whole field, but it doesn't need to. I think half is a much better vantage-point for you since your daughter is a goalie. Another cool shot could be from behind the net with a wide angle as she's coming out for the ball? A lot of cameras are placed behind the goal in professional games to catch the goal/save.

And lastly, like others have said: it's much better to take less pictures with better quality. I never really use burst mode, and if I do, it's only 2-3 shots at a time. I've played soccer my whole life, so I know where the action is going to be (going up for a header, taking a shot, hitting a corner/free-kick, doing a throw it, challenging/tackling for the ball...etc) and then just snap as it's about to happen.

Good luck!

ropeman · Sep 5, 2013

Also, you're much better off (in my opinion) standing at half and shooting. I know your 300 can zoom across the whole field, but it doesn't need to. I think half is a much better vantage-point for you since your daughter is a goalie. Another cool shot could be from behind the net with a wide angle as she's coming out for the ball? A lot of cameras are placed behind the goal in professional games to catch the goal/save.

The one problem I have with standing at mid field or on the sideline is that I do not get the girls coming at the net to score. They do this a lot in a 1 hr game, for the last 8 games they are avg'ing 4 to 5 goals a game. I would love to go behind the net but that is not allowed at this level.

My daughter has been playing soccer since she was 8 so for the past 4 yrs. I have had to sit through a lot of soccer. i never played a game of soccer, played football my whole life.

They're not excellent, but what helped me was on my Nikon, I used the AF-C mode that constantly focused while I was panning. I also have a VR lens, so that helped with blur as well. I shot these all handheld with a 55-200VR on a full-sized field at ISO ~1600 and 1/250-1/500s.

Is AF-C mode mean AI servo mode ?

cbarnard7 · Sep 5, 2013

ropeman said:
Also, you're much better off (in my opinion) standing at half and shooting. I know your 300 can zoom across the whole field, but it doesn't need to. I think half is a much better vantage-point for you since your daughter is a goalie. Another cool shot could be from behind the net with a wide angle as she's coming out for the ball? A lot of cameras are placed behind the goal in professional games to catch the goal/save.

Click to expand...

The one problem I have with standing at mid field or on the sideline is that I do not get the girls coming at the net to score. They do this a lot in a 1 hr game, for the last 8 games they are avg'ing 4 to 5 goals a game. I would love to go behind the net but that is not allowed at this level.

My daughter has been playing soccer since she was 8 so for the past 4 yrs. I have had to sit through a lot of soccer. i never played a game of soccer, played football my whole life.

They're not excellent, but what helped me was on my Nikon, I used the AF-C mode that constantly focused while I was panning. I also have a VR lens, so that helped with blur as well. I shot these all handheld with a 55-200VR on a full-sized field at ISO ~1600 and 1/250-1/500s.

Click to expand...

Is AF-C mode mean AI servo mode ?

Yes, AI Servo is the same (where you half-press down the shutter release button to pan with an object and constantly focus).

If you can't stand behind the goal, I'd stand by the corner flag and move to the other side of the field (other end line) halfway through the half and only shoot the players attacking the goal closest to you. This way, you can snap pics of the other team against your daughter (and her goalie skills), and then halfway through the first half go to the other side and snap pics of your daughter's team attacking their goalie.

I know you want to capture it all so just compromise and split time between both subjects (your daughter and her team).

114florida · Sep 6, 2013

Yes, these looks Zooming in normal camera.

CameraFu · Oct 23, 2013

For your photos to be less blurry you're going to have to make sure you shutter speed is high to catch the movements in action. It's easier to take photos like this on a bright day, so you don't have to turn your iso which causes alot of grain, but still can have a bright photo. What type of camera do you have?