C&C's Looking to Improve II

[Matina]

Another weekend out at the rink this time with the 70-200:2.8. Previously I was using a 70-300:4-5.6 posted in the general gallery. Parents were pleased with the shots but I think there's lots of room to improve.....not as sharp as i'd like?....I'm currently using the 550D.

1. 1/400 ƒ/2.8 ISO1600 165 mm

2. 1/400 ƒ/2.8 ISO1600 95 mm

3. 1/400ƒ/2.8 ISO1600 123 mm

4. 1/400ƒ/2.8 ISO1600 75 mm

5. 1/400 ƒ/2.8 ISO1600 70 mm

6. 1/400 ƒ/2.8 ISO1600 120 mm

 

[Scuba]

I don't know much about sports photography but all the images look too cool. Maybe it is because it is a hockey rink but I would bring the white balance up some. The last image I think is fantastic.

 

[Canuk]

I agree that the white balance looks a little off, try doing a custom white balance off of the players jerseys, boards or even the ice.

The only other suggestion I have would be to different angles. Try to get more images of the children's faces and less of their backs. The pics from mid ice are great for the goalies parents, but sometimes the view from behind or the side, and the corners will give you an interesting angles.

For the most part though, good job and keep shooting!!

 

[fjrabon]

they're all slightly off WB wise and a bit dark. Ice will pretty much always fool your camera's auto WB and exposure. A hockey rink is one of the places I definitely think you have to white balance there, because it will just create more headaches than it's worth trying to do it in post. Exposure, the brightness of the ice will fool your camera into thinking that the image is too bright, and thus it will give a darker exposure. The camera doesn't realize that ice should be sparkling and brilliant. Basically what I do is take a shot where the ice is just touching being blown out, i.e. the very right edge of the histogram. Then I shoot manual for the rest of the night on those settings. I also have A priority sort of set up and ready to go, so I can switch to that if I want to take crowd shots at some point (or shots of the bench).

white balance wise, they seem to be to both be cool and have a magenta cast.

 

[Matina]

I don't know much about sports photography but all the images look too cool. Maybe it is because it is a hockey rink but I would bring the white balance up some. The last image I think is fantastic.

Thanks Scuba,......Have been having some issues with WB/colour....The last set I shot at a different rink had a fair amount of magenta, seen in my previos thread. I guess I tried to compensate by lowering the WB post (shot in raw), making this set cool. I find my monitor has a warm tone as well causing me to over correct.

 

[Matina]

I agree that the white balance looks a little off, try doing a custom white balance off of the players jerseys, boards or even the ice.

The only other suggestion I have would be to different angles. Try to get more images of the children's faces and less of their backs. The pics from mid ice are great for the goalies parents, but sometimes the view from behind or the side, and the corners will give you an interesting angles.

For the most part though, good job and keep shooting!!

Thanks Canuk.....The problem is that the only place I can shoot without going through the plexiglass is on the bench. I'll try moving around a bit more for the next game, looking for some clear spots along the glass. I'm sure the parents would appreciate some different angles.

Can I shoot the ice or boards directly and use that as a custom WB?....I was using the pre-programmed fluorescent mode on the 550D. Came across info saying not to worry too much about WB while shooting, that can be corrected post. However, I'm finding it difficult getting the colors just right.

 

[fjrabon]

I don't know much about sports photography but all the images look too cool. Maybe it is because it is a hockey rink but I would bring the white balance up some. The last image I think is fantastic.

Thanks Scuba,......Have been having some issues with WB/colour....The last set I shot at a different rink had a fair amount of magenta, seen in my previos thread. I guess I tried to compensate by lowering the WB post (shot in raw), making this set cool. I find my monitor has a warm tone as well causing me to over correct.

There are two white balance axes: green/magenta and yellow/blue. The most commonly changed is yellow/blue. You can't get rid of a magenta cast by changing yellow/blue.

edit: also hockey ice should have a slight green/blue tint to it, very subtle but it's there. The best pure white would be the white on their uniforms.

 

[Matina]

they're all slightly off WB wise and a bit dark. Ice will pretty much always fool your camera's auto WB and exposure. A hockey rink is one of the places I definitely think you have to white balance there, because it will just create more headaches than it's worth trying to do it in post. Exposure, the brightness of the ice will fool your camera into thinking that the image is too bright, and thus it will give a darker exposure. The camera doesn't realize that ice should be sparkling and brilliant. Basically what I do is take a shot where the ice is just touching being blown out, i.e. the very right edge of the histogram. Then I shoot manual for the rest of the night on those settings. I also have A priority sort of set up and ready to go, so I can switch to that if I want to take crowd shots at some point (or shots of the bench).

white balance wise, they seem to be to both be cool and have a magenta cast.

Thanks for the tips!.....I'll definately work on the WB for the next shoot, I completely understand the headaches doing it in post....now. I did have to increase the exposure slightly, but I found if I go any slower than 1/400 @ 2.8 & 1600 I'm not able to freeze the action. What do you typically find yourself using for hockey?

 

[fjrabon]

they're all slightly off WB wise and a bit dark. Ice will pretty much always fool your camera's auto WB and exposure. A hockey rink is one of the places I definitely think you have to white balance there, because it will just create more headaches than it's worth trying to do it in post. Exposure, the brightness of the ice will fool your camera into thinking that the image is too bright, and thus it will give a darker exposure. The camera doesn't realize that ice should be sparkling and brilliant. Basically what I do is take a shot where the ice is just touching being blown out, i.e. the very right edge of the histogram. Then I shoot manual for the rest of the night on those settings. I also have A priority sort of set up and ready to go, so I can switch to that if I want to take crowd shots at some point (or shots of the bench).

white balance wise, they seem to be to both be cool and have a magenta cast.

Thanks for the tips!.....I'll definately work on the WB for the next shoot, I completely understand the headaches doing it in post....now. I did have to increase the exposure slightly, but I found if I go any slower than 1/400 @ 2.8 & 1600 I'm not able to freeze the action. What do you typically find yourself using for hockey?

Varies wildly on the arena. I usually simply up my ISO to something like 2000 and deal with the extra noise in post. Good thing about hockey is that you'll have very few extremely dark areas, so noise is dramatically less noticeable.

Here is what I thought was the correct WB, though hard to be precise. It's at least close enough for government work:


8199323922_559ab49a29_c (1) by franklinrabon, on Flickr

I simply measured the goalie's pads, adjusting the magenta/green and yellow/blue sliders until I got something like: Red 223 Green 223 Blue 223. When your RGB is perfectly balanced, that's a completely neutral white/grey/black.

ie 255, 255, 255 is pure white.

 

[Matina]

Varies wildly on the arena. I usually simply up my ISO to something like 2000 and deal with the extra noise in post. Good thing about hockey is that you'll have very few extremely dark areas, so noise is dramatically less noticeable. I simply measured the goalie's pads, adjusting the magenta/green and yellow/blue sliders until I got something like: Red 223 Green 223 Blue 223. When your RGB is perfectly balanced, that's a completely neutral white/grey/black. ie 255, 255, 255 is pure white.

Thanks fjr!!.....Gives me more to work with for the next set.

 

[fjrabon]

Varies wildly on the arena. I usually simply up my ISO to something like 2000 and deal with the extra noise in post. Good thing about hockey is that you'll have very few extremely dark areas, so noise is dramatically less noticeable. I simply measured the goalie's pads, adjusting the magenta/green and yellow/blue sliders until I got something like: Red 223 Green 223 Blue 223. When your RGB is perfectly balanced, that's a completely neutral white/grey/black. ie 255, 255, 255 is pure white.

Thanks fjr!!.....Gives me more to work with for the next set.

Yup, always remember that high ISO is easier to deal with than underexposed. If you ever have to choose between proper exposure and high ISO, choose high ISO.

 

[Matina]

Played around a bit more with the raw files.....improvement?


IMG_4085_2


IMG_4098_1


IMG_4124_1


IMG_4129_1


IMG_4180_1


IMG_4209_1

 

[color]

I do have a little problem with the 3rd image. Although with the white balance adjusted it looks better, there still isn't much to look at. The action is difficult to determine for several reasons: 1 the depth of field seems fairly deep keeping a lot of things in focus or semi-focus. 2: there is a hockey stick across the main action of the photo. 3: no face. 4: shots from above make players look less powerful and at youth level there aren't many kids out there that are physically intimidating so it's the photographers job to create that sense. Not saying it's your fault, because I bet that they don't let you low enough but it's something to be aware of. 5: part of the kids helmet is cut off on the left side, giving the photo more of a boxed in feeling when it should be more of a window into the moment.

Overall though, your photos were good. Good technical quality and decent composition, but look to get more faces! I know it's hard with helmets but always be sure your shooting the opposite direction they're trying to score! Good luck!

 

[Matina]

Overall though, your photos were good. Good technical quality and decent composition, but look to get more faces! I know it's hard with helmets but always be sure your shooting the opposite direction they're trying to score! Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback....a lot to keep in mind for the next shoot, but I'll keep at it.