HELP! How can I improve this picture

[kearypik]

I bought a new lens to help with the pictures i take at my daughter basketball games! Money in mind, I purchased a Tamron 70-200 2.8.
This weekend was the first time I had it out. I took a few shot and most of them were pretty good. I did use a mono pod. I also did a custom white balance. Which I still feel the color in the photos are a bluish tint. I would like to know if there is a different or better setting i could be using. Any advice will help!

#1

Iso/1600, 1/160, f/s 4.5 Custom white balance. This pic seems a little out of focus.


#2

ISO/1600, 1/125, f/s 4.0

This are not the best action ones I have I am more concerned about the setting and color!

 

[480sparky]

Not sure what you have for a camera, but even at ISO 1600, you're still not getting the shutter speed needed to 'stop' the action. If possible, bump it up to 3200 or 6400. Yeah, you'll get more noise, but you'll gain a stop or two you can apply towards a higher shutter or more DOF.

 

[gsgary]

Both were shot at 70mm so you could have saved yourself some money and got a faster,, and cheaper sharper lens by getting the 85F1.8
The first shot you have missed focus but shutter speed is too slow you will have to shoot at F2.8, second shot is better focus but is blurred because shutter speed is too slow. The only way to get a fast enough shutter speed is to shoot at ISO3200 and F2.8

 

[kearypik]

I have a rebel xti. I believe 1600 is the highest. The reason I didn't get a 85mm 1.8 is because Im not always close to the court. Would you set it in program or something else?

 

[KmH]

Or use flash. The flash of light is short and will stop motion so you don't have to rely on shutter speed to do that. The flash will let you turn down the ISO setting to a value the Xti can handle better. Image noise is preferred over blurry.

From your EXIF data:

Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode

It looks like the floor and the purple along the walls may be contributing to your blueish tint problem, though the EXIF says the camera white balance was in 'manual' mode it doesn't say which white balance setting was actually used.

When I shot action sports, I used manual mode and aperture priority.

 

[camjam]

kearypik,

I have the same Tamron lens but use it on a Nikon D90. I feel your frustration in wanting to take nice clear pictures. My wife and I have one full soccer and one swim season under out belts with our D90 and are into swim season number two. We did shoot one girls basket ball game recently. I will try to attach a few pictures for you to review . All were shot with the Tamron 70-200 2.8 in the 70mm range in AP mode. I have pictures shot from the baseline near our basket while we were on defense at the other end of the court. Some with a custom WB others on Auto WB. No flash, as our high school sport association has a maze of rules for flash and it's easier to just shoot without to avoid issues with refs and coaches. ISO between 800-1600, shutter speed 250-400. By no means do I think the pictures are perfect or worthy of being framed. Should note this is the first time I posted any pictures, but I think the players were happy. I hope you can see the lens can can take nice pictures.

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Focus should have been on 23 but looks to be more on 10.

 

[ph0enix]

Focus should have been on 23

...or even on the ball

 

[MLeeK]

Use a faster shutter speed. You are WAYYY to slow to shoot any sport. You need to be up around a MINIMUM of 1/320 if the action is slow. I find myself using 1/500 more often than not. Which means you are in eposure trouble with the XTi cuz you cannot raise your ISO at all. Drop your f/ to 2.8. You can then push your shutter up to 1/250 and get the same exposure.
If you are using a priority mode actually switch to shutter priority. You are going to have to have f/2.8 to get exposure, so you are best off protecting the very crucial shutter speed here.
You should be using one focus point and AI Servo for your focusing mode.

With that lens you are going to need to aim for the slower action. It's rather slow to focus and following focus from one end of the gym to the other will lag a bit. I used it to shoot sports for a while and it's a tough lens to shoot close quarters, fast moving sports with because of the slower focus motor in it. You can do it and you'll learn how to compensate by using a focus point that may be ahead of the players or pre-focusing in the box they are headed to.

It's going to take some real practice-it doesn't come easy with sports! They are a lot trickier than you expect!

These are all shot at f/2.8; 1/400; ISO 12,800

 

[kearypik]

What kind of camera did you use for those pictures?

 

[kearypik]

What are your setting with your pictures? They turned out well!

I have the same Tamron lens but use it on a Nikon D90. I feel your frustration in wanting to take nice clear pictures. My wife and I have one full soccer and one swim season under out belts with our D90 and are into swim season number two. We did shoot one girls basket ball game recently. I will try to attach a few pictures for you to review . All were shot with the Tamron 70-200 2.8 in the 70mm range in AP mode. I have pictures shot from the baseline near our basket while we were on defense at the other end of the court. Some with a custom WB others on Auto WB. No flash, as our high school sport association has a maze of rules for flash and it's easier to just shoot without to avoid issues with refs and coaches. ISO between 800-1600, shutter speed 250-400. By no means do I think the pictures are perfect or worthy of being framed. Should note this is the first time I posted any pictures, but I think the players were happy. I hope you can see the lens can can take nice pictures.

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Focus should have been on 23 but looks to be more on 10.[/QUOTE]

 

[GeorgieGirl]

MLeek...Follow up question...did you shoot RAW or Jpeg?

 

[MLeeK]

I shoot raw for everything. BUT I am a full manual all of the time kinda girl, so raw processing takes me all of the time it takes to process one image and I am pretty done. I just have to cull the crap out.

 

[MLeeK]

What kind of camera did you use for those pictures?

Those are either with a Canon 7D or 1D Mark III. I am GUESSING seeing how it was basketball and I didn't need the extra reach I'd get from the 7D... I probably shot with the 1D Mark III. Lens was the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 OS. I also have the Tamron you are shooting with. I'll see if I can find some of last year's basketball with it.

 

[MLeeK]

As I was looking at last year's images I discovered that I had little if anything in focus as they are running down the court. It's all in the ends!

Those were taken with a 50D, Tamron 70-200 f/2.8. Settings f/2.8, ISO 6400, Shutter of 1/500

 

[kearypik]

MLeek...That would be great! I know I don't have the best camera, but I just want to learn how to get the best pictures I can get with the equipment I have. Thanks so much for all your help!!!