Help with shooting a gymnastics meets

[imagemaker46]

Here you go. I shot these with a Canon t2i, 300mm with a 1.4 at the Sochi Paralympics, it was to prove a point to people like you, that believe it's the gear They were shot on single frame. It's not the camera, it's the person holding it. Have you ever shot sports?

 

[Didereaux]

Try these a rather small sampling
Picasa Web Albums - Monte Phillips - Action & Sports

and why didn't you post this last set instead of you 1Dx ones.? That was a rhetorical question. (Although be it noted that you used a top end prime lens under outdoors HIGH lighting.) I am ending our little off topic foray.

 

[imagemaker46]

Try these a rather small sampling
Picasa Web Albums - Monte Phillips - Action & Sports

and why didn't you post this last set instead of you 1Dx ones.? that was a rhetorical question. I am ending our little off topic foray.

I posted gymnastics images as an example, based on the thread being on gymnastics. Your attitude towards someone that has more skill and experience in covering sports carries little weight. Assuming you can use a flash with gymnasts proved your lack of experience in working these types of situations. While suggesting panning as the way to eliminate backgrounds is something that can work with objects travelling horizontal is a good idea, but it takes a lot of time and practice to get it right. The gymnasts aren't travelling fast enough and at 200th of a second you are still going to have a background and a blurred gymnast. I did take a look at your sports images, you shoot nice birds and flowers.

 

[imagemaker46]

Apologies to the OP for this off topic highjack of your thread.

 

[Dave442]

If you are at f/2.8 and ISO 3200 right now on that camera and can only get to 1/200th due to the lighting, then I would go for the shots of the gymnast when at a peak of their movement. There may still be a hand or foot with some blur, but it should give a higher keeper rate.

It is also good to keep working on catching the leaps and other moves, at some point you will have a location with better lighting or better equipment and you want to be past the practice stage when that happens.

If you can get to 1/500th by going to the very top ISO and then if the only problem with the shot is noise then your doing pretty good.

 

[hippychickmom]

yes Definitely NO FLASH , my daughter has competed for 6 years, I just have recently gotten better lenses and have started learning them better.

 

[hippychickmom]

and I will be shooting JO and high school gymnastics, my oldest is in High school team and I have a lever 6/7 gymnast and a preteam so by the time I actually get good shots the younger one will be competing haha!
Thank you for the feedback , I am defiantly using all the advise and I do like to see sports photos since it does help , someday I would love to get a full frame camera but for now We have 4 kids so I have to use what I have .

 

[astroNikon]

I have 4 kids too, and I shoot a lot of soccer both outside (day & evening, with and without stadium lights) and indoors and some (day & evening ) baseball.

But I use a FF camera for that ..the advantages were numerous with a FF I upgraded from a Nikon d7000 DX crop body. I also use older Nikon AF-D lenses which saved far more $$ than getting a good Nikon DX camera and the respective more modern AF-S 70-200/2.8 lens + other lenses.

It's a lot of fun capturing those moments for your family and other families.

 

[hippychickmom]

I got better shots of my older at same settings
Different gym since it was a high school meet vs JO

 

[hippychickmom]

 

[astroNikon]

The first one she is in a position which is usually paused (from what little I know of gymnastics) so a slower shutter speed can work.

second isn't she jumping straight up? once again not as fast of a movement as running & jumping?

So picking (as mentioned earlier in someone else's post) your timing helps in the photo clarity.

 

[hippychickmom]

thanks, yea I

The first one she is in a position which is usually paused (from what little I know of gymnastics) so a slower shutter speed can work.

second isn't she jumping straight up? once again not as fast of a movement as running & jumping?

So picking (as mentioned earlier in someone else's post) your timing helps in the photo clarity.

thanks, yes I knew she was more still, just trying to give any examples to better keep helping me, I really appreciate the help. I am excited for the next meets now to put the ideas at work. Maybe Ill even put my 7 yr old to work at home so I can play with her doing gymnastics. Yea not the same but at least I can just play and learn more, I do believe practice makes perfect .

 

[imagemaker46]

looking at the background on the second one, that is going to be a challenge. For the beam if you can shoot it straight on and not from the side, tighter on the gymnast it will help with the backgrounds. Always keep the horizon lines straight as well. It's all practice and like I said, it's a really difficult sport to shoot. Take a look at this web site, the photographer has been a very good friend of mine for decades and is the best gymnastics photographer in the world. langsleysports.com I've learned a lot from her.

 

[hippychickmom]

The second one that was the only angle I could get unless I was on the floor , it was roped off and stand seating only, Thank you for the link, I looked at your photos and will def look at these as well.

 

[12sndsgood]

Angles are hard. I shoot gymnastics now and even with floor access and being 15' from the gymnasts i can't usually get a direct side shots. Thats generally where the judges are for beams. Floor its a crapshoot depending on the routine. Gymnastics is a very tough shooting envirement. Im generally around 3000-4000 with my iso. Around a 3.0 apature and if beams im generally at around 1\250th a sec and floor im around 1\500 a sec. A lot more speed and movement with floor. A lot of it is timing to get a good shot. Learn the routine so you know exactly when to fire. Dont just shoot your kid. Shoot plenty of kids before hand so your loosened up and have your timing down. My first session of an event usually feels like a train wreck compared to the second session.

And yeah ive never been to an event that allows flash. They are very strict in that.

Get as close as you can and zoom as much as your camera and settings will allow to stay focused on the gymnast.