horse jumping photography problem.

[chloewindle1]

Camera used: Nikon D5100
Lens used: Nikkor 70-300mm

Hi! So I've been having a real difficulty in getting a sharp and clear picture of horses jumping. Previously I've had no problems but recently I've been photographing a friend and whenever she jumps I capture the picture and looks fine on the DSLR screen. But however, on the computer the actual image is captured, BUT, the JUMP is in focus and the HORSE and RIDER aren't? Can you please explain why this is happening now? as before this never used to happen? Thanks.

 

[chloewindle1]

Also forgot to mention, I shoot manually and the image was shot at...
ISO - 800
Exposure time - 1/600

 

[robbins.photo]

Also forgot to mention, I shoot manually and the image was shot at...
ISO - 800
Exposure time - 1/600

Well at 1/600 I wouldn't expect the image to be too blurry, a little hard to tell without actually seeing the picture but I guess my first thought would be that the camera is focusing on the jump rather than the horse/rider. What sort of autofocus settings are you using?

 

[chloewindle1]

focus mode - AF-A

 

[Steve5D]

Any chance you can post an example?

 

[Braineack]

you need to pan and possibly use a higher shutter speed.

but post pics of the trouble shots.

 

[astroNikon]

what aperture ?

AF-A ? Have you tried to do these shots in AF-S (Single Focus point)

On your D5100 do you have options to show the focus point in the preview?
on my d7000 I go to the PLAYBACK menu, then DISPLAY mode and select all the options .. this allows me to critique my shot on camera on my focus point(s), store all EXIF with photo, etc.

If on AF-A then you can see what the camera selected as focus point(s). What I find normally when doing kids soccer or trying to shoot a flying bird, on AF-A the camera just doesn't do what you think it should do. So I tend to opt for AF-S for most action/movement shots.

I'm going to guess and say the camera focused on the jump obstacle, and not the horse & rider.

With AF-S you learn to move your focus point to the right (if they are going from right to left) to give movement into the frame, or vice versa.

 

[astroNikon]

I just looked at the 5100 manual .. and you may not have the same display nor camera focus controls that I do. I use a d7000 and d600.

 

[Steve5D]

you need to pan and possibly use a higher shutter speed.

1/600 really should be high enough...

 

[Overread]

Auto focus works by locking onto the closest point of contrast change in a scene it can detect. If you have all AF points active then the camera will find the closest point of contrast change under any of those AF points.

If you are shooting side-on to the horse and jump its likely that the jump is closer to you than the horse and rider; as a result the jump will be focused upon not the horse and rider. If you shift to single point AF where you define the single Af point that is active you can set it so that the focus point lands on the horse and rider not the jump far more easily.

If you are head on to horse and rider the other element is movement. The horse is moving toward you and thus if you use one-shot AF the focus will lock, but remain locked as the horse moves, which means chances are you'll have the focus miss. Continuous AF mode can allow the camera to constantly re-focus so that it keeps a moving target in focus.


There is also the approach of pre-focusing on the jump fence in one-shot AF (or manual) and then waiting for that split second where the horse is in focus before pressing the shutter fully (note that this takes practice to get the hang of)

 

[bratkinson]

For subjects that move quickly, from close-up toddlers to race cars and anything else that can go faster than human walking speed, I've had my best luck setting the AF system to do center AF-point only rather than letting it 'choose' from a couple to 63 possibilities (on my camera). As mentioned above, when giving a choice of AF points, the camera will chose one that is closest and/or has the best contrast that it can detect (horizontal/vertical/etc). By only allowing the center AF point to be selected, I can put it right where I want it and by choosing the AI-SERVO AF mode (I'm a Canon guy), it will 'follow' the moving focus point within an inch (give or take) of movement when 50 feet away, give or take.

On the other hand, for slower moving subjects where I have some 'decide where I want to focus' time, I may set the camera to choose from an 'inner group' of focus points, especially if I don't want the subject centered in the photograph. Maybe, in time, I'll learn to be 'quicker' or 'better' at letting the camera decide and getting the shot I want, but coming from many years of film and a center-focus-ring viewfinder, it's a tough habit to break.

 

[chloewindle1]

Do shall I experiment with AF-C (continuous?) ?

 

[Braineack]

you shall post examples of the problem photos.

 

[chloewindle1]

For some reason it wont upload on here? I've tried making the image smaller ect and it just doesn't work????

 

[chloewindle1]

Basically, the jump is yellow and eye catching so I can gather that the things you guys have been saying ie, the camera picking up on the first contrasty colour is what has been happening?