Horse Racing Photography at Night Help

[matty231]

Hey everyone, im new here.. I recently got me an Olympus E20 for photographing clients businesses before making their website... But I also got it for general use like taking pictures of our horses when they're racing etc...

Now what im wondering is how do achieve a clear picture of the horse running past?

Since it's at night the higher shutter speeds limit the exposure I get... I've been using ~160 shutter speed, aperture 4 and ISO 1600 to try get there but it's still to blurry / dark... I have a flash on the camera which could work out but should I use it with fast moving objects? I was using my 70-150mm 4/5.6 lens at about 90mm.

If there is anything you could recommend me to do that'd be great thanks 1

 

[DisasterDan]

The flash isnt going to do much for you unless your subject is close. The best thing you can do is raise you ISO (Which will introduce more digital noise to the photo) or get a faster lens with a 2.8 or lower aperture to help bring in more light.

 

[KmH]

...160 shutter speed, aperture 4 and ISO 1600.....I was using my 70-150mm 4/5.6 lens at about 90mm.....

At 90 mm you weren't at f/4, because you are using a variable aperture zoom lens.

 

[tirediron]

IIRC the Olympus E20 is a bridge/super-zoom with non-interchangable lenses... That aside, this is one of those cases where gear does make the difference. Your problem here is too little light. You need more light, and there are only two ways to get it. You can add more light through the use of flashes, or you can get a faster lens as mentioned. Even an f2 135 prime may not be fast enough however. There are some scenes that just can't be captured as well as we'd like, and I suspect, unfortunately, this is one of them.

 

[Gaerek]

The honest truth is that you've decided to photograph something that's almost impossible to photograph with entry level gear. Even with a fast lens, you still might not be able to get enough light without considerably cranking your ISO up to get these shots. I don't know much about horse racing, so I'm not sure what the lighting is like. But I'm guessing it's not that great. You could try working with the slower shutter speeds that are going to be needed and attempt panning. Consider purchasing a fast prime lens (50mm f/1.8 is a common recommendation). That might give you enough light to keep your ISO relatively low.

EDIT: Did you mean Olympus E-20 or E-520, or something else? The E-20 is an (approx) 10 year old bridge camera. Where as the E-XXX line is one of their DSLR lines. Since you mentioned using a specific lens, I assume you mean it's not the E-20.

 

[BlackSheep]

... I have a flash on the camera which could work out but should I use it with fast moving objects? 1

You've already gotten some good advice about the technical stuff, but I wanted to mention (for you if by chance you don't know, but also for anyone else reading) - don't use a flash on a horse without knowing absolutely for sure that it's used to it - a startled horse can react in very unpredictable and dangerous directions, and you could inadvertantly cause a serious accident.

I know that at the racetrack near me, they don't allow the use of flashes.

 

[snowbear]

Hello.. I have the same problem. I am new to photography and I am trying to get some good shots of horse racing at night without a flash.
My camera is a Nikon D100, Phoenix 28-300mm f/4.0-6.3AF zoom lens, No flash.
I can't get the right combination of settings for enough light in and shutter speed fast enough that the horses aran't blurry.
Any info will help. I would like at least a good starting point suggestion for the gear I am working with.
thanks

The problem is the lens - it's probably not fast enough at f/4. You might need something at f/2.8, or faster.