Need tips for shooting in a gym

[Boz Mon]

This isnt the first time I was shooting my sisters volleyball game in a gym. The first time I didnt have a flash and was forced to shoot at 1600iso with about a 1/60 shutter. That didnt go over too well. Now, I have an SB-600 on my D40, along with a 55-200 f4-5.6. I got my adjustments to a somewhat acceptable range. I was shooting at 800iso, and about a 1/250 shutter at about f7.1 ish. I got some mildly acceptable photos, but the flash seems to be making huge shadows all over the place. I cant bounce it off the celling, or a wall. I was thinking use an index card to diffuse it a bit. I was contemplating using a different lens like my nifty fifty, and sitting closer, or my tamron 90mm, but then I would run into DOF issues. I want to be able to capture the colors of the gym, and be able to get good action shots. I dont really know what to do about this?

 

[hankejp]

If I remember, from what I read, flashes are really only effective for maybe 30ft out. I would think a fast lens would be very beneficial in these low light situations.

 

[iflynething]

If I remember, from what I read, flashes are really only effective for maybe 30ft out. I would think a fast lens would be very beneficial in these low light situations.

A fast lens would be better but if a flash is all you have then you have to make due. First, that SB-600 will go way beyond 30 ft. More around the 50-70ft range.

Why were you shooting at 7.1? You have shot at the max aperture of 5.6 for that 55-200 and got more light into the lens and shot at a faster shutter speed

~Michael~

 

[prodigy2k7]

Flash(if possible), Tripod/monopod, HIGH ISO!, large aperture lenses...

 

[Boz Mon]

I was shooting at 7.1 to see if it would cut down on the extreme shadows that the flash was making. It kinda worked I guess. Do you guys think my 50mm 1.8 would be better? I am also going to order a Tamron 17-55 f2.8 later next week.

 

[GeneralBenson]

Cool. Use the new lens, shoot at f/2.8, ISO 800, 1/250, and use way less flash. You'll always get bad shadows with direct flash, especially when it's way overpowering the ambient light. The less flash you can use, the better.

 

[Village Idiot]

If the gym uses flourescents, get a gel. They cast a green light. You should work on balancing ambient and flash.

First things first, with flash, you're working with two seperate exposures.

You ambient is fine at 1600 ISO. If you expose correctly, noise shouldn't be a huge issue. Try 1600 ISO and 1/100 or a little higher shutter speed. Your background will be about a stop underexposed which is fine. You just want a fast enough shutter speed so you don't catch motion blur from the ambient, but still get the gym. Then pop your flash on top and fire away. You should get properly exposed players and the shadows shouldn't be as harsh since you're going to have the ambient close to how it should be exposed. Try this. It may work for you. Oh....and shoot wide open with your aperture. You can try the 50mm f/1.8 and it would be ideal because you could get ambient exposed right on with a fast enough shutter speed, but if you can't AF with it then it sucks, at f/1.8 the DOF is going to be extremely shallow and not good for fast moving objects, and 50mm might not be long enough.