Showing how my pictures came out

[loveebugg3]

Hi guys! I posted about shooting at a baseball game last Wednesday. I have to say the pictures came out pretty well but I couldn't get the correct exposure because it was so dark and because of the equipment I was using. I tried to fix some of the things on Lightroom but that can only help so much. Anyway here are the three pictures that I really like. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, as I am trying to learn without spending tons of money on lessons.
1.

2.

3.

 

[RunJZ]

Decent shots. I know you can only go so far but I would consider cropping tighter to your subjects.

 

[Scoody]

Good shots, but obviously very limited by your gear. Kind of like marionettes. Their masters can do amazing things but will always be limited by the strings.

 

[KmH]

To make photos of the catcher move down the sidelines towards 1st or 3rd bases so you are not shooting directly from his side.
That will get some of his face and front in the shot and make it more interesting.

One of the things you could have 'fixed' in the camera when you released the shutter, but can fix in LR, is the white balance.

 

[loveebugg3]

To make photos of the catcher move down the sidelines towards 1st or 3rd bases so you are not shooting directly from his side.
That will get some of his face and front in the shot and make it more interesting.

One of the things you could have 'fixed' in the camera when you released the shutter, but can fix in LR, is the white balance.

Thank you so much for you feedback! I'm still trying to learn LR. I know I need to crop closer to my subjects, also I wanted to get some of his face but I don't have the correct lens for that. I am actually looking for a telephoto lens to shoot wildlife and sports. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

 

[TheNevadanStig]

I agree with KMH. I feel these are a bit boring, just kind of snapshots that could be taken with anything from anyone. If you're going to try to take non-action sports photo's, eye contact is crucial. If this was the only place available to shoot from, try to get some action shots. Start snapping when the pitches come in, get some ball and bat action in there. If you don't have the reach to go down a baseline, try to get right up behind the catcher looking down at the pitcher.
As for a lens recommendation, at the very least we need a budget to work with. These look like night shots, so if low lighting is an issue the first thing that comes to mind would be a 200/2.8

 

[loveebugg3]

I agree with KMH. I feel these are a bit boring, just kind of snapshots that could be taken with anything from anyone. If you're going to try to take non-action sports photo's, eye contact is crucial. If this was the only place available to shoot from, try to get some action shots. Start snapping when the pitches come in, get some ball and bat action in there. If you don't have the reach to go down a baseline, try to get right up behind the catcher looking down at the pitcher.
As for a lens recommendation, at the very least we need a budget to work with. These look like night shots, so if low lighting is an issue the first thing that comes to mind would be a 200/2.8

Hi! Thanks for the feedback! I actually tried to get some action shots but I couldn't get the stutter speed high enough without the picture look almost completely black. He actually has a game again this week and I plan on going again to try and get some better shots. As for the budget, it isn't very high... I can't do more then $250. I'm just starting out so I'm trying not to spend a ton of money for things that I won't use much.

 

[robbins.photo]

I agree with KMH. I feel these are a bit boring, just kind of snapshots that could be taken with anything from anyone. If you're going to try to take non-action sports photo's, eye contact is crucial. If this was the only place available to shoot from, try to get some action shots. Start snapping when the pitches come in, get some ball and bat action in there. If you don't have the reach to go down a baseline, try to get right up behind the catcher looking down at the pitcher.
As for a lens recommendation, at the very least we need a budget to work with. These look like night shots, so if low lighting is an issue the first thing that comes to mind would be a 200/2.8

Hi! Thanks for the feedback! I actually tried to get some action shots but I couldn't get the stutter speed high enough without the picture look almost completely black. He actually has a game again this week and I plan on going again to try and get some better shots. As for the budget, it isn't very high... I can't do more then $250. I'm just starting out so I'm trying not to spend a ton of money for things that I won't use much.

Ok, well to increase the shutter speed you'll want to increase your ISO. For sports/action shots I actually prefer shutter priority mode, I set my camera so it automatically selects the ISO and I pick the shutter speed I think I'll need for the shot based on what I'm shooting. Before I shoot I take a look at the settings in the view finder, if the ISO is too high I can always compromise by lowering my shutter speed a bit until I get it to the balance I want, then I'm ready to shoot.

I've found it works fairly well for me. A lot of folks prefer Aperture priority for action shooting, but I've just always found shutter priority gives better results with fewer adjustments at least for me personally.

 

[The_Traveler]

Not bad but the crop has to make some sense with the shot.
Cropping square doesn't seem to fit.
Get the kid's feet off the margin.
Put some space in front of teh catcher rather than behind, that's where the action is.

 

[TheNevadanStig]

What body are you using?

For action shots like this, as robbins said shutter speed is the key. You'll probably want to start at around 1/800 or even 1/1000. If these are at night, you'll need a large aperture and high ISO to achieve the speed you need out of the shutter. And don't be afraid to move around more! You bought the camera to use it. Try many different angles until you find a few you like that you can work with. Even if you have to lay prone or stand on a bench or chair, and anything in between. Take a ton of pics, delete most, but get those 15-20 per session that you love.

 

[loveebugg3]

I agree with KMH. I feel these are a bit boring, just kind of snapshots that could be taken with anything from anyone. If you're going to try to take non-action sports photo's, eye contact is crucial. If this was the only place available to shoot from, try to get some action shots. Start snapping when the pitches come in, get some ball and bat action in there. If you don't have the reach to go down a baseline, try to get right up behind the catcher looking down at the pitcher.
As for a lens recommendation, at the very least we need a budget to work with. These look like night shots, so if low lighting is an issue the first thing that comes to mind would be a 200/2.8

Hi! Thanks for the feedback! I actually tried to get some action shots but I couldn't get the stutter speed high enough without the picture look almost completely black. He actually has a game again this week and I plan on going again to try and get some better shots. As for the budget, it isn't very high... I can't do more then $250. I'm just starting out so I'm trying not to spend a ton of money for things that I won't use much.

Ok, well to increase the shutter speed you'll want to increase your ISO. For sports/action shots I actually prefer shutter priority mode, I set my camera so it automatically selects the ISO and I pick the shutter speed I think I'll need for the shot based on what I'm shooting. Before I shoot I take a look at the settings in the view finder, if the ISO is too high I can always compromise by lowering my shutter speed a bit until I get it to the balance I want, then I'm ready to shoot.

I've found it works fairly well for me. A lot of folks prefer Aperture priority for action shooting, but I've just always found shutter priority gives better results with fewer adjustments at least for me personally.

I was thinking about that. Being so this is just for family, they were happy with what I got. I will try to shoot in shutter priority next time and see how that works. Thanks for the advice though! I really am thankful for it!

At The_Traveler I am still trying to learn the basics so I'm not sure what you mean when you say get his feet off the margin?

At thenevadansting Trust me I took over 150 shots and I have a few more that I like but these are just samples that I wanted to get opinions on.

 

[The_Traveler]

look at your third picture. His feet are at the edge.
Look at my edit; they aren't.

 

[tevo]

Artistically, photos of athletes from behind can be effective in a series, as it displays the player's number which is often a source of pride for them. However, sports photos are generally intended to show action, reaction, or emotion. The exposure for these photos is fine, but we cannot see the subjects face, and there is no evident action, reaction, or emotion. Next time, try to position yourself so you see the athlete's face, and have the crowd or something clean (solid color preferably) in the background.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I agree, it helps to figure out early (pregame) where you can find some good vantage points so you can get a decent looking background in your photos. Are you trying to get a particular player? If so and he bats right handed you'd do better shooting from the other side.

I sometimes want to get a back shot just to have a record of a player's name and number but otherwise it probably takes experience to figure out how occasionally a shot from the back can work - for the most part you'll want players facing you. Seems like you'll need a sharp telephoto for the lighting and to be able to move around and find positions to shoot from where you can get more close up shots (depending on where you're allowed to stand that you won't be blocking spectators' views of the game).

I found it took practice to get good at shooting sports, it takes getting good at framing shots while there's action going on. Try going early and just looking thru the viewfinder framing some shots noticing the background and the plate etc. Then when a player comes up to bat you'll know about where to be and how you want to frame it to get clean compositions (no distractions).

If you're looking for used I've found KEH to be good to buy from, even their bargain condition is usually better than expected; I've also bought used from Adorama.

 

[Scoody]

What you want are the action shots.