Sports photography for newbs

TheLibrarian · May 28, 2016

I tried shooting my first fast action shots at the park. Have a few questions and I'll note a few things I liked or want to try.

1. Are there any basic rules or guidelines to capturing sports, to make it easier, look better etc?
I can see even pretty close to the action I need a zoom lense.

2. How to get the fastest pic possible? I was on the sports preset the whole time, it should have crossed my mind to try S priority.

It was volleyball and moved pretty quick. I quickly learned to not keep my lens on the ball. I would get a bunch of serving shots but by the time I got both shutter clicks, the screen went black and waiting forever for the image i just took to load to load much less go away so I could take another shot. I'm sure i just have to wait and take shots when i can, I also need to try burst and continuous obviously. If I didn't have it on live view that might speed up the process as well.

Luckily I'd already heard about continuous focus and was way surprised nothing was out of focus completely (except the one someone tried to pose of course). I need to figure out how to set a back focus too but should be able to figure it out. If I do then 2 things...

1a. Will that make the shutter slide straight down in on one press? if that makes sense.
2a. Can I put it on the zoom on playback button or the trashcan button and it will only be autofocus when not looking at images or whats good to set for back focus?

Another thing about speed and hitting someone at the moment of contact... do I need to anticipate just for my own reflexes or do i need to give the camera some lead time too? This goes back to will higher shutter speeds just whip out the pic quicker?

A few things i noticed to make note for myself. I noticed too that it may be useful to not always go for action shots... reactions to victory and defeat make good pics and are common in sports photography. Have to run now but will add in comments if i remember more later.

Thanks

Sorry no good pics, some ok but like i said too i dont even have the lens for it.

Overread · May 28, 2016

Quick question what camera and lens did you use- and can you post any examples - even if they went wrong they give a visual display of what you got - settings also helps eg aperture shutter speed and ISO

tirediron · May 28, 2016

John's "rules" for sports photography:

-zoom lenses are your friends, but not exclusively. For court sports I love my 70-200 & 300mm
-I generally shoot in shutter priority (Tv) with a speed fast enough to freeze movement. 1/500 is about the lowest I would recommend.
-I [generally] like a large aperture for two reasons: (1) more light = faster shutter speed at lower iSO; and (2) shallower DoF, allowing for softer, unfocused backgrounds, which means more attention is on the player(s).
-Track the ball/puck/whatever, and try and get most of your shots with one person doing something and an opponent defending or team-mate helping. A few 'solo' shots are fine, but they get boring.
-As mentioned, keep an eye on the crowd, player's bench, etc. There are some GREAT shots to be had there

TheLibrarian · May 28, 2016

Overread said:
Quick question what camera and lens did you use- and can you post any examples - even if they went wrong they give a visual display of what you got - settings also helps eg aperture shutter speed and ISO

sure, will try. 1 week old Nikon D5300 with kit lens 18-55mm. I know I know... It gets worse. Sports auto all I did other than that is turn off auto flash. Even worse after I guot home I looked and the baby setting looks like a guy with a baseball hat. I may have been on that setting now I know it's clearly the running man.

Botched operation all around but was just going to shoot other stuff, saw them when I almost ran one over chasing a ball driving in I asked they said sure. They seemed happy, people like to look at themselves and they liked that they could download the pics right away to one of their phones.

I'll give you 2 shots where I almost got the timing and on or 2 I think look cool.

tirediron · May 28, 2016

One key point I forgot in my list of "rules" is to ensure you're using a single AF point and keep that placed where you want the area of critical focus. You also need to develop a sense of where to be; this only comes from experience, and it takes time. You need to anticipate what is going to happen and where you need to be to get the best shot. 55mm is a bit short for this sort of stuff, but not bad. For beach volleyball, I'd likely not use much more than 100mm.

Designer · May 28, 2016

TheLibrarian said:
1. Are there any basic rules or guidelines to capturing sports, to make it easier, look better etc?

I'm not a sports photographer, but to me, the action shots have to be sharp. Also "up close and personal", which means usually a longer lens, or get way closer.

Other types of sports photographs that I think are very successful are the "human interest" shots. The action doesn't always have to be fast and furious, and sometimes you get a portrait of an athlete in the heat of competition that tells a story.

If your lens and sensor are up to it, you can shoot wide and crop in post to create the kind of shot you couldn't get because your lens isn't long enough.

Overread · May 28, 2016

Tips:

1) I would shoot outside sports in aperture priority mode. Set the aperture to a good value - wide open (smallest f number) or a little closed down (improves sharpness and depth of field is a little greater).

2) In aperture priority mode the camera controls the shutter speed and you set the aperture and ISO. Check your shutter speed it wants to be at least 1/500sec if not faster. Adjust your aperture (smaller f number = bigger aperture = more light = less depth of field) and your ISO as needed to raise the shutter speed.

3) Set AF to continuous mode and select a singe point AF. Whilst this limit you a bit compositionally as the main focus has to always be under the AF point (Which in practice means the middle point) it means you can track the action and crop later.

4) Learn the sport - sports have a flow and the more you know what's going on the more you can predict that flow. That lets you be ready for certain shots - you might even more the AF point you're using to get ready to compose for those shots. Note this is often what separates snaps from shots - because its hard to get shots if you're chasing the action - if you're ahead of it or at least aware of what might happen in 5 seconds time you're far more ready for it.

5) When shooting outside get the sun behind you and lighting your subject as much as possible. If its cloudy great - if its sunny and its not early morning/evening get ready for a challenge. Read up on "exposure compensation" for your camera and on "Histograms" and set your review mode to show the RGB histogram. That way you can quickly check for over-exposure in the preview on the LCD. Then you can use exposure compensation when needed to counter that*

*Exposure compensation tells the camera to use its setting (eg in aperture priority mode the camera controlled setting is the shutter speed) and to under or over expose the shot based on its meter reading. This means if hte meter is always giving you an overexposed shot in certain lighting (eg strong sunlight) you can easily adjust the compensation to tell the camera to underexpose based on its meter reading.

TheLibrarian · May 29, 2016

I would have never thought to shoot in aperture priority mode. I can probably digitally zoom in and crop which I did for some. Knowing game flow and being in the right spot seems key too. I stayed in the middle trying to be unobtrusive and get everything. After getting to know people and showing them some pics i could probably move around a little more. Volleyball may not be the best choice of sports either as its quick. I kept trying just to get an initial volley but they were halfway decent and trying to set up spikes... which doesn't always work out... if i waited for that to unfold I'd have gotten even fewer pictures but is an idea. I need another lens before worrying too much about it. Maybe something in the ballpark of 70-200mm for local sports and to double for people portraits.

vintagesnaps · May 29, 2016

I've done sports, mostly hockey. You don't necessarily need to zoom, move your feet - once you get comfortable there (and since they seem fine with you being there taking pictures) move around and try different vantage points. Figure out where you're getting the best shots.

I took a sports photography workshop some years ago with a couple of pro photographers who have done the Olympics, Kentucky Derby, etc. One was Home | Dave Black . Or try Sports Photography and Photojournalism for Professional Photographers and Photography | SportsShooter.com and search volleyball and see what comes up.

I learned from that workshop and have read similar advice from other pros to go early (maybe even stay late to get an interesting shot that nobody else gets). I remember in the workshop him talking about doing bull riding and going a day ahead just to watch. He noticed that each time there would be moments when the bull's forelegs would be down, the hind legs up, the rider's arm up, and that would be a moment that would make for a good picture.

Figure out where might be some good places to set up. Notice the backgrounds. In yours there's some nice scenery back there, but in a couple there are a pile of backpacks, jackets, water bottles - you don't want that stuff cluttering up your pictures. I learned to go for a 'clean' composition. Watch for posts and poles, etc. and frame so those aren't in the shot. I've found that even if the background's somewhat out of focus, there can be lines and shapes etc. that can still be noticeable even when blurred so I try to take the background into consideration.

A lot of it's the timing. You want to anticipate what's next. Pick a side, get those players framed and in focus, then wait til the ball comes over the net and to them and into your frame. Shoot that side for a bit then get the other side for awhile. If you want to get the side that will serve next, get ready before they'll be serving, get them framed and maybe try shooting just when the player swings an arm back, just before contact. Then maybe try any other vantage points that look like a possibility, see if you can get anything interesting from one end of the entire court if you want to try a few shots of all of them playing.

Some of yours would be fine if you crop a little. But if you can be a little closer or use a longer lens (I forget what length you said you were shooting at, and for this I'd expect to probably use a short telephoto at most). Usually sports photographers may be using a midrange aperture since it's often necessary to get a group of players in focus (unless you're shooting pretty close and isolating one player for a close up).

And watch for anything interesting like the goose standing there watching! lol Something like that can make for a fun photo, but in this one you got the guy looking kind of awkward and the girl just standing there... don't stop, keep watching and see if you can get a fun shot of them playing, some nice action with the goose watching them.

It will probably take a lot of practice. I used to go to practices, tournaments, etc. whatever I could go to where they had no problem with me taking pictures just to get in some practice. I learned with all manual settings even focusing manually so that's what I do, it will probably take trying out different suggestions til you see what works best for you. I think it takes time to get the hang of framing and focusing and adjusting settings as needed efficiently while things are happening fast.

gckless · Jun 6, 2016

Good stuff here. One thing I'd like to add: move. A lot. Depending on the size of the venue of course. I have been shooting motorsports lately, and it's tough, but the more I experience the more I realize how important it is to get shots from as many vantage points as possible. At most popular venues, there are the staple shots that clients will want. But then you will also tend to go where most other photogs have been. Unless the lighting is really kickass, it's all the same stuff. Cover as much as you can. Go different places. Experiment with shots. So what if you get a bad location? You tried it out, know for next time, and can just delete those. You don't have quite the same area on a court as you do a race track, but you get my point. Get the shots other people aren't.

One more thing: sports is very much about emotion. Capture the emotion in sports. I love to look at other people's shots and see the expression on people's faces and feel how they're feeling through that photo.

Ok, last one: tight shots, in general, tend to look a bit better overall. Just IMO, I have a feeling I'm going to get knocked for that one lol. But do not forget the wide shots. Show where you are. Show the people cheering for the subject with the intense look on their face. Show the clock counting down to 0. Be aware of your surroundings.

spiralout462 · Jun 6, 2016

For me birds and sports are in manual mode. 300mm f4 to f6.3 and as fast a shutter as the light allows. Auto ISO unless exposure is consistently "off".

Guessing by your op, you are using a slow SD card. The 5300 should NOT be going "dark" between shots, especially JPG's the "sports " mode probably produces.

Keep shooting and studying. It will get easier with a little knowledge and unserstanding.

imagemaker46 · Jun 15, 2016

Keys to sports. Understanding the sport, shooting manual, 3.2-5.6 and the fastest shutter speed you can manage, usually above 50oth of a second, these days I try not to shoot less than 1000th. I will bump the iso upas high as required. Watch the backgrounds, try and find a clean one. It's usually tough in a park with trees. It takes time and patience. Just keep shooting as much as you can, don't be afraid to try different things or angles.

JoeW · Jun 16, 2016

Lots of good advice here. I'll try not to repeat and just focus on other tips:

1. Pre-focus. Part of this is watching before you shoot (the comment about the rodeo and a day early). Timing is everything. So if you know the sport, know where certain action is likely to happen or how it will happen, you're shooting BEFORE it occurs (b/c there is a natural lag from you going "oh hey, that would be a great shot, let me put up my camera, focus, compose and shoot it...oh crap, it's passed.") If I'm shooting a sport (whether it's dog agility, football, soccer, gymnastics, whatever), I can anticipate certain actions (a dismount from a piece of apparatus, snap to the QB, etc.) and certain locations. Focus ahead of time.

2. Here's your dilemma...if you keep your camera up, looking throw the viewfinder, ready to shoot...you'll miss a lot (b/c you'll have tunnel vision). If you are using both eyes, camera down, you'll see more but will miss more shots. So some of this is about just observing and some of this is about anticipating the shot, getting set and then waiting to trigger your shutter. And you should do a combination of both.

3. You're used to being a fan. Stop that. You need to be a photographer. That means start to view every moment as possibly a photo opportunity. You'll miss fewer shots that way.

4. Depends upon the sport and the affect you want. Stuff with fast moving balls and bats, if you want to be sharp then you're going to be shooting at faster than 1/500th.

5. I rarely shoot manual UNLESS I have picked a point to pre-focus on. And that's simply b/c my eyes are no longer good enough to capture fast action shooting manually. Yeah, it sucks. Otherwise, Imagemaker is spot-on, if your eyes are good enough than you want to learn to shoot sports manually--especially volleyball (where the focal point can shift so quickly). I can shoot gymnastics manually but not soccer (unless I ignore the action and just focus on Messi even when he doesn't have the ball).

6. Beware clutter. So easy for shots to be full of distracting crap. That's why a narrow DOF can be good, judicious cropping and also a zoom to compose.

7. Since you're just learning this, give yourself some assignments. You like to shoot outdoor volleyball? Okay, next time you want to get the following shots (post-spike congratulations, anticipating where the spike will go, multiple arms attempting a block, the tranquility of the setter, team huddle, a face of defeat or joy, sweat and sand). Or come up with a list of shots that work for you. This will stretch you. Also, a good sports shooter will usually have a shot list of stuff you MUST capture (besides the winning play or the MVP of course).

imagemaker46 · Jun 16, 2016

When I mentioned shooting manual that wasn't manual focus, it was settings. I shoot autofocus most of the time but do still spend time shooting sports with my manual focus 400 2.8. It's a challenge but the more I have started using it again, it all comes back. It's better than just just point and shoot sports. For anyone just starting out I wouldn't suggest shooting without autofocus, the frustration of missing 99% would be enough to put the camera away.

astroNikon · Jul 14, 2016

In Sports you have to know the sport.
You don't want to follow the ball because it's the players that you are taking action shots of. By knowing the sport you can know which player is going to be involved. So in volleyball the ball comes down and you want to catch a shot of the player hitting the ball (as an example).

on issue is your lag of your camera on taking a shot. Look it up and understand it. If you press the shutter when you want the photo then you are too late. You have to compensate the lag into taking photos. So you have to guess and shoot a little early. Or just "spray and pray" but then you'll get hundreds or over a thousand photos for a game.

As to settings it's all a learning process for what is best for you.
I've gone to manual because I want a specific Aperture - usually f/2.8 for making the background more OOF. Or on my 150-600 on a large field f/8 for the sharpest image capture. It all depends upon the lens in this regards.

In Manual I want a specific Shutter speed to make sure I capture the action, or maybe give a little motion blur for a fast arm/leg/ball motion.

I use AUTO ISO to compensate for any lighting issues.