Sports Photography

[gsgary]

I shoot lots of sports and the only sport you want to be using shutter priority is motorsport, I always shoot in manual but aperture is the best way for field sports or any sport with a ball using shutter priority will give you under exposed shots, aperture will give you the fastest shutter speed for given aperture if it is not fast enough up your ISO

 

[Big Mike]

(VR off of course)

Why?
It won't help to freeze subject motion, which is certainly going to be your main goal here...but it won't hurt (besides maybe draining the battery a tiny bit faster).

If you are having trouble freezing action, obviously a faster lens will help, but don't forget about getting good shots when the movement isn't fast enough to cause blur. In volleyball, the player who is serving will probably be fairly still, unless it's a running jump serve. Players who are waiting for a serve, or waiting for a dig...they are probably concentrating and 'into' the game, but they aren't moving, so you could easily get a sharp shot of them.

And of course, if you get good, you can learn to get shots of jumpers as they are at the apex of their jump.

 

[MSnowy]

I would also study the sport you'll be shooting. The more you know about the sport, the better you'll be able to anticipate whats going to happen. This will cut down on the spray and pray technique and increase your keepers.

 

[tevo]

Why?
It won't help to freeze subject motion, which is certainly going to be your main goal here...but it won't hurt (besides maybe draining the battery a tiny bit faster).

If you are having trouble freezing action, obviously a faster lens will help, but don't forget about getting good shots when the movement isn't fast enough to cause blur. In volleyball, the player who is serving will probably be fairly still, unless it's a running jump serve. Players who are waiting for a serve, or waiting for a dig...they are probably concentrating and 'into' the game, but they aren't moving, so you could easily get a sharp shot of them.

And of course, if you get good, you can learn to get shots of jumpers as they are at the apex of their jump.

Great point. I had been told that VR on slowed AF.

 

[tevo]

I would also study the sport you'll be shooting. The more you know about the sport, the better you'll be able to anticipate whats going to happen. This will cut down on the spray and pray technique and increase your keepers.

That's what I'm in the process of doing, thanks!

 

[tevo]

I shoot lots of sports and the only sport you want to be using shutter priority is motorsport, I always shoot in manual but aperture is the best way for field sports or any sport with a ball using shutter priority will give you under exposed shots, aperture will give you the fastest shutter speed for given aperture if it is not fast enough up your ISO

I'll keep this in mind. Thanks a bunch!

 

[MLeeK]

(VR off of course)

Why?
It won't help to freeze subject motion, which is certainly going to be your main goal here...but it won't hurt (besides maybe draining the battery a tiny bit faster).

If you are having trouble freezing action, obviously a faster lens will help, but don't forget about getting good shots when the movement isn't fast enough to cause blur. In volleyball, the player who is serving will probably be fairly still, unless it's a running jump serve. Players who are waiting for a serve, or waiting for a dig...they are probably concentrating and 'into' the game, but they aren't moving, so you could easily get a sharp shot of them.

And of course, if you get good, you can learn to get shots of jumpers as they are at the apex of their jump.

Mike's right about VR/IS/OS... whatever everyone calls it. AND to add to mike's points you often need to turn your VR/IS/OS... off when you are shooting sports. In some instances it will actually cause an electronic vibration trying to work and you'll then see that in your images. If it isn't causing the vibration problem then it's eating up your battery and not doing you any good anyway. Your shutter speed is far beyond that of a motion blur from your hands in sports.

 

[tevo]

(VR off of course)

Why?
It won't help to freeze subject motion, which is certainly going to be your main goal here...but it won't hurt (besides maybe draining the battery a tiny bit faster).

If you are having trouble freezing action, obviously a faster lens will help, but don't forget about getting good shots when the movement isn't fast enough to cause blur. In volleyball, the player who is serving will probably be fairly still, unless it's a running jump serve. Players who are waiting for a serve, or waiting for a dig...they are probably concentrating and 'into' the game, but they aren't moving, so you could easily get a sharp shot of them.

And of course, if you get good, you can learn to get shots of jumpers as they are at the apex of their jump.

Mike's right about VR/IS/OS... whatever everyone calls it. AND to add to mike's points you often need to turn your VR/IS/OS... off when you are shooting sports. In some instances it will actually cause an electronic vibration trying to work and you'll then see that in your images. If it isn't causing the vibration problem then it's eating up your battery and not doing you any good anyway. Your shutter speed is far beyond that of a motion blur from your hands in sports.

Good point. The only thing is in Volleyball, the gym is lit really ****tily, so unless I shoot 4000 ISO minimum, I cant get my shutter over 250. So should I just comp up +1 on my meter and just reduce exposure in post?

 

[MLeeK]

Shoot whatever ISO you need to shoot at and determine your exposure. Manual is actually easier. Once you set your exposure it doesn't change, but if your meter hits something colored it can change your exposure in a priority mode. That makes for a lot more work in post processing.
Use the gray card to set your exposure, double check it, bump it up to where you are comfortable and leave it alone.
football is a little harder because the ends of the field are usually a different exposure and if the sun is setting or clouds are moving through it may change a little. It's still easier in manual IMO.

 

[dustin0479]

Off topic but your sig reminded me.

Dinner of kings, Spam Jelly and Hotdog Water!

 

[pdq5oh]

If you bump exposure compensation to +1 you're actually lowering the shutter speed to provide more light. Use iso 6400. I do all the time and have very good results. Some noise but I could have removed it. You'll be fine using a D7000, as am I.

ISO 6400 1/640 f3.5

 

[tevo]

EDIT: GOT A NIKON 80-200 F2.8 2TOUCH AF BLABLABLA OH MY GOD SEX

 

[table1349]

I shoot sports. Ok, I lied, I shoot a lot of sports. If you are serious about shooting sports, especially indoor sports then make life easy on yourself and invest in fast primes. They are cheaper, and much faster than an f2.8 zoom of any range. Outdoors my main lens is either a 400mm f2.8 or 300mm f2.8 with the second body always attached to a 70-200 f2.8.

Once I move indoors I shoot primes. My slowest prime is a 200mm f2. Fast primes for indoors is will allow you several advantages. You lower you ISO considerably when you have a stop or more speed added by your glass. You have better DOF control allowing you to have just the required DOF for the action while everything else is out of focus. Good primes tend to be the fastest focusing glass in general unless you are using a 50mm f1.2 or 85mm f1.2 from Canon. They are not designed for sports and are not fast focusing. Fast focusing glass can be of assistance especially if you are not using top end bodies.

Granted, I am always shooting sideline, track side or court side, not from the stands, so I don't have near the need for a zoom indoors.

 

[osumisan]

Volleyball is extremely challenging for the lighting in most high school gyms is lousy. College arenas are much better. Shutter speed must be at least 1/250 but more is better. With my Nikon D200, I don't like to use ISO higher than 1250 due to the noise. I have also had better results NOT shooting bursts but one or two frames at a time. You will develop timing that way and learn how to get the shot you want. My volleyball pictures are on about a 80% in-focus with very few being thrown out using this technique. Position yourself to catch action either in the back row or at net, but do not try to capture both. I will shoot a game from 3 or 4 different positions to catch all the players and to get all the different action shots that are available. Look into an Expodisc to get your white balance set properly, for I never shoot on Auto anymore (it sucks).

I am not having any luck uploading a pic here so here is a link to a recent photo taken in a low-lighting gym.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5h8REORTmSxgIO3s6Svnk5f2KBo40cXtK6wJ8E8hhdc?feat=directlink

 

[tevo]

I shoot sports. Ok, I lied, I shoot a lot of sports. If you are serious about shooting sports, especially indoor sports then make life easy on yourself and invest in fast primes. They are cheaper, and much faster than an f2.8 zoom of any range. Outdoors my main lens is either a 400mm f2.8 or 300mm f2.8 with the second body always attached to a 70-200 f2.8.

Once I move indoors I shoot primes. My slowest prime is a 200mm f2. Fast primes for indoors is will allow you several advantages. You lower you ISO considerably when you have a stop or more speed added by your glass. You have better DOF control allowing you to have just the required DOF for the action while everything else is out of focus. Good primes tend to be the fastest focusing glass in general unless you are using a 50mm f1.2 or 85mm f1.2 from Canon. They are not designed for sports and are not fast focusing. Fast focusing glass can be of assistance especially if you are not using top end bodies.

Granted, I am always shooting sideline, track side or court side, not from the stands, so I don't have near the need for a zoom indoors.

I also shoot sideline, and I thought that primes of that stature were like 6 grand?

Shoot whatever ISO you need to shoot at and determine your exposure. Manual is actually easier. Once you set your exposure it doesn't change, but if your meter hits something colored it can change your exposure in a priority mode. That makes for a lot more work in post processing.
Use the gray card to set your exposure, double check it, bump it up to where you are comfortable and leave it alone.
football is a little harder because the ends of the field are usually a different exposure and if the sun is setting or clouds are moving through it may change a little. It's still easier in manual IMO.

I actually shot this last football game in H.05 ISO and was getting very little noise >_> Getting better though. I was also shooting in aperture priority, and it metered quite well. Do you have a resource on using gray cards? I am still confused.