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Wrestling help

WirenWiren Registered Users Posts: 741 Major grins
edited January 11, 2010 in Sports
I have never shot wrestling before and get my first try at it tomorrow afternoon. How close are you to the mat usually, I am thinking of using a 50/2 lens on my Oly body (that's efl 100mm btw) is this too long? I have a 50-200/2.8, should I use this instead?

Unfortunately, I don't have any fancy flashes other than a camera mounted FL-36, I am hoping to be close to a wall for some bounced lighting, but will take what I can get. Plan on Aperture Priority shooting.

I plan to sit my arse on the floor, unless I can get prone and shoot that low, are there any other tips you can all help me with?

Thanks
Lee Wiren

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    tjk60tjk60 Registered Users Posts: 520 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2010
    Skip the prone, just sit in the corner of a mat. I don't know anything about the ISO capability of the oly, but you may be in the ISO 4000 f/2.8 1/500 range.

    How cn you bounce if you only have an on camera flash?
    Tim
    Troy, MI

    D700/200, SB800(4), 70-200, 300 2.8 and a few more

    www.sportsshooter.com/tjk60
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    WirenWiren Registered Users Posts: 741 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2010
    Sorry, let me clarify - a flash that sits in my hot shoe with a swiveling head, guess I used the wrong term there.

    Unfortunately, ISO is going to be my achilles heel here, with the 2x cropped 4/3 sensor in the Oly cam, the images start showing noise at ISO 800 and up, I have an ISO limit of 3200 which I have used when my subject is lit with a spot light and I processed in b/w, had a decent grainy look, but forget nice crisp images even with NR. My SS is limited to 1/250 when Flash is being used, so if I use it, that's my top ss. If I don't use it, then I can go higher, but I imagine the gym to be like most others - a deep dark dungeon with crappy lighting, guess I can wish for them to put nice bright spots around the 4 corners of the mat for me huh rolleyes1.gif

    Sitting on floor angle is good enough, that's fine, I was thinking I may need to get a lower POV, but that's none too comfy so sitting is fine - thanks for that. I will get what I can with my limited gear and post the results, hopefully you can give me tips (other than "buy better gear") so I can do better in the future.

    Thanks for the input.

    Lee
    Lee Wiren
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    tjk60tjk60 Registered Users Posts: 520 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2010
    You'll be sitting for a while, so jeans and the back seam can make your butt hurt. rolleyes1.gif If you have a pad, or a no leg chair, use it.

    If the flash has a decent guide number, and the ceiling is white you may like the bounce off the ceiling.

    If not, and can't bounce off the wall, go ahead with direct flash, but use some negative comp so it doesn't look blasted.

    If you use different settings, write down why and when you did for later....
    Tim
    Troy, MI

    D700/200, SB800(4), 70-200, 300 2.8 and a few more

    www.sportsshooter.com/tjk60
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    WirenWiren Registered Users Posts: 741 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2010
    tjk60 wrote:
    You'll be sitting for a while, so jeans and the back seam can make your butt hurt. rolleyes1.gif If you have a pad, or a no leg chair, use it.

    If the flash has a decent guide number, and the ceiling is white you may like the bounce off the ceiling.

    If not, and can't bounce off the wall, go ahead with direct flash, but use some negative comp so it doesn't look blasted.

    If you use different settings, write down why and when you did for later....

    Thanks Tim, If I use direct flash, should I use the diffuser flap on it. The flash does have guide number, but I have to admit, I am not the most knowledgeable regarding flash as I mostly stick to landscapes, outdoor sports and what not, these flash issues are areas where I am behind on the bell curve.

    I will post photo's later this weekend and hope to get your critique, seeing how you posted those other awesome shots, but be prepared, mine will look nothing like yours :D

    Oh, and if you happen to see this before I leave for the match tomorrow, which focal length is the best to use......? headscratch.gif
    Lee Wiren
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    cr8ingwavescr8ingwaves Registered Users Posts: 194 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2010
    anxious to see how your shots came out. Hope you had fun matside.
    become my fan:
    http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Cr8ingWaves-Photography/119946782908?ref=ts
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    WirenWiren Registered Users Posts: 741 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2010
    cr8ingwaves wrote:
    anxious to see how your shots came out. Hope you had fun matside.

    Thanks, I can't wait to get time to process them. I spent most of my weekend moving family members who can't get their stuff together and cause havoc for others, you know the drill rolleyes1.gif

    Man, that is a tough sport to shoot! I didn't realize that they would have 4 mats and 2 to 4 matches per mat! It made it tough to shoot and I had to use direct flash (I used the diffuser flap on my hotshoe flash). I was using my 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 lens and it was hard getting great focal lengths. I tried to keep the SS up to the 1/250 max my camera allows, I used ISO 800-1250, tried a couple at 2000 and a couple at 3200.

    I think I only have about 4-6 keepers out of 6 matches for my 2 newphews. One nephew got pinned within 10 seconds from the start, no photo op there rolleyes1.gif But I think I did get a few good ones, can't wait to share them and get some critique.

    Hopefully they will be done in a few days.

    Lee
    Lee Wiren
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