In Shock & Awe

TXSweetTXSweet Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
edited September 20, 2011 in The Big Picture
Hey all!! I just stumbled in here while looking for information on some new equipment my husband has bought me. I am AMAZED at what I am finding here :bow
I LOVE photography & have a wonderful husband who does everything he can to support my hobby and I can take some good photos. But I hate to admit that most of them are by sheer accident. I am beautifully blessed with a creative mind, but am technically challenged and truly haven't the slightest idea of how to use my gear to fullest of it's potential.
After spending some time reading through a few things here, I realize I have MUCH to learn. Please bear with me if I ask stupid questions or make ridiculous remarks. I am not trying to be sarcastic or disrespectful in any way & I know I am WAY out of my league here, but I'm hoping that somehow I can grasp some of the knowledge that is being shared here.
Thanks in advance for your kindness & understanding!! I look forward to hanging around to learn as much as possible.

Comments

  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,938 moderator
    edited September 20, 2011
    Welcome thumb.gif

    Looking forward to seeing some of your work.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2011
    wave.gif Welcome! This is probably the friendliest photo-site on the net - you'll be sure to find people to help you along thumb.gif
    facebook | photo site |
  • TXSweetTXSweet Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
    edited September 20, 2011
    ian408 wrote: »
    Welcome thumb.gif

    Looking forward to seeing some of your work.

    My avatar is a shot taken using one of my most recent toys. I'm almost ashamed to post anything up next to you guys...lol
    But there are TONS of photos on my FB page & even an album of favorites. Please feel free to take a gander as you wish. I wouldn't even dare to compare to you folks here!! I'm still drooling over the talent I'm seeing here!!!

    And thx for the welcomes !!!
  • dbvetodbveto Registered Users Posts: 660 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2011
    If you want to learn you need to post samples, you will get honest and fair critic. I do not post much but the few I have posted have helped me immensely.

    PS I looked at your album and you have a bunch of nice shots.
    Dennis
    http://www.realphotoman.com/
    Work in progress
    http://www.realphotoman.net/ Zenfolio 10% off Referral Code: 1KH-5HX-5HU
  • TXSweetTXSweet Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
    edited September 20, 2011
    OK then, here goes. Now that one of our boys is playing HS football, my latest experimentation is w/ sports photography. At a recent game, an experienced photographer very kindly loaned me one of his lenses (EF 70-200 f2.8) because his body had quit working. After I got over the sheer fear of having such equipment entrusted to my care, I actually began to have fun!!
    But as the night closed in & I had to rely fully on stadium lighting I noticed there was a lot of blurring. How do I compensate for this? My husband was so impressed w/ my photos that night that he did some research & purchased the lens for me...so now I'm trying to learn how to take full advantage of it's capabilities before the next game!!
    Here are some samples from that first night ...

    317894_2170957646271_1616655320_2151808_5347231_n.jpg


    304469_2170960246336_1616655320_2151818_6025528_n.jpg

    308359_2170998567294_1616655320_2151915_5360332_n.jpg

    296005_2174607177507_1616655320_2156536_5022952_n.jpg

    296915_2174611377612_1616655320_2156550_7761397_n.jpg

    What did I do right, what did I do wrong & what can I do to sharpen the images & lose the blurring as the sun goes down & I have to rely on the stadium lighting??
  • Molotov EverythingMolotov Everything Registered Users Posts: 211 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2011
    Welcome to the forum! Don't be shy, people might critique the hell out of a photo but they're generally not jerks about it so I've found it a great place to learn.
    For the blurry football shots, you can push your ISO up till you can get a higher shutter speed, but you don't want to push it so high that the photos look too noisy. If you can't get a good shutter speed that way then you have to add a flash, and I recommend checking out the sports forum as there's a bunch of guys there that can give you some tips on the best ways to set that up.

    I looked through your album of favorites, I really like the shots of the firefighters.
    http://www.quickdrawphoto.com
  • ThatCanonGuyThatCanonGuy Registered Users Posts: 1,778 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2011
    Welcome to DGrin!

    To answer your question about blurry night shots, there are a few things you can do. Keep the aperture (the Av number) as low as possible. On your 70-200 2.8, you want an Av of 2.8. Also, you can bump up your ISO. How high you can go depends on your camera, sometimes it's 1600, sometimes 3200 or more. Decreasing aperture and increasing ISO both allow you to get a higher shutter speed (Tv number). To eliminate blurriness, you want the Tv at 1000 or thereabouts.

    I really like that last football shot. Pretty much everything is blurry... except the football. Really nice effect thumb.gif
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2011
    Just a quick reply..you found the right place. Don't worry about asking what you might think are silly questions. If you want to learn ask away. Try and be specific as you can. There is a wealth of knowledge here.

    It will help is when you post an image if you also post the exif data.

    As an example your football photos have ether subject blur and or camera shake. I I knew what camera gear and settings you used I would be in a better position to make suggestions.

    As any rate..WELCOME!!

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
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