Lacrosse Question

slapshot

Question for you lacrosse guys: How do you deal with the heavy shadows on the faces when shooting in a bright, mid-day sun?

My son has just started playing lacrosse, coming from ice hockey. In ice hockey, the problem was not enough light, in lacrosse it has been too much. I have been using -1/3 exposure compensation to cut down on the highlights on the helmets and white jerseys, but this also exacerbates the shadows in the faces. I have been using the Shadow/Highlight tool in PS to open up the lighting in the faces, for ok results, but I was wondering if there is a better solution. I see many of the lacrosse shots you guys post with great exposure and no shadows on the faces and wonder how you do it.

Here are a couple examples of my shots from a recent game:






Full gallery is here: http://mnb.smugmug.com/gallery/2511842/1/131907229

I appreciate any feedback/comments/advice!

oldtime

Get low kneel o reven lay down so you are shooting up in to helmets , maybe hard with th elittle guys I also set exposure for faces a few test shots and quick review , mid day sun is tough but it can be done

KMCC

Mid-day sun is a killer. I love clouds.

As Oldtime indicates, you can help a little help by getting low and shooting up at the players. About 50% of the lacrosse shots that I take are taken from my knees or just sitting on the ground.

You can increase the lighting on faces to some degree by playing with Levels in Photoshop.

natephoto

Side note..-- Getting low is a good idea when shooting almost any field sport. Professional photographer Peter Read Miller, (sports illustrated staff photographer) suggests this to make the players appear more "heroic". His website is here if you're interested: www.peterreadmiller.com

winger

slapshot wrote:

Question for you lacrosse guys: How do you deal with the heavy shadows on the faces when shooting in a bright, mid-day sun?

For me that usually means for that particular contest I will end up shooting very directionally. The shots that you get without shadows are generally worth it. You just have to be more dillegient about choosing where you stand.

winger

natephoto wrote:

Side note..-- Getting low is a good idea when shooting almost any field sport. Professional photographer Peter Read Miller, (sports illustrated staff photographer) suggests this to make the players appear more "heroic". His website is here if you're interested: www.peterreadmiller.com

Getting low is also a great way to clean up distracting backgrounds, also getting higher.

I prefer low but sometimes you can get interesting shots from high, either way they will not be photos that mom and dad shoot from the sidelines standing up, so they will be different and dynamic.

dont be afraid to experiement. Especially with digital. If they suck you just delete them, if you are shooting for an assignment or deadline, get yourself some safe shots and then spend some time during the middle of the game experiementing.

SloYerRoll

Don't worry about blown highlights on the helmets and gear.
Let that stuff get blown out and get the face shots exposed the way you want.
Blown highlights aren't always a bad thing.

-Jon

slapshot

Thanks for the advice everyone...I will "get low" and see how it goes. I am also going to expose for the faces and not worry about the highlights too much, but the sun is BRIGHT here in Florida, we'll just have to see how that turns out

Thanks again