This Week's Friday Night Football
A few of the better ones. I am working on the white balance and workflow. The very bright white uniforms, combined with our dark blue, and the HS quality lights really make this tough for me. I am sure I'll have it down by the end of the season.....
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Since I do not know what shade of blue it is hard to comment on but it appears ok. HS lights are always tough but if you can set a custom WB it might produce results more to your liking. The only suggeston I would make would be to try and get downfield from the team you are shooting (behind defense when you are on offense and visa versa so that you can get the faces of the players. I try to be about 20 yds down field.
great job
Marc
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Those are some great shots.
High School football is one of the hardest things to shoot because the lights always suck.
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Did you try out the coffee filter, or pringles lid?
The WB looks better this week.
Nice shots...
I tried a couple different things. I set it first by shooting kind of at the lights and had good results. I used this image as my custom WB shot:
I had pointed in the general direction of the lights on the oppposite side of the field and set that as my custom WB. The shots were pretty good afterwards, but not worlds better than AWB shots.
Later in the game, I shot directly at the lights and used this as my custom WB example:
This did not work especially well, making most of the shots too cool and very blue ( as would be expected given the yellow in the lights).
I shot the last part of the game in RAW, but I have to say that this increases my workflow a fair amount and the results are not that much improved.
Since the light is so low, I have been shooting at ISO 3200 in my Canon 30D and setting the exposure compensation to either -2/3 or -1/3. My lens is f4, so all shots ar set on Av mode at f4.
The minus 1/3 setting is better. I am a little slower, but the noise is reduced, even after runnning Noise Ninja. Also the color seems better shooting at -1/3 than at -2/3.
So at the end, it leaves me with what to do next week. I have been trying to experiment to improve, but right now I am deciding how to proceed. Any ideas?
Randy: Where do you point your expodisc? I really like your color balance results.
Z
Zanotti,
Here are my thoughts on the subject based on a lot of experimentation and use with the ExpoDisk...
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure your camera is set to Auto WB when you take your "ExpoDisk" shot. Then, change your camera to "Custom WB". Otherwise the results will be VERY surprising and not to your liking!
I get the very best results with the ExpoDisk if I go to the middle of the field and put the disk on the end of my lens, then take a shot pointed TOWARD where you will be shooting from. (Meaning the sideline) I understand completely that the lighting is NOT even nor consistent the length nor width of the field. Most of our varsity games start while there is still some ambient light, then as the game progresses, your just left with total field lighting.
Due to this, I'll generally put the disk on the lens, then take a shot pointing TOWARD the middle of the field. I do this when the game starts, then again when the fading light leans toward the field lighting) I would have to say that a prudent photog would go to the middle of the field during half-time and take a shot from mid-field toward the sideline, but, I've honestly NOT had to do this second WB shot.
People can say what they want about the other techniques, and I can't confirm nor deny them, but it's been my experience that the ExpoDisk is pert near spot on even done the "less than correct" way as stated above, FROM the sideline shooting TOWARD the middle of the field.
You might ask why shoot your WB shot from the field? The simple answer is that from that location everything that affects the WB on your subjects (lights, color reflected from the grass, etc.) is taken into account by the ExpoDisk shot FROM where your subjects will be. (roughly)
But, as you've seen from some of my pics, the less accurate "sideline TOWARD the field" method works pretty darn well too.
I hope that information helps you out some, and gives you a better idea as to the "why's" of the WB shot.
It makes me laugh a little thinking that now that I've stated the above, the first time I post something that the WB is off I'll get pounced on
I have tried the whole basket full of tricks from coffee filters, gray cards, pringle tops etc.
The only way I have found to set White Balance and be accurate 100% of the time is by using an "Expo Disc" whether its under the Friday night lights or indoor volleyball or even the miserable indoor swim meets the Expo Disc has kept me straight every time.
Disclaimer...*Individual results may vary.
http://www.expodisc.com
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