Please, let me know what you guys think. Be brutal; I want honest C&C.
Thanks!
David
OK. Don't know what lens you using but having f2.8 lens helps a lot. You can get nice out of foucs backgrounds. In sports aperture is more important than reach. I will take lower focal length but fast glass over longer but slower lens.
Lot of these shots, you still not shooting from low angle. Just sit down if you can. That will improve your back grounds.
Also almost all the batter shots can be 100% better if the ball wasn't just sitting on the stick, like in posted shots. Work on your timing or shoot a burst and pick the best moment.
Same goes for action shots. They look more like kids just hanging out there.
Watch where to cut off the body parts. Use proper orientation (landscape/portratit) depending on the pciture. Having a grip helps (assuming non 1 series body).
OK, definitely moving in the right direction with these. They are a huge improvement over the first shots. So Congratulations. You're definitely on the right track.
Now time to take it a step further. Bobby's comments are all right on the money. Here is some reinforcement of his comments plus some additional ones
Need to get lower. You want to be at their eye level.
need to use LONGER focal length to blur the background - whatever lens you're using you want to shoot at longest focal length you can to isolate your subject. That means you need to change your shooting position accordingly and frame tightly in camera. Too many of these shots are at short focal lengths. With a 5.6 aperture you just wont get good subject isolation. So, increasing focal length will have the same affect until you can get a faster lens.
Need to watch your horizons - a lot of crooked shots - easily correctable in post processing. Look for objects in the background (fences, etc) that give a clue as to what the vertical lines are supposed to be. Vertical reference points are often more reliable than horizontal.
Need to work on timing - on the batters you want the ball coming off the bat. In the field you want the timing closer to peak - examples shots 50 & 51. Shot 50 is too early and 51 is too late.
Still need to get rid of uninteresting shots - examples are 25 & 127.
Get rid of a lot of redundant shots - 5 or 6 shots of the same kid up to bat are usually redundant and it clutters your gallery. Pick 2 best and discard the rest.
Shots need to highlight and flatter your subject. Shots 57 and 84 illustrate this. In shot 57 I'm assuming the first baseman is your subject as that's the team in most of your shots - but they're a tiny portion of the frame - the runner dominates the frame - and more importantly they're safe at first.
Know the game. In reference to previous point - in teeball it's pretty rare to get a play at the bag. So if you're covering the fielders shoot tight on them. Shot 57 should be a close up of him fielding the ball. In little league it's a better bet there will actually be a play at the bag so you'll get better action there - but make sure you have the right angle - you don't want the fielder blocked by the runner in your frame. So you have to change your position depending on the type of shot you want to get. Dont just stay in one place and try to capture whatever action occurs. Plan certain types of shots by inning and position yourself accordingly - especially for shooting fielders.
OK, definitely moving in the right direction with these. They are a huge improvement over the first shots. So Congratulations. You're definitely on the right track.
Thanks!
Need to get lower. You want to be at their eye level.
I swear.. I was SITTING on the ground! I couldn't get much lower unless I laid on the ground. These are just young kids, so, I think that's the problem (they're short!)
need to use LONGER focal length to blur the background - whatever lens you're using you want to shoot at longest focal length you can to isolate your subject.
I have been trying to shoot at full extension as much as I can, basically, doing most of the framing in camera; but, I'm thinking I just need more practice in getting that to work. I have more (better) photos from a AAA game that I'm still going through, so, I'll post that. You should see a improvement there too.
Need to watch your horizons - a lot of crooked shots - easily correctable in post processing. Look for objects in the background (fences, etc) that give a clue as to what the vertical lines are supposed to be. Vertical reference points are often more reliable than horizontal.
I thought I got them fixed.. I'll check them again. The horizontal isn't useful for making sure it's straight, as I'm shooting the edge of the diamond at an angle. So, I've been using the back fence as a guide to straighten.
Need to work on timing - on the batters you want the ball coming off the bat. In the field you want the timing closer to peak - examples shots 50 & 51.
I know.. I wish I could get every shot of every batter HITTING the ball, etc.. But, I'm also being told to make sure *every* player is shot. So, there are kids that, well, aren't as good.. I'm actually removing the failure photos (missing the ball, fumbling etc..) and skipping ahead to where they look "better". So, that also could account for some of the too late/early shots. The "on-time" shot showed the kid dropping the ball or something like that.
Still need to get rid of uninteresting shots - examples are 25 & 127.
They're not posted for the world to see yet (unless they come here for the link ), so, I intend to do a last go-through with my wife to get rid of the boring ones. But, again, I need to include all the kids (so says the little league).
Get rid of a lot of redundant shots - 5 or 6 shots of the same kid up to bat are usually redundant and it clutters your gallery. Pick 2 best and discard the rest.
You're right, I'll try to limit it even more than I've been doing.
Shots need to highlight and flatter your subject. Shots 57 and 84 illustrate this. In shot 57 I'm assuming the first baseman is your subject as that's the team in most of your shots - but they're a tiny portion of the frame - the runner dominates the frame - and more importantly they're safe at first.
I never thought of removing the photos where the other team is gaining a base.. I have been removing the foul balls, the air balls, the missed catches, etc.. But, that makes sense to get rid of the "Gee, I've let the other team on base!" But, especially in T-Ball, there's a real feeling of "Ohhh.. It's so CUTE!!" and wanting to keep the photo in.
Know the game. In reference to previous point - in teeball it's pretty rare to get a play at the bag. So if you're covering the fielders shoot tight on them.
I'm shooting T-Ball, A, AA, AAA, Major and Junior. T-Ball and A are kinda, well, not nearly as interesting to watch/shoot as AA and especially AAA/Major/Junior. There have been some games where the only real action has been something I "created" with some creative cropping. But, that's probably the nature of the beast. My AAA shots I have lots of great action, (and a few close encounters with the ball personally too).
Dont just stay in one place and try to capture whatever action occurs. Plan certain types of shots by inning and position yourself accordingly - especially for shooting fielders.
I'm staying off to the side mostly and moving as needed to either side of the field. But, I don't/can't get onto the field itself (past the foul line). Is there any good way to deal with moving around that won't impact the game? I'm trying to move as I recognize it's needed, but, there's a limit to how much movement I can do and still not interfere/be safe.. KWIM?
I *really* appreciate all the tips.. This is excellent advice, and I'm trying to integrate it all together in what I do.
As for the lens. I *wish* I had the 70-200L f/2.8. But, I have to make due with what I have right now, which is the 4-5.6. And, therein is the issue. At 70mm, I can get f/4, but fully extended I'm at [EMAIL="f5.6@300mm"]f5.6@300mm[/EMAIL]. So, there's a trade off in my mind between a narrower DOF and a crop in the computer later vs. a tighter shot with a larger DOF.
Just as another question.. I've been having a hard time figuring out which focus mode I prefer. Any tips? I've found AI Servo to be a nice way to keep the moving player in focus, and AI Focus to be good at ensuring that what I want is selected as the focal point. But, while one is good in some situations, and the other good in others, there doesn't seem to be one "best" mode. Any thoughts on it? I totally intend to pour money back into better equipment; but, right now, I just don't have the better lenses. But, I do have great software (I use i2e to PP all the photos), so it LOOKS good, but, the bokah is missing; and that's what *I* miss most of all vs. my f/1.4 50mm. (As an aside, I use my 50mm for almost everything I do that isn't sports. I love it for portraits and groups. I just move myself as needed to get what I want in the frame.)
Anyways, thanks again for all the great input. I (and the parents of the 350+ kids in LL) thank you!!
Watch where to cut off the body parts. Use proper orientation (landscape/portratit) depending on the pciture. Having a grip helps (assuming non 1 series body).
Actually, I have a grip And, yes.. It helps a LOT. Can't imagine shooting without it!
Going to try to work harder on capturing the action.. I've been shooting and following the batters.. But, last night I was following the ball more often, and I think that worked better. I have a couple really great close-calls between runner and base. Sliding into 3rd between the baseman's legs, etc.. But, that game had almost 1000 photos; so, it'll take me a while to get it up. I'm trying to keep some order to my work flow, so, I'm not getting overwhelmed by the 8000+ photos I'm working with currently! (More every day.)
Actually, I have a grip And, yes.. It helps a LOT. Can't imagine shooting without it!
Going to try to work harder on capturing the action.. I've been shooting and following the batters.. But, last night I was following the ball more often, and I think that worked better. I have a couple really great close-calls between runner and base. Sliding into 3rd between the baseman's legs, etc.. But, that game had almost 1000 photos; so, it'll take me a while to get it up. I'm trying to keep some order to my work flow, so, I'm not getting overwhelmed by the 8000+ photos I'm working with currently! (More every day.)
Thanks for the input though. Always appreciated!
David
David, much improved. I will not go through all the steps with you because I think the others have done a good job of covering things. Keep soaking in the instructions you get here. So far you doing a good job of applying what you hear.
What camera are you using so I can address your focus mode question?
Also, keep in mind that your DOF will be shallower taking a tight shot with a long focal length than it will being closer to the subject shooting the same tight shot with a shorter focal length. IOW, you can get the most out of your shallow depth of field at the long end of your lense even if the F stop is a bit higher.
But, that game had almost 1000 photos; so, it'll take me a while to get it up. I'm trying to keep some order to my work flow, so, I'm not getting overwhelmed by the 8000+ photos I'm working with currently! (More every day.)
David,
You're still shooting too many photos - 1000 photos for just one game? Even if you're shooting for both teams, that's still like almost 50 photos per player - wayyyy too many IMO. I've shot two seasons of t-ball and my son's team had 11 players. I made sure to get three shots of each player per game - batting, running to bases, and fielding. Sometimes I'd keep a close play at home plate or other base, but in t-ball that doesn't happen much.
My average number of photos per game hovered around 40 to 50 posted shots in each gallery. I would chimp between players, and delete the obvious bad shots during the game, and cull more in Lightroom later.
Your shots are improving with each piece of advice you're getting - keep up the good work, but don't overwork!
David, much improved. I will not go through all the steps with you because I think the others have done a good job of covering things. Keep soaking in the instructions you get here. So far you doing a good job of applying what you hear.
What camera are you using so I can address your focus mode question?
I'm using a Canon Rebel XT. That too is on the list of things to be replaced once I'm making some money off the photos. I'm leaning towards the 40D right now, but, of course, I'd LOVE to get the 1Ds, but, since I also want an L lens or two, it's a balancing act of price vs. wants. :cry
Thanks for the support. I'll try to get some of the more exciting games posted so you can see some actual action shots vs. the t-ball stuff.
On your Xti, can you use the * button to focus when in AI servo mode? It is custom function 4 - 3 on most canon bodies. That helps a lot.
Also AI focus is joke IMHO. Either use one shot or AI servo mode. For your small kids I don't think one shot be any problems and could be better than using AI servo as AI servo on something like Xti won't tbe that good.
When I use AI servo on my 30d, it is still slow and i get lot of OOF shots. Now on my 1dMk2, it works like a charm.
200m f2.8 is a nice cheap lens. Sure you miss the zoom but I would take that over slow f5.6 zoom lens.
I'm leaning towards the 40D right now, but, of course, I'd LOVE to get the 1Ds, but, since I also want an L lens or two, it's a balancing act of price vs. wants. :cry
David
Don't let people get you down - the 40d will absolutely be a capable performer. I used the 20d for years and it made me enough money to by the mkIII, sigma 120-300 2.8, 85mm 1.8, plasma TV, and several other toys.
You dont need a 1 series to get great sports shots.
Don't let people get you down - the 40d will absolutely be a capable performer. I used the 20d for years and it made me enough money to by the mkIII, sigma 120-300 2.8, 85mm 1.8, plasma TV, and several other toys.
You dont need a 1 series to get great sports shots.
I agree John. The 40D is a good choice - I use it as well as my trusty 20D.
Doc, I was going to suggest what Bobby did for your focus settings. I think that will help you alot. Also, use the center focus point only rather than all nine.
I agree John. The 40D is a good choice - I use it as well as my trusty 20D.
Doc, I was going to suggest what Bobby did for your focus settings. I think that will help you alot. Also, use the center focus point only rather than all nine.
I played with the C-Fn, and I'm loving it. I'm not sure if I'll put it to 4-2 or 4-3, but, we'll see how it feels tonight. But, I'm a happy camper
Actually, the cropped 1.6x sensor is useful; get a further reach and none of the vignetting problems on the 1D's.
I bought the rebel back when I wanted a good but not over the top in cost camera (it was, at the time, mainly for shooting the kids, etc..). I spent about $2000 on the kit.. Camera, lenses, battery grip, 580EX flash, remote, and a few other toys. The 20D at the time would have been about $500 more.. It was either the Rebel with the 50 f/1.4 or the 20D without. The lens won. I'm not sad, as the Rebel, for all the "it's not a pro camera" performs VERY well. It's not as fast as the better ones, but, I really can't complain about the quality. And, with a little PP with i2e, you would be hard pressed to see a visual difference in quality.
I've actually been pretty careful with what I buy for the Rebel. I always make sure (whenever possible) to get lenses, flashes, etc. that are designed for the full sensor (so, no EFS lenses, etc..) Basically, I want to be able to step up when I'm ready without rebuying everything. The flash is perfect, the lenses will all work on crop or full, etc.. So, I have been "smart" about how I bought it. Hopefully it'll pay off when I make enough from the photo biz. to pay for new toys
Well, your getting tons of info, I just wanted to agree with all of it.
1000 pictures for 1 game is way too many, take your time and anticipate the shot, the impression you will pass on to your potential customers who have to drag themselves through all of them is "geez, if I took that many shot's I'd be bound to get a few good ones too" You really need to make them feel that even if they were sporting the $6000 rig they couldn't get the shots your getting.
Well, your getting tons of info, I just wanted to agree with all of it.
1000 pictures for 1 game is way too many, take your time and anticipate the shot
You're telling me! My queue is currently at about 6000 photos to weed through But, I end up getting each team down to 150 or so photos. That seems to be my average, no matter how many photos I'm taking. So, I just need to stop taking so many and shoot only those 150 to begin with!
Actually, the cropped 1.6x sensor is useful; get a further reach and none of the vignetting problems on the 1D's.
Actually the 'further reach' part isn't really true. For example, a 70-200mm 2.8 lens gives accurate crisp shots out to about 25 yards (give or take). Beyond that, results start to plummet. This is true regardless of whether you mount it on a 1d or a xxd or xxxd. For sports shooting there really isn't more 'reach' because of this limitation. What you do get is more pixels on your subject at that reach. From a sports shooting perspective there really isn't much gain since we're at 10mp and your subject fills up a good portion of the frame. Where it's more beneficial is for wildlife shooters who are dealing with smaller subjects.
So again, when shooting with my 120-300mm lens - it has a good working range of about 40 yards regardless of which body (1d or 20d) I use. Mounting it on my 20d doesn't allow me to get good shots at 50 yards just because the sensor is smaller. The focus of the lens/camera just doesn't extend out that way. At least that's my experience.
So again, when shooting with my 120-300mm lens - it has a good working range of about 40 yards regardless of which body (1d or 20d) I use. Mounting it on my 20d doesn't allow me to get good shots at 50 yards just because the sensor is smaller. The focus of the lens/camera just doesn't extend out that way. At least that's my experience.
I've been seeing that too.. The shots from a far distance are not really as focused as those closer in. I simply assumed I was doing a poor job in getting the focus locked, but, with what you're saying, that makes a lot of sense...
Originally Posted by DrDavid Actually, the cropped 1.6x sensor is useful; get a further reach and none of the vignetting problems on the 1D's.
Originally Posted by johng
So again, when shooting with my 120-300mm lens - it has a good working range of about 40 yards regardless of which body (1d or 20d) I use. Mounting it on my 20d doesn't allow me to get good shots at 50 yards just because the sensor is smaller. The focus of the lens/camera just doesn't extend out that way. At least that's my experience.
The crop factor notion is often touted by chain camera store clerks, telling you that if you buy this 200mm lense you're actually getting the bennefit of a 300mm lens. It would be like me printing an 8x10 picture from a 200mm lense then cropping it to 5x7 and telling you I shot it with a 300mm lens. Obviously the math there doesn't work but you get the point,
John is absolutly right.
I know he thinks I just folow him around the forums agreeing with him cause it makes me look smarter, and he's right about that too.
As for the lens. I *wish* I had the 70-200L f/2.8. But, I have to make due with what I have right now, which is the 4-5.6. And, therein is the issue. At 70mm, I can get f/4, but fully extended I'm at f5.6@300mm. So, there's a trade off in my mind between a narrower DOF and a crop in the computer later vs. a tighter shot with a larger DOF.
Actually, the 70-200 won't give you enough reach. Consider looking around for a good deal on a used 300 F4. I used mine 99% of the time for baseball last year. I only used my 80-200 2.8 at a couple evening games where I needed the extra stop late in the game.
Look into renting one from a local shop for a test run. You will be amazed at the difference in IQ.
You're telling me! My queue is currently at about 6000 photos to weed through But, I end up getting each team down to 150 or so photos. That seems to be my average, no matter how many photos I'm taking. So, I just need to stop taking so many and shoot only those 150 to begin with!
David
David, as you get better, you will be able to reduce the number of frames you take and still get the same number of images in the end. Really work hard to choose what to take and keep a mental track of what you've done throughout the game. Don't overshoot the same thing. Set up your camera right, have a planon what you need to capture, frame it, shoot it and move on. As you learn to discern between what makes a good marketable shot and what doesn't, you will become more selective when hitting the shutter button.
For the little ones like you've posted so far, you're not going to get action but there are plenty of opportunities to catch the kids doing what they do at that age. Shoot them between innings, shoot them interacting with the coaches, shoot them digging in the dirt, or laying on the ground. Shoot them being cute. On the baseball side shoot them doing something rather than standing around. The tballed will mostly hit it to the pitcher. Hopefully the coaches are rotating the pitchers and this will give you a good chance to get several of them making plays. But other than that, perhaps a couple of "plays" at 1B, and hitting the ball (really hitting not just standing there), don't expect to get much action at that age. But, there are still plenty of opportunities to record memories.
I shot and processed all these images today (well, I guess it's yesterday now ) using all the techniques everyone has been kind enough to share with me.
What do you think? They're obviously better than the first set of photos. I found the single best piece of advice (not that everything wasn't fantastic) was the Custom Function to use the star button as the AI Servo focus button. That CFn ROCKS! It was SO much easier getting MANY more keepers! I shot only about 280 photos for the whole game, and my keeper rate was probably like 80% (less are uploaded because they weren't interesting, or showed failure.. but, it wasn't for a technical reason that they were eliminated).
Anyways, I'm exstatic with the results. But, I'm sure I can get even better; so, feel free to whip away if you see any other areas I can improve upon!
Fantastic!
You've come a long way in such a short time! I'm ecstatic for you!
Focus is sharper, much more action, processing even looks brighter!! I'm so glad you brought this to the forum because I'm learning right along with you.
Keep up the good work!
Betsy
Canon 40D, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, 50mm f/1.4 USM, 85mm f/1.8 USM, 24-105mm f/4L IS, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM , 580EX ll
Wow, Very cool, great shots, and impressive improvement. Since your OK with it and clearly using it, I'll just say that you could continue to anticipate the shot and flip the orientation, you seemed to have more apropriately oriented at the end of the gallery, in the begining you can see the sliding into home shots would be better served in horizontal orientation.
For now my only other suggestion would be to not arbitrarily throw out the failure or back shots, just be more selective with them. They definately don't sell as much but they do sell. Quite a few reads have refered to capturing the agony of defeat as well as the glory of victory. I've sold an emotional hug of defeated athlete and coach before, Ive also sold an extremely artsy shot of a hand on a back that I would have deleted but my wife uploaded. I took the shot to aid us during sorting, just a shot with the leotard color and comp #. My wife uploaded it and sure enough mom bought it.
Keep up the great work David,
and thanks to everyone here who has helped me as well as they've helped David.
Wow, Very cool, great shots, and impressive improvement. Since your OK with it and clearly using it, I'll just say that you could continue to anticipate the shot and flip the orientation
I've been trying, but, because I use the grip it can get awkward. But, I definately try hard to get sliding into home as landscape.. Just not always possible. Basically, either get something in portrait or nothing in landscape..
For now my only other suggestion would be to not arbitrarily throw out the failure or back shots, just be more selective with them.
I try to keep the cute ones too, but.. It's a good point to make, and something I'll think about while flagging the photos.
Thank you to everyone for sharing such great tips.
Help with Baseball Pictures
Hey there,
I have a fairly new camera so I am still learning all the bells and whistles, so please bear with me..
However, I have been taking some pictures at my son's baseball games.
The still shots of him on the field look great. I am having trouble with action shots. When he is swinging the bat, the bat comes out very blurry.
Also, I took some of him jumping up to catch a ball and he is blurred.
I had the camera on Sports mode which is what the manual said to use for action shots. Any suggestions?
My camera is a Canon EOS 40D and I am using a Canon 70-300 lens.
Thanks for the help.
the simplest answer would be to increase your shutter speed. Take it off the sports program and put it on Shutter priority, set the shutter speed to at least 1/500 to freeze most motion. Faster action like the bat or a pitch will need a faster speed to stop.
good luck.
I agree with beetle8 about considering the use of horizontal orientation more - not only when they're sliding into home, but for batting as well. It can allow you to get the entire bat in the frame, and make it easier to capture the ball as it approaches the hitter (or leaves the bat). In fact the same holds true for catchers, and really just about every position. There's a lot of horizontal action going on that might end up out of the frame if shot vertical.
Hey there,
I have a fairly new camera so I am still learning all the bells and whistles, so please bear with me..
However, I have been taking some pictures at my son's baseball games.
The still shots of him on the field look great. I am having trouble with action shots. When he is swinging the bat, the bat comes out very blurry.
Also, I took some of him jumping up to catch a ball and he is blurred.
I had the camera on Sports mode which is what the manual said to use for action shots. Any suggestions?
My camera is a Canon EOS 40D and I am using a Canon 70-300 lens.
Thanks for the help.
put the camera in aperture priority
open the lens to it's largest setting, f3.5 for example
set your ISO at 400 in daylight, see what shutter speed you get, if it's not at least 1/800, increase ISO to 640. shoot away.
as you lose light, increase ISo to keep shutter at high speed.
I agree with beetle8 about considering the use of horizontal orientation more - not only when they're sliding into home, but for batting as well. It can allow you to get the entire bat in the frame, and make it easier to capture the ball as it approaches the hitter (or leaves the bat). In fact the same holds true for catchers, and really just about every position. There's a lot of horizontal action going on that might end up out of the frame if shot vertical.
Keep up the good work!
if you agree with beetle, you need lessons. Try vertical, after all you are shooting something that is standing up. Vertical makes framing easier, you will not cut off hands and feet. Vertical will make you learn to be a better shooter, try it, you'll like it.
if you agree with beetle, you need lessons. Try vertical, after all you are shooting something that is standing up. Vertical makes framing easier, you will not cut off hands and feet. Vertical will make you learn to be a better shooter, try it, you'll like it.
My suggestion was that certain shots would be better served in a landscape orientation. Truly the better portion of shots will be vertical. Certainly being a sportshooter caliber photographer you are not sugesting that all baseball shots and shots containing people standing belong in a vertical orientation.
Try vertical, after all you are shooting something that is standing up. Vertical makes framing easier, you will not cut off hands and feet. Vertical will make you learn to be a better shooter, try it, you'll like it.
I'm not talking about cutting off hands or feet. I'm talking about missing bats and balls and action. Looking at DrDavid's site, there are many shots with the bat cut off. Had he shot these horizontal, the entire bat would have been in the frame.
To imply that you should only shoot baseball vertically is silly. Check out these two posts. The poster included several horizontal shots. (In the first link, half are horizontal.) Perhaps he just needs lessons, too.
i am sorry, i should have worded it differently, i shoot horizontal and vertical.
what i thought i read was that you should shoot horizontal , i was merely saying try vertical, it makes for really good photos.
In vertical you can shoot tighter. of course horizontal is excellent, cut off bats are not a big deal, cut off limbs, hands, feet, heads are. You need to determine the orientation, vertical just makes it a bit easier somtimes. Vertical is more difficult, but if you master it, you will be a better shooter. Try a batter, a right handed batter, who is facing you, if you are on the first base side. That batter will move from left to right in the frame as they stride into the ball. How would you frame this in vertical. A pitcher in there motion, if you are vertical , how would you frame the pitcher to get the shot.
Horizontal, vertical it's all about what makes you happy, and what frames better, horizontal is obvious for more than one or 2 bodies, but try verticals and it will make you a better shooter. But only when vertical works.
Comments
OK. Don't know what lens you using but having f2.8 lens helps a lot. You can get nice out of foucs backgrounds. In sports aperture is more important than reach. I will take lower focal length but fast glass over longer but slower lens.
Lot of these shots, you still not shooting from low angle. Just sit down if you can. That will improve your back grounds.
Also almost all the batter shots can be 100% better if the ball wasn't just sitting on the stick, like in posted shots. Work on your timing or shoot a burst and pick the best moment.
Same goes for action shots. They look more like kids just hanging out there.
Watch where to cut off the body parts. Use proper orientation (landscape/portratit) depending on the pciture. Having a grip helps (assuming non 1 series body).
Now time to take it a step further. Bobby's comments are all right on the money. Here is some reinforcement of his comments plus some additional ones
I *really* appreciate all the tips.. This is excellent advice, and I'm trying to integrate it all together in what I do.
As for the lens. I *wish* I had the 70-200L f/2.8. But, I have to make due with what I have right now, which is the 4-5.6. And, therein is the issue. At 70mm, I can get f/4, but fully extended I'm at [EMAIL="f5.6@300mm"]f5.6@300mm[/EMAIL]. So, there's a trade off in my mind between a narrower DOF and a crop in the computer later vs. a tighter shot with a larger DOF.
Just as another question.. I've been having a hard time figuring out which focus mode I prefer. Any tips? I've found AI Servo to be a nice way to keep the moving player in focus, and AI Focus to be good at ensuring that what I want is selected as the focal point. But, while one is good in some situations, and the other good in others, there doesn't seem to be one "best" mode. Any thoughts on it? I totally intend to pour money back into better equipment; but, right now, I just don't have the better lenses. But, I do have great software (I use i2e to PP all the photos), so it LOOKS good, but, the bokah is missing; and that's what *I* miss most of all vs. my f/1.4 50mm. (As an aside, I use my 50mm for almost everything I do that isn't sports. I love it for portraits and groups. I just move myself as needed to get what I want in the frame.)
Anyways, thanks again for all the great input. I (and the parents of the 350+ kids in LL) thank you!!
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Going to try to work harder on capturing the action.. I've been shooting and following the batters.. But, last night I was following the ball more often, and I think that worked better. I have a couple really great close-calls between runner and base. Sliding into 3rd between the baseman's legs, etc.. But, that game had almost 1000 photos; so, it'll take me a while to get it up. I'm trying to keep some order to my work flow, so, I'm not getting overwhelmed by the 8000+ photos I'm working with currently!
Thanks for the input though. Always appreciated!
David
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David, much improved. I will not go through all the steps with you because I think the others have done a good job of covering things. Keep soaking in the instructions you get here. So far you doing a good job of applying what you hear.
What camera are you using so I can address your focus mode question?
Also, keep in mind that your DOF will be shallower taking a tight shot with a long focal length than it will being closer to the subject shooting the same tight shot with a shorter focal length. IOW, you can get the most out of your shallow depth of field at the long end of your lense even if the F stop is a bit higher.
SHARPSHOOTER sports photography
Canon Digital Gear
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David,
You're still shooting too many photos - 1000 photos for just one game? Even if you're shooting for both teams, that's still like almost 50 photos per player - wayyyy too many IMO. I've shot two seasons of t-ball and my son's team had 11 players. I made sure to get three shots of each player per game - batting, running to bases, and fielding. Sometimes I'd keep a close play at home plate or other base, but in t-ball that doesn't happen much.
My average number of photos per game hovered around 40 to 50 posted shots in each gallery. I would chimp between players, and delete the obvious bad shots during the game, and cull more in Lightroom later.
Your shots are improving with each piece of advice you're getting - keep up the good work, but don't overwork!
www.rfcphotography.com
Thanks for the support. I'll try to get some of the more exciting games posted so you can see some actual action shots vs. the t-ball stuff.
David
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Also AI focus is joke IMHO. Either use one shot or AI servo mode. For your small kids I don't think one shot be any problems and could be better than using AI servo as AI servo on something like Xti won't tbe that good.
When I use AI servo on my 30d, it is still slow and i get lot of OOF shots. Now on my 1dMk2, it works like a charm.
200m f2.8 is a nice cheap lens. Sure you miss the zoom but I would take that over slow f5.6 zoom lens.
Don't let people get you down - the 40d will absolutely be a capable performer. I used the 20d for years and it made me enough money to by the mkIII, sigma 120-300 2.8, 85mm 1.8, plasma TV, and several other toys.
You dont need a 1 series to get great sports shots.
I agree John. The 40D is a good choice - I use it as well as my trusty 20D.
Doc, I was going to suggest what Bobby did for your focus settings. I think that will help you alot. Also, use the center focus point only rather than all nine.
SHARPSHOOTER sports photography
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Actually, the cropped 1.6x sensor is useful; get a further reach and none of the vignetting problems on the 1D's.
I bought the rebel back when I wanted a good but not over the top in cost camera (it was, at the time, mainly for shooting the kids, etc..). I spent about $2000 on the kit.. Camera, lenses, battery grip, 580EX flash, remote, and a few other toys. The 20D at the time would have been about $500 more.. It was either the Rebel with the 50 f/1.4 or the 20D without. The lens won. I'm not sad, as the Rebel, for all the "it's not a pro camera" performs VERY well. It's not as fast as the better ones, but, I really can't complain about the quality. And, with a little PP with i2e, you would be hard pressed to see a visual difference in quality.
I've actually been pretty careful with what I buy for the Rebel. I always make sure (whenever possible) to get lenses, flashes, etc. that are designed for the full sensor (so, no EFS lenses, etc..) Basically, I want to be able to step up when I'm ready without rebuying everything. The flash is perfect, the lenses will all work on crop or full, etc.. So, I have been "smart" about how I bought it. Hopefully it'll pay off when I make enough from the photo biz. to pay for new toys
David
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1000 pictures for 1 game is way too many, take your time and anticipate the shot, the impression you will pass on to your potential customers who have to drag themselves through all of them is "geez, if I took that many shot's I'd be bound to get a few good ones too" You really need to make them feel that even if they were sporting the $6000 rig they couldn't get the shots your getting.
Keith Tharp.com - Champion Photo
David
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So again, when shooting with my 120-300mm lens - it has a good working range of about 40 yards regardless of which body (1d or 20d) I use. Mounting it on my 20d doesn't allow me to get good shots at 50 yards just because the sensor is smaller. The focus of the lens/camera just doesn't extend out that way. At least that's my experience.
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The crop factor notion is often touted by chain camera store clerks, telling you that if you buy this 200mm lense you're actually getting the bennefit of a 300mm lens. It would be like me printing an 8x10 picture from a 200mm lense then cropping it to 5x7 and telling you I shot it with a 300mm lens. Obviously the math there doesn't work but you get the point,
John is absolutly right.
I know he thinks I just folow him around the forums agreeing with him cause it makes me look smarter, and he's right about that too.
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Actually, the 70-200 won't give you enough reach. Consider looking around for a good deal on a used 300 F4. I used mine 99% of the time for baseball last year. I only used my 80-200 2.8 at a couple evening games where I needed the extra stop late in the game.
Look into renting one from a local shop for a test run. You will be amazed at the difference in IQ.
http://www.knippixels.com
For the little ones like you've posted so far, you're not going to get action but there are plenty of opportunities to catch the kids doing what they do at that age. Shoot them between innings, shoot them interacting with the coaches, shoot them digging in the dirt, or laying on the ground. Shoot them being cute. On the baseball side
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What do you think? They're obviously better than the first set of photos. I found the single best piece of advice (not that everything wasn't fantastic) was the Custom Function to use the star button as the AI Servo focus button. That CFn ROCKS! It was SO much easier getting MANY more keepers! I shot only about 280 photos for the whole game, and my keeper rate was probably like 80% (less are uploaded because they weren't interesting, or showed failure.. but, it wasn't for a technical reason that they were eliminated).
Anyways, I'm exstatic with the results. But, I'm sure I can get even better; so, feel free to whip away if you see any other areas I can improve upon!
Link here: http://www.wolfsnap.com/gallery/4281459_omqgR
and: http://www.wolfsnap.com/gallery/4281511_gw4X4
Thanks!!!!
David
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Fantastic!
You've come a long way in such a short time! I'm ecstatic for you!
Focus is sharper, much more action, processing even looks brighter!! I'm so glad you brought this to the forum because I'm learning right along with you.
Keep up the good work!
Betsy
For now my only other suggestion would be to not arbitrarily throw out the failure or back shots, just be more selective with them. They definately don't sell as much but they do sell. Quite a few reads have refered to capturing the agony of defeat as well as the glory of victory. I've sold an emotional hug of defeated athlete and coach before, Ive also sold an extremely artsy shot of a hand on a back that I would have deleted but my wife uploaded. I took the shot to aid us during sorting, just a shot with the leotard color and comp #. My wife uploaded it and sure enough mom bought it.
Keep up the great work David,
and thanks to everyone here who has helped me as well as they've helped David.
Keith Tharp.com - Champion Photo
Thank you to everyone for sharing such great tips.
David
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Hey there,
I have a fairly new camera so I am still learning all the bells and whistles, so please bear with me..
However, I have been taking some pictures at my son's baseball games.
The still shots of him on the field look great. I am having trouble with action shots. When he is swinging the bat, the bat comes out very blurry.
Also, I took some of him jumping up to catch a ball and he is blurred.
I had the camera on Sports mode which is what the manual said to use for action shots. Any suggestions?
My camera is a Canon EOS 40D and I am using a Canon 70-300 lens.
Thanks for the help.
good luck.
Keith Tharp.com - Champion Photo
I agree with beetle8 about considering the use of horizontal orientation more - not only when they're sliding into home, but for batting as well. It can allow you to get the entire bat in the frame, and make it easier to capture the ball as it approaches the hitter (or leaves the bat). In fact the same holds true for catchers, and really just about every position. There's a lot of horizontal action going on that might end up out of the frame if shot vertical.
Keep up the good work!
put the camera in aperture priority
open the lens to it's largest setting, f3.5 for example
set your ISO at 400 in daylight, see what shutter speed you get, if it's not at least 1/800, increase ISO to 640. shoot away.
as you lose light, increase ISo to keep shutter at high speed.
lol, you need it
if you agree with beetle, you need lessons. Try vertical, after all you are shooting something that is standing up. Vertical makes framing easier, you will not cut off hands and feet. Vertical will make you learn to be a better shooter, try it, you'll like it.
My suggestion was that certain shots would be better served in a landscape orientation. Truly the better portion of shots will be vertical. Certainly being a sportshooter caliber photographer you are not sugesting that all baseball shots and shots containing people standing belong in a vertical orientation.
Keith Tharp.com - Champion Photo
Ouch.
I'm not talking about cutting off hands or feet. I'm talking about missing bats and balls and action. Looking at DrDavid's site, there are many shots with the bat cut off. Had he shot these horizontal, the entire bat would have been in the frame.
To imply that you should only shoot baseball vertically is silly. Check out these two posts. The poster included several horizontal shots. (In the first link, half are horizontal.) Perhaps he just needs lessons, too.
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=89556
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=91909
what i thought i read was that you should shoot horizontal , i was merely saying try vertical, it makes for really good photos.
In vertical you can shoot tighter. of course horizontal is excellent, cut off bats are not a big deal, cut off limbs, hands, feet, heads are. You need to determine the orientation, vertical just makes it a bit easier somtimes. Vertical is more difficult, but if you master it, you will be a better shooter. Try a batter, a right handed batter, who is facing you, if you are on the first base side. That batter will move from left to right in the frame as they stride into the ball. How would you frame this in vertical. A pitcher in there motion, if you are vertical , how would you frame the pitcher to get the shot.
Horizontal, vertical it's all about what makes you happy, and what frames better, horizontal is obvious for more than one or 2 bodies, but try verticals and it will make you a better shooter. But only when vertical works.