Shooting sports at night.

<p>Using a Canon Rebel es with a 300mm lens. Any tips on settings for capturing action photos at night? Like a football game? Also having trouble keeping my photos in focus when shooting still night photos</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Pro sports photographer always say that the most important thing is to know the sport and the team. That allows you to anticipate where the action will be. If you know that the team will almost always pass to a certain WR on 4th and long and he always runs a sideline pattern, then you know where The Catch will happen.</p>

<p>The biggest problem is getting enough light to freeze action. The field may look well lit to your eyes but it is a very different story to the camera sensor. You need to shoot wide open with the highest ISO that you can get that will give you an image you find acceptable. Autofocus generally does not work well in low light. Old fashion manual pre-focus is the way to go. Pre-focus manually on a spot where you anticipate the action to happen and shoot when the action gets near that place. Shoot full auto and hope one of the photos will come out. Use a support such as a monopod. These are all standard techniques used by pros.</p>

<p>Pros have one big advantage. They get to photograph from the sidelines where they can get so close to the action that sometimes they get run over by the players. If you are not allowed to get that close, all you can expect to get are some distant wide angle shoots no matter how long a lens you bring along. However all the techniques cited above still apply.</p>

<p>An alternative technique is to make lemonade with the low light situation. Pan with the players and go for the blur. Sometimes a blurred photo of players moving can be more interesting that a freeze the moment shot that is the standard sports shot. However manual pre-focusing is still required as the AF will still not work too well.</p>

<p>The bottom line is what type of photos are you trying to get? If all you want is shots of your son at the local school games, what you have to do is very different than if you are shooting something that you hope can be sold to Sports Illustrated.</p>

<p>Danny Low</p>

<p>Fast glass and high ISO are the keys. If you're talking about a typical high school football stadium, the lighting is pretty dim. Your best option is shooting early in the year, when sundown is late enough that you will still have some light during the first quarter. After that (or even during that), crank the ISO up to at least 1600. It helps if you lens is a 2.8. A 4.0 might work, but variable aperture zooms that are 5.6 or 6.3 at the long end are pretty worthless. A monopod can help reduce camera shake. Since you're going to be shooting wide open, AF just can nail every frame. You have to shoot lots of pictures and plan on throwing away a lot for lack of focus, backs of heads, etc.</p>

<p>FYI, the OP has a Canon XS (unless something changed since last activity). ISO 1600 (highest available) is actually quite good (IMHO) in that camera. </p>

<p>Center focus-point, and a large aperture lens are going to be key as well as your position along the sidelines. Practice, practice, and practice some more. If you have specific questions about why an image or group of images did not turn out, please post some examples. </p>

<p>Mean to say AF "can't" nail every frame.</p>

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<p>Using a Canon Rebel es with a 300mm lens. Any tips on settings for capturing action photos at night? Like a football game?</p>

</blockquote>

<p><strong>What lens?</strong></p>

<p>Assuming that you have made a typo, and your camera is a Canon Rebel XS (EOS 1000D) then:</p>

<p>If you have a zoom lens – and at the 300mm end you only have F/5.6 (or similar) then you will most likely have difficulty attaining consistent, suitable results at many night-time football games, because you are limited to ISO1600 and Aperture F/5.6 – considering the typical EV (Light Level) at many night games, like a school or local game where there is NOT Television Broadcast Lighting, your shutter speed will be TOO SLOW to arrest most SUBJECT MOVEMENT.<br>

If you shoot HEAD ON to the movement you can often use a SLOWER than what is necessary to arrest TRANSVERSE Subject Movement (i.e. movement which is sideways to the camera).</p>

<p>If you use the CENTRE POINT AF (already mentioned) and also put the MAIN SUBJECT in the centre of the frame you will leverage your chance of achieving accurate focus – also focus on a CONTRAST EDGE – for example if the player has a yellow number on a black jersey – aim the centre AF at the EDGE of the yellow number where it meets the black.<br>

I suggest you use AI SERVO Mode.</p>

<p>If the lighting is reasonably even on most of the field of play, then for night time games using MANUAL CAMERA Mode can be quite effective once a Light Meter reading is taken to set the shutter speed (and to set the Aperture and the ISO – but I am assuming the lens will be wide open and the ISO will be ISO1600).</p>

<p>You can make are reasonable light reading from the GREEN GRASS on the field and open up about ⅔ Stop – Green grass is quite accurate as a grey card substitute – but why I suggest opening up a littel bit, is because the light is mostly downward and to make good facial expression (the faces somewhat in shadow) I will sacrifice the grass (and white jerseys) being a little over exposed or (the white jerseys) blown out.<br>

Once done then all you need to concentrate on is following the play and anticipating the movement.</p>

<p>However it is my expectation that you will arrive at a very slow shutter speed once you go through the above process – in which case you might be tempted to UNDERexpose, by using a faster Shutter Speed – well, although underexposing will make grain more noticeable, maybe doing so (if necessary to attain the shutter speed) is not such a bad idea – especially if you have the view to converting to high contrast BLACK AND WHITE images later, in Post Production – better a sharp but grainy black and white than correctly exposed blur. </p>

<p>(Depending upon the code of football and players’ ages and skill levels) typically you will need a shutter speed of about 1/1250s to freeze transverse movement and about 1/800s to freeze head on movement.<br>

However, all football codes have specific points in time where the player(s) have the LEAST amount of MOVEMENT – and when one is hampered with low light and insufficient ISO and or APERTURE – then it is a good idea to look for those moments of least Subject Movement as photo opportunities - and thus you can use slower shutter speeds - for example when a player props and pivots a shutter speed of 1/320s can often be used . . .</p>

<p>Panning (already mentioned) will arrest a portion of the straight line Subject Movement, but not all of it (for example Panning will not arrest the vertical movement of the hands). But Panning technique can be effective and invite the sense of movement and speed. For ease of panning SMOOTHLY you might consider using a MONOPOD.</p>

<p>A very important factor often overlooked by those beginning Sports Photography, is planning a useful VANTAGE POINT – and if your task is to cover (for example) your child’s soccer game, then planning how to get in a GOOD POSITION will bode well for you.</p>

<p>It is my opinion that shooting in FULL AUTO MODE and hoping for some to come out would be a waste of your time - and although there are quite a few reasons for my opinion, the main two reasons are:</p>

<ul>

<li>Firstly IF you choose full auto on a 1000D you will be limited to only ISO800.</li>

<li>Secondly the AF selection will not be controlled by you, but rather set to Auto Select by the camera and hence you will not be able to choose centre point only AF</li>

</ul>

<p>***<br>

</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>Also having trouble keeping my photos in focus when shooting still night photos.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>This is most likely because you have the AF set to activate at ‘half depress shutter release’.</p>

<p>Maybe look at using C.Fn 9-1 (See "Custom Functions" in your User Manual) to set the AF to the “*” button and thereby once the AF does attain focus it is set, no matter how many times you half depress the shutter release. You could also use manual focus.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I have done a lot of high school football in bad and uneven light. I always mounted a flash as end zones were so dark as to defeat my 70-200 2.8L. You can get good flash pictures from the back of the end zone as you are close to the action. Meter the field light by light as there is sometimes better light under a certain light towers paticularly on badly lit high school fields. Shoot when the action gets under that light. I always used and still use center point focus and mostly single shot particualrly in variable light. I have a 7D that does eight frames per second and I use the machine gun but I shot sports for years using one frame at a time. It works. I shoot lots of swim meets indoors in bad and high contrast light. Flash fill helps there if you are close enough. Go to ISO 6400 if you have it and worry about the noise in post processing. Light room or Photoshop is pretty good with noise these days. Use a monopod it helps with arm weariniss and helps when you have to get down to 1/250. You can also escape with the monopod from the sidelines when that fullback is coming right at you. I like to shoot tight and get facial agony when I can. If you cannot get good field access and shoot from the stands chances getting decent pictures is probably not too good given what you have. Image flash fill ISO 6400 near dark. </p><div></div>