Night time sports actions shots

[fotografir]

I am shooting night time high school sports frequently and trying to figure out

the best settings to use in my camera(Nikon D200). I am using a 70-200mm(2.8)

lens and getting satisfactory results using ISO 800. The problem I am having is

getting good stop action shots(soccer). The body is overall clean but hand/foot

may be blurred. What other steps can I take to get better results? Any ideas or

comments appreciated.

[erika_gunselman]

you can set up some radio flash closer to the field or you can upset you ISo other then that I have no other thoughts. maybe get a lens that is f2.-

[geoffs1]

Less blur = faster shutter speed.

 

Faster lens (ex. Nikon Nikon 200mm f/2)

Higher ISO (Canon body?)

Big Flash

 

I can't think of anything else.

[victor_ho2]

I shot an indoor tennis match. The light was poor! I kept asking when they were going to turn on the lights.

 

You're really at the mercy of the prevailing light. The color is also probably bad because fluorescents cast bad tones. To stop action you need to shoot at speeds of 1/250 or faster. This means a compromise with ISO. You may have to accept ISO 1600 if you want sharp hand/foot. The blur otherwise can look good sometimes. Stopping the ball is more challenging. Focus on the face and eyes in continuous focus and shoot a lot in motor drive continuous. You will have a large number of rejects but some shots will be good. You should also experiment with slow and fast shutter speeds. You could also shoot at a couple stops underexposed ie. 1/250. The preview screen may look way underexposed but Photoshop is fairly forgiving. You'll still have some good shots but you trade off with increased noise.

 

Spring is here now and shooting outside will be a whole lot easier.

[mark u]

Your options are:-

 

1) Make sure you are using f/2.8 on your lens by shooting in manual or aperture priority mode.

 

2) Shoot "peak of the action" shots where players are temporarily motionless.

 

3) Shoot at 1600 ISO and invest in noise reduction software to clean up the images (e.g. Noiseware, Noise Ninja)

 

4) Invest in faster lenses - you always wanted that 200 f/2 VR, didn't you?

 

5) Try to persuade the venues to improve their lighting.

 

6) Only shoot at venues with good lighting (probably means pro games), or in daylight.

 

Options can be combined to taste.

[dangoldman]

I always use a flash. Even a little cannon 430EX (about a midrange flash), will usually do wonders for night games with an F4 lens...

[rds801]

Shoot at a higher ISO, use flash. Whenever I shot football on a poorly lit field I would use a

flash on manual at about 1/16 power or so. It did the trick for me. I didn't put it on camera.

I actually superclamped it to my monopod.

 

Roland</ br>

http://www.rolandsimmonsphoto.com

[nigel_keene]

On Canon camera's the mistake people often make is forgetting to move the camera setting from one shot to Al-servo, perhaps Nikon has a similar setting?

 

Other than that as has been said previously a faster speed setting is required which often means a higher ISO!

[fullmetalphotograper]

I shoot most night high schools sports with a Nikon D2X, a 70-200 f2.8 and SB800 Flash. My

ISO is around 800-1250. My exposure is at f2.8 @ 1/250 with TTL. I shot at 1/250 to freeze

action. I also shoot RAW this helps with noise and enlargements. Part of the issue is that

most high school soccer fields tend to be dungeons. High school football tends to be better

lit. I tend to shoot with shutter priority at 1/250 with my flash set at TTL, with my ISO around

800-1250.<div></div>

[darrendrevik]

I have to be honest: I sacrifice graininess and a little noise to get the fastest shutter speed possible. I'll push by Canon 20D to 3200 ASA, choose aperature priority at 2.8 and and with a 70-200 2.8L I can usually get 1/500th, which fits the bill and freezes most action, although I sometimes need 1/640 or more to stop something really fast.

 

I'm part of the school that hates the artificialness of strobes, and have never mastered setting my 580 to just throw out fill flash. It always blurs the shot. In fact, I think the graininess adds an edge of grittiness to sports photos.

 

One other help: Try and position yourself to get the action coming directly toward you, rather than panning left to right. Definately helps, plus you're getting the athlete's faces -- which is what you want.

 

Good luck!

[carl_auer2]

Hi Chuck. There are some good answers here. Let me give you a few more answers and ideas. First, go ahead and push up your ISO. If you have to shoot at ISO 1600, then do it. Noise reduction software can help greatly here. As for a flash, it can help greatly, but it can also be a pain in the butt. I like to get the flash off camera because it will give you bad red eye usually with telephoto lenses. I go about this numerous ways. If I am by myself, I will mount my lens on a monopod and have one or two flashes mounted about 18 to 24 inches below the camera on the monopod. Setting them on manual power anywhere from 1/4 power up. This reduces the amount of bad shadows and red eye. If I have an assistant, or can grab a kid from the crowd (pay him 5 bucks or buy him/her a soda) I will mount my flash on the monopod and have my assistant stay around 10 yards away from me, pointing the flash at the action and trigger it wirelessly.

 

Another thing to try, instead of trying to freeze the action, blur it. As long as you are getting lower shutter speeds, pan with the players and try to get some sense of movement and action. These kind of shots take practice, and will really drive you crazy at times, but are fun when you get a good one....

[John Crowe]

I've had good success with my Nikon 200/2 AI on my Canon 10D. It was a bargain price, and of course it's manual focus. Shot at ISO 800, and from 1/250 to 1/500 depending on the hour.

[bill_stauffer]

Don't forget panning. Following the action can provide some nice shots with a blurred background. I've had best results at mid-court basketball games to accentuate the motion. Soccer midfield should be similar as that's where a lot of the speed occurs.

 

I love the idea about low flashes pointed up, but in the right situation. I'm an ex-coach so I, by default, don't like flash except for mounted strobes pointed up. Most high schools in my area mandate this anyway.

 

Another thought, after you get your "money" shots, try going the other way with shutter speed. At the "peak" of action often the head and shoulders are the only thing steady. Slow it up by several stops. Blurring the rest of the body and the background can look cool.

 

On outdoor shots pay attention to the lights and where they fall on the field. High School fields tend to be underlit so they have areas much better lit than others. Look for action in the bright areas and pray that it comes.

 

Speaking of praying, learn to accept that it takes many shots at each game to catch some really good ones. Take a bunch and be happy with the few good ones. That's why Sports Illustrated sends several shooters to the big games.

[fotografir]

Thank you to ALL of you that have posted replies to my question. All of the ideas and suggestions will be utilized(Flash may be out due to coaches/officials). If I don't get the dinette set maybe my wife will let me buy my 200mm 2.0 :-)

Thanks again

Chuck Silvey aka Fotografir

www.fotografir.com

[tony_young]

For those who shoot HS sports with flash I 'd like to know if you can get multiple bursts of flashes for low-continuos shots. If you do, how far can you shoot and what kind of set-up do you use. I was using my old sb-24 flash and my turbo quantum. For some reason, I never can get the two work together.