eagleeyephotography

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5568971">Kelly Taylor</a><br>

"D90 set to Aperture priority......was the scorers table on the sideline one of those back lit ones? I recently shot at a poorly lit gym with one of those and it really gave me fits."<br>

Yes the table was a back lit type scores table in my shots.<br>

The reason a back lit scorers table was giving you fits was because you was in AV mode. The camera would "see" the extra light and change exposure settings to give what it thought was a "proper" exposure. In a gym where the lighting will be the same it is best to go all manual and set your exposure and aperture. That table might get blown out but the action on court is what you are shooting so those will be consistent.</p>

<p>One SB-600 will not give you enough power to bounce off ceiling and have the power to get the flash 2-3 stops over ambient. If you dont get flash to be the dominate light source you risk ghosting issues. You can use the 2 SB-600 as off camera but in direct mode. The company that makes Alien Bees also makes cybersync wireless triggers and they are very reasonable in price. I have one transmitter and 3 receivers that I use. These were taken with 2 Canon 550ex in the corner of gym about 10feet up in the stands attached to the hand rails aimed at the net. It was still not enough power to get high enough over ambient so there is still a little ghosting.<br>

<a title="bump_set_spike by NVcameraman, on Flickr" href=" title="bump_set_spike by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/2948971408_72a5238b2d_o.jpg" alt="bump_set_spike" width="576" height="720" /> </a></p>

<p>I would say it would be a better investment to spend money on a couple of Alien Bee 800 with 11" reflectors. You would get lower ISO photos, freeze action better and get better quality images. Look at this link and see how bounced strobes make for great photos.<br>

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=760051</p>

 

<p>The shot went right between his legs for the score</p>

<p>This was taken at a semi pro game in Las Vegas with a 20D and a sigma 120-300 f2.8.</p><div></div>

<p>Elliot Bernstein... Those shutter speeds are not fast enough to freeze the action. You example above shows motion blur on the goalies legs.</p>

<p>Make sure you "expose to the right" Make the camera "think" it is overexposing by at least a stop and that will get you better in the ball park for a better exposure.<br mce_bogus="1"></p>

<p>Here is what you get by just sliding the right slider to left and lining it up with the shown pixels.</p><div></div>

<p>Get it off TV. Use a manual setting as the ice messes with the exposure modes. Look at the histogram and you will see that you are at least 1 stop underexposed. The exposure metering is attempting to get a 18% gray exposure. If you want to use TV set it for +1 exposure or more and check exposure from there. You could also look into doing some off camera flash if you have 2 or more hotshoe flashes. You can even use monolights bounced off ceiling if you have them.</p><div></div>

<p>I use Imagequix and the service lets you print local if you choose to</p>

<p>I use my Sigma120-300 f2.8 when I shoot HS wrestling. The mat is set up in middle of gym and I and sitting on floor half way between the mat and the bleachers. I also use two 580EX flashes mounted to the bleacher hand rails on left and right side. 1/4 power and 70mm zoom set off with cybersync triggers. Camera settings 1/250, f2.8, ISO 800 These flashes that are attached to the hand rails of the bleachers cross and will light up the whole mat.<br>

<a title="wrestling diagram by NVcameraman, on Flickr" href=" title="wrestling diagram by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3505/3201954562_67dcdc983c.jpg" alt="wrestling diagram" width="500" height="380" /> </a><br>

This is examples of shots I get.<br>

<a title="wrestling by NVcameraman, on Flickr" href=" title="wrestling by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3194739260_54387f48df.jpg" alt="wrestling" width="500" height="400" /> </a> <a title="wrestling by NVcameraman, on Flickr" href=" title="wrestling by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3447/3194739300_33456afc59.jpg" alt="wrestling" width="400" height="500" /> </a></p>

<p>When I use two cameras I have them strapped to me. I run the neck strap of each camera thru a D ring that is attached to a camel back water hydration system.<br>

<a title="on-the-job by NVcameraman, on Flickr" href=" title="on-the-job by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/3716243179_755475eb0d_o.jpg" alt="on-the-job" width="432" height="288" /> </a><br>

When not in use the camera just hangs from the snap and is easy to grab one and let go of the other when needed and not worry about dropping any of the cameras.<br>

<a title="shooting football by NVcameraman, on Flickr" href=" title="shooting football by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/3011496490_441394d73d_o.jpg" alt="shooting football" width="288" height="360" /> </a></p>

<p>I use imagequix.com</p>

<p>Tele converters not ment to be used with varible lens. They are mostly for use with fast fixed apurature lenses (ie f2.8 or the f4) The 1.4 tele converter will give you one stop lose of light and a 2x will give you 2 stops lose. So I am actually suprised you even got it to work on your variable lens. Auto focus usually needs less than f8 to work properly. So when you said it was slow it is because focus is not getting enough light. Why it would not work when max zoomed it is because at max zoom the lens goes to 5.6 and with the tele on it it drops it to f8. You can pick up a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and a 1.4 tele for under a grand so that is what I would go with.</p>

<p>Team shots dont have to be boring. Every year a local schools basketball team poses with different stuff. Somethings they have done in the past was Harleys in the gym, F15 on tarmac at Nellis AF base, and Desert Baja race cars. This was this years pose with SWAT officers and thier amour vehicles.<a title="SWAT shot by NVcameraman, on Flickr" href=" title="SWAT shot by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/3162324822_21366b70a1.jpg" alt="SWAT shot" width="500" height="250" /> </a></p>

<p>I use AI servo for all sports action. I also have focus set to the * button (cf 4 on canon) so if I need to do a focus and recompose style shot I just let go of the * and it will stay focused on what ever I last had it locked in at. So by using the * you get the best of all focus methods.</p>

<p>Use manual mode as the environment in basketball gyms is not going to change. In manual mode you control the settings so I don't understand what you mean by saying it "forces setting down to minus 2". Set your camera to f2.8, 1/250, and ISO set to allow about 2 stops under the ambient level( that is your minus 2). Set your flash to ETTL and take a few test shots and adjust the FEC to your liking as white jerseys might fool the ETTL settings on the actual brightness. When using a flash your max sync speed is 1/250 but that is not a problem. In flash pictures shutter speed controls your ambient levels. The aperture controls the exposure(along with ISO). The quick burst of light, about 1/1000 sec at full power, is what is your effective shutter speed to stop action. Dont EVER use the HSS function for action to get higher shutter speeds as it will "pulse" the light thus giving you ghosting in your shots. Lots of people(like myself) will use 2 flashes set of remotely so flashes can be lower power for faster light burst duration and it evens the lighting out. Here is an example<br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2100/2079312007_9c555e263a.jpg" alt="" width="333" height="500" /></p>

correction--- I Do NOT have a Mark3.

Martin, your criticism is noted even thou I was asking for how I put the website together and not on the photos I placed in it. I will admit I am not much of a "Artsy-Fartsy" type photographer as I was trained by the military for documentation. I also worked in a few wedding chapels here in Las Vegas so I taught and learned that SAFE pics will sell, were as "wild" one were a hit or miss type situation. I would love to learn more of the photojournalistic style. Also a lot of my clients have been fellow Mormon people and our weddings (sealing at temples) are a lot more conservative than the rest of the "standard" wedding mind set. I do understand lighting and as you say creative lighting with multi point lighting is stuff i try to incorporate when ever possible.

 

As for my sports pictures I NEVER point,shoot and hope for the best. I do have a Mark3 and just "Spray and Pray". I work full time for a company the provides school photos for there yearbooks. There again it is as a documentation role. I use my own 2.8 lens for these. I dont use direct flash unless i have to and most HS gyms I am maxing out my ISO already as they are dungeons. Basketball, Volleyball, and wrestling I use 2 speedlights in the stands cross lighting the area. As for dragging shutter and getting motion blur, you might feel this is "cool" but I find it is unacceptable for sports shots.

I am trying to create more freelance side business. I built my own website using

MS publisher and a flash slide program. Could you look at it and tell me what

you think of it?

 

www.eagleeyephotography.us

 

Thank you!

You do not want to us fast sync on your flash for shooting action indoors as it actually makes the flash duration longer because to sync at high shutter speed it will do multiply burst of light to cover the scene as the shutter blades open. This will cause "ghosting". The best is to use the lowest power possible on manual flash setting to get the shortest flash duration. The flash is what will expose the scene and the length of the burst is your effective shutter speed. If you can get 2 flashes and cross light it will even make it better. You can learn a lot more about how to do this if you go to this link

 

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/04/on-assignment-prep-basketball.html

 

This link will help you understand how flash duration is what is freezing the action thus being your effective shutter speed

 

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=454214&highlight=flash+duration

These are not in Boston but they do ship

 

https://www.lensrentals.com/

 

http://thelensdepot.com/Home.php

60 fps is what video has been capturing for years. It has been possible for a while now to pull a very low quality small still print from this using video printers. With the increasing use of hi-def I know it is in the near future that pulling a good quality still image from a video frame will be possible. So does that mean there will be no more fighting between videographers and still photographers at weddings? I think it will be the videographers that will be winning in the long run as they already know how to shot at 60 fps.

These are shot using cheap radio slaves you can get off ebay. You can go to www.strobist.com and learn so much more about using flashes off camera. Here is examples of using this light set up.

<a href=" title="Basketball by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2100/2079312007_9c555e263a.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Basketball" /></a>

<a href=" title="wrestling by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2143/2196540506_0019b909c0.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="wrestling" /></a>

<a href=" title="Volleyball by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2073/1692886055_047f5f2c92.jpg" width="500" height="357" alt="Volleyball" /></a>

This is the set up I use for indoor sports. I clamp it to the hand rail of the stands.

<a href=" title="Single stobe mount by NVcameraman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2036/2197115730_2d2f248194.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Single stobe mount" /></a>