catherine_coleman

I admit I am almost completely ignorant despite reading and rereading my manual, taking a 1 day class, and reading lots online. I would take another class but none are offered in my town. Some of this stuff like "plane of focus??" makes my brain hurt. Even though I remind myself that you all are very experienced photographers, I still am frustrated when I can't take good shots and I don't always understand the suggestions to make them better. That said, I will try to respond to the things people asked:

I usually hold the button half way down when I anticipate shots and wait for the guys to move into view. The shot of my son was not anticipated and was a quick reaction, so I proably moved and snapped. I was excited he actually came in contact with the ball. Sometimes I may hold the button halfway down and move the camera to find the shot, I might push the button halfway again. I have read and reread the AI servo section in my manual, and it says you hold the button down halfway and follow your subject as long as he stays in one of the focus markers, he will be in focus. It also says you can achieve this by pressing the AF-On button. But that is all it says about that button and I don't know if it is an either - or type thing.

People had suggested "stopping down" my shots to improve lighting I assume. The guy at Wolf Camera couldn't tell me what this means. I found what I think it means in my manual; While holding down the button, I turned the control dial and the arrow on the exposure level indicator on lcd panel moves up or down from -2 to +2...I take shots, look at the results on playback, and if too dark or light, adjust again.

According to my manual, You cannot adjust this exposure compensation level in the manual mode. *I don't understand how "stops" are different from the aperture and in my file info, the stop and the aperture agree.

The way I understand using manual setting,I push the button halfway, and the exposure level indicator tells me how far off I am and I have to change either the shutter speed or the aperture to get correct lighting. There must be more to it that I don't get, otherwise why not just use TV to set faster shutter and let camera change aperture? I guess people are telling me to set it because the camera gets confused by the player's clothes and skin? So when people suggest I set the exposure manually before the game, do I put camera in M mode, just focus on something on the court, change aperture or shutter to amke the exposure compensation scale go to the middle and then leave it no matter what I am taking shots of or how fast they are moving?

So was I adjusting exposure compensation consciously? yes, trying to "stop down," but not with any method other than trial and adjust. I don't know what to say about spot metering? I didn't do this on purpose. I looked up my choices;I guess I should set it on evaluative mode?

I know its a lot to ask, but if anyone wants to tackle these questions, I think I could at least make use of the suggestions people make.

I am an amateur, so its very possible I am not steady. With the 50mm, I of course have no IS. Here is a test shot I took...is it blurry too? (I am taking photos in JPEG - I tried RAW but photos seemed to show up as JPEG or not at all in transfer. I meant to look in to the RAW issue)

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?action=view&current=IMG_1927_edited-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1927_edited-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

The replies I got to my last post were really helpful and I have tried to

implement the suggestions I could, but I am still not where I want to be with

only a few games left in our season. I really played around with adjusting

the exposure. I am not sure how much white balance is affecting my results,

but I still don't understand manually setting this despite reading up on it.

All shots were with my canon 40d, 50mm 1.4 lens, mostly on TV mode. Overall,

the problems vary, so I would really appreciate further suggestions...

This shot is the only one I have of my own child and I wish it was sharper. It

was taken in a brighter gym than the cave I usually shoot in:

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=matt.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/matt.jpg" border="0"

alt="Photobucket"></a>

This is another from the same brighter gym:

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=joc.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/joc.jpg" border="0"

alt="Photobucket"></a>

These are from today in the dark cave of a gym I usually shoot in. Itried

different settings, but it is so dark, it seems I have to use a flash to get a

useable shot, but I angled the flash (430EX) to avoid the weird shadows I had

in my other pics.

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=IMG_1938_edited-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1938_edited-1.jpg"

border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=IMG_1918.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1918.jpg" border="0"

alt="Photobucket"></a>

I shot in a gym with much better lighting than my last post, so I was able to

get shots without flash. I also took advice and used manual exposure some. I

know I am a beginner, but I only got 3 non-delete shots all night. I am working

on when to snap and better composition. I think basketball is hard not just

because of the often bad lighting but because the players block my shots -

composition is harder than I expected. The lighting was better in these, but

the black players appear too dark.

Anyway, what could have made these shots be better? Would different settings

have helped?

These shots had 1/1000 shutter, 1.4 aperture and 1000 ISO.

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=dougbreaksaway.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/dougbreaksaway.jpg"

border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=dyresegetsrebound.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/dyresegetsrebound.jpg"

border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=connor.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/connor.jpg" border="0"

alt="Photobucket"></a>

Kenny - I used TV, but with my 430EX on, camera will not go beyond 1/250. Can you tell

me how to override - even store tells me it can't.

I never thought about whether flash upset players...Don't think I am shooting into their

eyes from this angle, but should I be concerned?

I don't think I got blur at this 1/250 shot with flash, but maybe It would be even better at a

faster shutter speed? I can try increasing ISO and going without flash, but it may just be

too dark.

I shot in a cave (gym with no windows, 5/9 overhead cans burnt out) and used my new 50mm 1.4 lens. I am close to clueless, but this was huge improvement over last weekend, so here it is. Wish I had captured how far off ground kids were, but like the expression

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?action=view&current=IMG_1703_edited-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1703_edited-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Thanks so far for suggestions. I am using a 430ex flash when I use flash.

I am embarrassed to say that I don't understand white balance despite reading some stuff on it. Played with some pre-set options like cloudy, shade, tungsten (got blue people), etc... .I wondered if adjusting white balance would help the shots where the white t-shirts on the dark skinned players seem to glow. And it would be nice if hte white players were a sickly shade of green.

Both the above pictures used 1/250th shutter speed (no choice with flash as I have learned) A faster shutter speed on the first shot would have produced and even darker shot right?

Another post mentioned setting exposure manually - don't know what this means exactly. The canon manaul is not exactly a how-to.. Thanks goodness for this site. I will try to figure out how to set exposure manually and take the sugeestions to try manual settings and even up ISO.

These kids really love to see their shots and I would love to do them justice as I am the only person taking pictures of them I think. They crowd around my LCD to see if I got them , and my abilities just aren't their yet.

I have been having the same problem. Trying to fix shot in post, doesn't help when there are white kids close by. White kids get washed out or worse, blueish cast.

I'm shooting with canon 40d and recently got new lens -- 50mm 1.4. I don't understand anything about manual setting at this point.

I don't understand "stop" to over expose either. I was so excited to get my DSLR - but its like I ma in a foreign country and can't learnt he language fast enough to enjoy myself.

Here is a photo I took without flash, shutter speed 1/250, ISO 1000 and for some reason aperture is 1.8 (I thought 1.4 lens meant aperture stays at 1.4) and hte same photo, edited using photoshop.

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?action=view&current=IMG_1688_noflashedited-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1688_noflashedited-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?action=view&current=IMG_1688_edited-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1688_edited-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Newbie here struggling to get acceptable basketball shots. After reading

posts, I bought an additional lens for my canon 40D - the 50mm 1.4. Tried to

shoot some shots using flash because light is beyond horrible (no windows, 5/9

overhead cans burnt out). tried shutter priority, but shutter speed stopped at

1/250 with flash which doesn't makes sense to me. Also, don't mean to be

stupid, but I thought a prime lense 1.4 meant the aperture stays at 1.4, but

apparently not. I turned ISO up to 1600, but thought I wouldn't have to do

that with this new lens. Got some decent shots, but grainy when cropped.

Without flash in this particular gym, its just too dark. Why can't I get faster

shutter speed with flash?

This is at ISO 1000 with no flash - shutter speed 1/250 and 1.8 aperture

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=IMG_1688_noflashedited-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1688_noflashedited-2.jpg"

border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

And this is one using falsh, 1/250 shutter speed, ISO 1600 and 1.4

<a href="http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/?

action=view&current=IMG_1737_edited-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/catbud/IMG_1737_edited-1.jpg"

border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I would really appreciate feedback -- I am reading everything I can, but I

would like to get good shots before season ends.