sports photography in adelaide

[rookie2]

tentative greetings from a new member to this forum
I am just wondering if anyone in adelaide does much sports photography and has some tips and hints to share. do you ever have field trips based around sport (or is that just for jocks like me to do on my own?)
I am fairly new to the dslr stuff and not having great success with sports shots of my kids playing footy netball etc with d70s & kit lens & 70 - 300 ED. Love the gear but a slow learner!
I'm hoping to do better with t-ball & cricket where the action is a bit easier to focus on but am keen to learn from those wise heads already out there.
I can see you are off on a riverland trip this weekend but welcome any feedback anytime down the track.
I'll check out how to post some of my early attempts on this forum and look forward to feedback - might have to be tomorrow.
thanks in anticipation.

[BBJ]

Hi Rookie, Welcome to the forum and you are in the right place for help. There are a few of us sport nutts here with all different types from cricket, soccer etc.. and i am sure they will point you in the right direction.
I am a motorsport person, well i will try anything really but i have my camera setup for what i have found to be the best settings for me and with good results.

I live down in Mt Gambier 5 hours away from you and the bunch in Adelaide are a great bunch so try get to 1 of there meets sometime.

Ok few basic setting for you to try, here is mine.

1 single area focus= i find this better than dynamic

2 AF-C always set to continues focus always so if you partialy hold the shutter down then and folow the subject and the focus will track it.

3 i shoot in shutter priority as i do motorsport, i like to get motion blur in the wheels so they dont look like they are sitting still so i adjust my shutter speed between 250 and 400, much over this will freeze the action so if you are shooting sports you could use this method and up the shutter to freeze it.

But you need to try it and set it up for yourself and see what suits, i hope this helps a bit.
Cheers
John
BBJ

[Raskill]

Rookie2, welcome on board.

Like John said, theres a lot of knowledge here, I'm a bit of a motorsports fan also, but in Bathurst NSW.

The lenses you've got are okay for general photography, but as you learn more you will realise that for sports photo's you want a faster zoom lens than the 70-300mm ED.

Many of us are currently having a love affair with either the Nikon 70-200mm F/2.8 or the Sigma 70-200mm F/2.8. The nikon has VR technology, which means it absords small vibrations and makes clearer pics, the Sigma doesnt, it takes sharper pics (IMHO) anyway and is about $1500 less. (Forum member 'Birdy' is able to offer great deals to members who meet requirements)

The lenses cost so much because they let in a lot of light, something you will need to get very fast shutter speeds to capture the moment. Outdoor sports will be easier to photography with your lenses due to the amount of light anyway.

For football, netball etc I would recommend the fastest shutter speed you can use on any given day. Try to get a fast enough shutter speed that will capture the ball clearly. You won't get it every time, but when you do it looks really good.

Cricket and t-ball are the same, the faster the shutter speed the better, If your to slow, the bat and or the ball become a blur (which if your trying for it can make a nice effect).

Cheers,
Ras

[Big V]

Hi Rookie, I shoot any and all sports, one of the advantages of teaching Phys Ed.. Was using a 90-300mm but have dumped that lens for an 80-400m OS and would never go back. I often borrow a Canon 70-200 2.8 IS mm lens but it does not have enough pull for cricket or football, unless you want to do a lot of cropping after the fact. It is great for indoor stuff like basketball and volleyball. The biggest tip I can give you is to watch the background, as this will often draw the attention away from the subject, so be prepared to move or use a shallow depth of field to get rid of it. Most of my work is done either aperture priority or shutter priority. I use a mixture of pre focus and continuos, each has their own merit but always use centre spot metering.

[rookie2]

thanks everyone for the feedback.
I'll put some of those tips in place this w/e and see how I go.
starting to wonder if I should trade in the 70 -300 at this early stage and go for the sigma 2.8 - can you send me a pm to let me know the current going price for one around adelaide. I have read about buying from Birdy but need to serve my time before being eligible which is fine. Will also give me time to try & refine my skills - gauging by e-bay the grey ones are well over the $1100 mark with all the associated hassles of buying out of HK or similar.


thanks again for the tips.


cheers
rookie

[oli]

Welcome to the forum.

The other guys have allready given you tips some useful tips. I just wanted to reiterate that for the most part if you shoot in shutter priority at 1/500th of a second that's fine to freeze any action in sports, and is the easiest way to get good sports photos. In most weather conditions it's possible to shoot at that shutter speed even on slower (f/4 or 5.6) lenses.

Diamonds Cameras in Rundle Street quoted me $1130 for the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 a few weeks ago.

[Paul]

Oli, that's a great price for the Sigma!
Buy it before it disappears.
And welcome rookie2, enjoy your stay

[rookie2]

thanks Oli - good to know local prices are right up there with ebay.

I have been fiddling around at home with the various tips and reading some other posts. does this sort of set up sound right for some action shots (so many new settings to deal with it becomes confusing)
sorry if this is basic but I want to have a set of shots to work back from knowing I have set up the same each time

1. shutter priority @ 1/500+ using largest available aperture
2. ISO & WB as suited to day
3. AF-C
4. single area/spot focus
5. AF lock on
6. EV -1
7. tripod
8. lens hood on (is this alwasy advised in day time shooting?)
9. eliminate the background as much as possible & fill the frame with the subject
9. be prepared to look like a pro but shoot like a novice

any and all advice gratefully accepted.

cheers
R2

[oli]

1 would be: fill the frame with the subject for me.

That's what sets real photographers shots apart from what mum and dad can get from the sidelines.

[cordy]

1 would be: fill the frame with the subject for me.

That's what sets real photographers shots apart from what mum and dad can get from the sidelines.

I wouldn't neccasarilly be looking at filling the frame, not when you are learning. Mainly because there are so many other things you need to keep a eye on. I would go for 3/4 frame and crop until you get a feel for how you need to go about shooting whatever sport you are shooting.

The other thing as well is that sometimes shooting full frame is not needed, this picture works much better not being full frame -



I guess with time comes experience, so get out and start shooting!

Chris