Hey Mike....welcome to FM Sports. This is a great place to learn here. One thing to keep in mind....some comments you get may sound harsh but the folks here are really great people and talented photographers who really want to help and no one will learn anything as long as you hear things that are sugar coated.
+1 for Grant's comments....on a positive note - your WB looks good so you just need to work and tweak a few things moving forward.
Things to keep in mind is your placement on the field. On you first 4 shots that looks pretty good. Try to work in from of the play unless there is something specific you are looking for like a QB handing off, linemen, kickers etc.
Shoot tight and crop tighter. When you go tighter....you can decrease the effect of distracting or busy backgrounds.
Get faces, the ball, the jubes, the dejections, the band, cheerleaders, coaches (they make some pretty good shooting), the mascots, the student sections...again there are some interesting opportunities there too.
If you can...get down low and shoot.
Horizons...you could have an award winning shot and a tilted horizon will kill it.
I'm not up on the specifics on the Nikon D7000 but if it has a sports shooting or auto mode....don't use it. Practice with manual, AP or SP.
Work on getting that shot in focus...and these don't appear too far off. Mike...did you use any sharpening on these? I took you 6th shot and just ran a little USM on it and that is it and it addict a bit of crispness to it. The retouched on is on the right.
And practice. It is the only way to get better. Shoot for quality....not quantity. Take what you think are you best 10-12 shots from a shoot and c'mon back to FM for more C&C.
So there you go....looking forward to you next post.
Welcome to the FM sports boards. The D3 school I shoot (East Texas Baptist University) for hosted Wisconsin-Lacrosse back in 2009. It was my last game using a 30D before I got my 7D. Time flies.
Sports shooting can be one of the most stressful but rewarding types of shooting. Nothing gives me a rush more than being on the sidelines and capturing a killer image. Granted... a "Killer" image is hard to get. I often leave after shooting a 800 or 900 frames feeling like I only captured 'ok' shots.
Listen and learn here. If you're really interested in developing as a sports photographer, listen to the guys here. There's many years of wisdom between them. I've only been shooting sports for 5 years, and only 2 of those have been on a serious level. Theres guys here who have been cranking out great images since film (and possibly MF) days.
The most common thing you'll hear us say to any new guy:
1) try to capture the eyes and ball
2) crop tight
3) watch horizons
4) get low...squat, sit, kneel... get low to the ground
5) don't be afraid to crop to a non-traditional print size [this one is hard for me]
As far as equipment goes:
1) shoot wide open (at f/2.8 in your case)
2) Shoot with as high of a SS as you can. (1/800 is minimally accepted to reduce motion blur, anything over 1/1600 is preferred)
3) don't be afraid to crank up the ISO if you need to (especially at night)
Also, your lens is the perfect starting focal length and speed (70-200/2.8), but its the Tamron version. I don't have personal experience with it, but I've heard that its a slower focusing lens. I don't know what to tell you to help that out, just be aware of it (other posters).
Here's a few from the 2009 matchup. ETBU won 33-20, and our then QB, Sed Harris, broke a school record for longest rushing play, first with a 95 yard run...then he broke it again with a 98 yard run. He ended with a 261-yard rushing performance on the day. That guy was fast
glad to see you here... this is a great place to learn about sports photography.
as a very GOOD fotog on this forum says... shoot tight and crop tighter,
and Jeff makes a good point..."quicker' gears help. they do not make a better
photographer, but they allow more mistakes to become good fotos.
I know, i used sigma glass at first cause it was less expenisive, now only big
whites, etc.
again, glad to have ya here and keep sharing.
B
Mike,
Nice pics.
A bit OOF on some and crop tighter.
I shoot football with the D7000 & nikon 80-200mm 2.8 combo.
A few tips here to make you better on camera setup.
I use the 39 pt dynamic area setting.
I've tried the single, 9 and 21 pt. But the 39 gave me the sharpest pics. You just have to play with it and see what gives you the sharpest pics.
Turn it to M mode.
Set iso on auto and max at 6400.
Shutter set to 640 and above(preferred 800+).
Depending on light set aperture to f/2.8 - 4.
A couple of samples from my D7000 and setting used above.
Welcome to the Sports Corner. This is a great place to learn and improve your skills. The comments are made to help you improve, even if they may seem harsh at times. You cannot get better if everyone just says nice work all the time. You already got some good advice from Grant and Frank so I'll wait for your next post. For a first try you did a good job. Keep shooting and posting and you will see the improvement.
