p.1 #1 · Shooting football for the first time (college) - looking for advice/tips
Hey guys- I'm looking for tips and advice for shooting football. I've only shot baseball but I'm trying to get into professional freelance sports photography and need to add new sports to my portfolio, so now I have an opportunity to shoot at the Georgia Dome on November 3rd for the Georgia State game. I'll be shooting the game with a Nikon D3s (400mm f/2.8 AF-S attached) & a Nikon D3 (70-200mm f/2.8 VR II attached). I'll also have a Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 handy.
There's a few things I'm wondering:
Do I stay in one spot most of the time? Or do I try to move along with each play as it goes down the field?
Whenever I shot night games over the summer while interning for the Braves, I tried to maintain a shutter speed faster than 1/500. With the fact that I'm shooting inside the Georgia Dome, I know I'll need a high ISO, so it'll be like shooting at night, but what is the minimum shutter speed I should maintain in order to keep action still? Football seems to move a lot faster than baseball.
Also what are the do's and dont's I should know about?
p.1 #2 · Shooting football for the first time (college) - looking for advice/tips
I did my first attempt at HS football this evening. I managed to get a sidelines pass so I was able to move up and down the sidelines with a great deal of freedom. I always tried to stay in front of the action. When either team got inside the 20 yard line, I moved behind the end zone. Others may have better ideas but that worked pretty well for me. As for shutter speed, I can tell you that 1/320th is not fast enough to prevent blurred hands and feet or footballs in HS football. 1/500th may be the minimum shutter speed you can use to stop the action. Unfortunately, I never tried anything faster than 1/320th. Good luck and have fun.
p.1 #4 · Shooting football for the first time (college) - looking for advice/tips
kylehess10 wrote:
Hey guys- I'm looking for tips and advice for shooting football. I've only shot baseball but I'm trying to get into professional freelance sports photography and need to add new sports to my portfolio, so now I have an opportunity to shoot at the Georgia Dome on November 3rd for the Georgia State game. I'll be shooting the game with a Nikon D3s (400mm f/2.8 AF-S attached) & a Nikon D3 (70-200mm f/2.8 VR II attached). I'll also have a Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 handy.
There's a few things I'm wondering:
Do I stay in one spot most of the time? Or do I try to move along with each play as it goes down the field?
Whenever I shot night games over the summer while interning for the Braves, I tried to maintain a shutter speed faster than 1/500. With the fact that I'm shooting inside the Georgia Dome, I know I'll need a high ISO, so it'll be like shooting at night, but what is the minimum shutter speed I should maintain in order to keep action still? Football seems to move a lot faster than baseball.
Also what are the do's and dont's I should know about?
p.1 #5 · Shooting football for the first time (college) - looking for advice/tips
1/500 is a tad slow for football. The college guys move very fast. I'd go for 1/620 at a minimum (1/1000 is even better). You can move around, you just can't shoot between the 35s (i.e., the team benches). There will be a line you have to stand or kneel behind. PLEASE stay behind the line, even if other people don't--and they won't. With your 400, you will probably want to shoot mostly from the end zones. Good luck.
p.1 #6 · Shooting football for the first time (college) - looking for advice/tips
There's an excellent video about shooting football by Robert Hanashiro over on Sportsshooter. He covers everything from shooting angles to what to wear.
+1 to being careful not to get into the box. At some schools, the official team photog is allowed there, but you aren't. Shooting from the sidelines is not only more restricted than in high school, it is complicated by the additional officials, particularly the ubiquitous side judges. Take your longest glass - the end zones will give you the best view and cleanest backgrounds.
Oh, and shutter speed over 1/1000 for college ball.
p.1 #12 · Shooting football for the first time (college) - looking for advice/tips
gschlact wrote:
Michael, yur settings almost sound like it was a cloudy day, I would expect nearly thos values from high def tv arena lights.
Still better than then H.S. gyms though.
Kyle - good luck. Don't forget to shoot some atmosphere and sideline shots, and especially some cheerleader ones too.
Guy
Well, it sort of was considering the dome was acted like a softbox. To be honest, I don't really remember too much from that day. Hopefully I'll be shooting the SEC Championship soon. Probably not this year though.
