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Archive 2013 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball

  
 
hijazist
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


I've been an avid follower of this great forum with great admiration for all the technical and non-technical knowledge it provides.

I had the chance to shoot soccer, baseball and swimming for my school and I will be probably asked to do that on a regular basis. I am a landscape and street amateur photographer and never shot sports before so any C&C on these images would be much appreciated. Please don't hesitate to be harsh since I am looking to learn to improve my technique.

The main problem I had was that my longest lens was a 70-200 VRII on a D800 and even with a TC the FL wasn't enough many times. It's great for close action but I miss most of the midfield soccer action. Subjects look small in the viewfinder and I have to rely on cropping which means misfocusing, bad composition, no subject isolation, etc...

After releazing the limits of the lens now I acquired a Sigma 120-300 OS Sport and a D7100. I will use the D7100 with the 120-300 for far action (maybe with TC if light is good) and the D800 with 35 1.4 or 85 1.4 for close action. Any recommendation of how to best utilize this combo is also appreciated.

Baseball shots:





1







2







3







4







5




Oct 31, 2013 at 12:14 AM
hijazist
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


Soccer shots:





6







7







8







9







10




Oct 31, 2013 at 12:15 AM
schlotz
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


I would put the 70-200 on it vs the 35 or 85. Plenty of very good soccer shooters here on FM Sports forum. Browse for a while and you'll find a number of excellent examples to gage off of.

Good luck with your college gig!

Matt



Oct 31, 2013 at 09:13 AM
PennsyBill
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


I don't normally shoot baseball but I have a few comments.

Image #1 - Your timing is perfect but your cropping, for me, could be improved, I'd include the catcher and shoot with the lens wide-open to help the background. And I'd try to get a photo showing the stands with all the empty seats with just a single fan,

Image #2 - Again good timing but I'd put the pitcher more to the left in the image,

Image $3 - Action is fine but don't like this crop either - try it as a vertical and see how it looks for you,

Image #4 - Missed everything as you were late for the peak action



No comments on the soccer



Nov 02, 2013 at 04:31 AM
Frank Lauri
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


To start...I think you did a fine job for never shooting sports before.

Some things to consider your next time out. Try to get as low as possible and try to get field access for the field sports....Shoot tight and crop tighter. As Bill indicated....you need to improve the cropping. On the first shot....just crop the batter. I too the liberty to re-crop that shot as an example.

Same concept for the pitcher shots....go tighter. On the player sliding...nothing going on there because you were late on the shot.

On your soccer shots....go tighter because there is a lot of dead space around the main subjects. On the B&W soccer....it really isn't a flattering shot. She looks a little PO'd. And a lot of dead space

Here is a link to a resource submitted by FM member Paul Alesse for Little League that has loads of great info that you should be able to use when you do baseball.

https://www.fredmiranda.com/Buzz/Shooting_LLB_Baseball_Handbook.pdf

Regarding the lenses....stay with the longest lens. The 35 & 85 will be too short for baseball & soccer unless you are doing close up type shots on the sidelines or in the dugouts.

+1 with Matt's recommendation on browsing thru the forum and checking out the various shots and styles.

Keep shooting and posting here asking for feedback and you will pick up loads of great info.

Good luck.

Frank











Nov 02, 2013 at 07:05 AM
hijazist
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


Much much appreciated guys...

Frank, such invaluable advice and thanks for the link, Paul's article is brilliant and has tons of helpful info.

I am still working on my cropping and you're right, going through the images on the forum teaches me more and more.

I find sliding shots are hardest because I've never watched baseball before and didn't know the rules so it's hard to anticipate the action. I am doing my research now that I'll be shooting regularly




Nov 03, 2013 at 07:15 PM
dwa652
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


Great stuff. As an Owls baseball season ticket holder who has also shot their baseball team a bit in the past, I like these a lot.

That said, I like #2 the best. Very clean, the way I like 'em.

Go Rice!
Don



Nov 04, 2013 at 01:29 AM
hijazist
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


dwa652 wrote:
Great stuff. As an Owls baseball season ticket holder who has also shot their baseball team a bit in the past, I like these a lot.

That said, I like #2 the best. Very clean, the way I like 'em.

Go Rice!
Don


Thanks Don I am actually a graduate student at Rice so I also have some bias to the team!

Hopefully I'll see one day at the games



Nov 04, 2013 at 02:42 PM
rddayton
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


Here's something else to consider as it relates to cropping. Your D800 is a 36MP monster. If you don't already, shoot it in full resolution. There is no reason you can't crop the daylights out of images and still have more pixels than what I do on a 12MP D3s. Use your tools to your benefit. That much resolution -- combined with good technique (buy a monopod if you need to) -- can give you what I call "artificial reach" that still has enough resolution to make decent size enlargements when you do start to sell.

Keep em coming.

Rick



Nov 05, 2013 at 07:33 AM
dwa652
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


hijazist wrote:
Thanks Don I am actually a graduate student at Rice so I also have some bias to the team!

Hopefully I'll see one day at the games


Just curious, what is your major? I am a Rice Ph.D. in ME.

Our season tickets are on the 2nd row behind the Rice dugout, on the outfield side of the dugout.



Nov 08, 2013 at 12:11 PM
hijazist
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · First Time College Soccer/Baseball


dwa652 wrote:
Just curious, what is your major? I am a Rice Ph.D. in ME.

Our season tickets are on the 2nd row behind the Rice dugout, on the outfield side of the dugout.


Don, I am in linguistics



Nov 10, 2013 at 01:39 PM





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