Archive 2015 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

jwarrenb
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

Question:

Under difficult lighting conditions, are you dialing in exposure compensation in camera OR do you increase exposure during post processing? Or is someone doing something other than the above (obviously can't use flash or strobe...)?

If I add exposure compensation "in camera" my ISO increases (significantly), obviously that increase generates noise. Late in the game when I am already shooting at 10,000 +/- ISO my current technique is to stop adding exposure compensation as it obviously adds significantly to ISO levels (personal preference is to not drop below at least 1/1000th or 1/800th on the 810...)

When I leave EV alone and increase in post, the noise increase during processing.

Am I getting to exactly the same place with whichever technique I choose (In camera or post)?

Curious to hear the thoughts of those who are shooting high school football (or similar) - when the 4th quarter rolls around I'm generally shooting with the following gear and settings (variance based on field lighting and specific area of the field) -

Nikon D4s
400 2.8
2.8
ISO 5,000 to 12,000 (increases of course if I add exposure compensation)
1/1,000th to 1/1250th
Aperture priority

Nikon D810
70-200 2.8
2.8
ISO up to 5,000
1/800
Aperture priority

Thanks in advance for any and all contributions.

Sep 26, 2015 at 05:59 PM

jcnemy
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

I'll share my experience...right or wrong...but this is how I deal with the situation you're asking about...

The stadium I normally shoot at is the brightest within our metro...but it does have it's issues:

- First half I usually shoot Aperture Priority because of the fluctuating ambient light and various lighting conditions. I prefer to shoot manual...but I get caught up in capturing stuff and forget to check and adjust exposure as necessary. When doing this - I normally dial in a +.3 exposure to account for the dark faces within helmets and to give me a little more latitude in post to work with....

- Second half I alternate between manual and Aperture priority, again with a +.3 to help account for shadows caused from the lights.

- based on looking at your gear...I'm guessing you shoot RAW...if so....this will give you the latitude to adjust exposure in post a lot easier as well as WB. With that - most of my keepers get either either a 1/3 to 2/3 stop adjustment to help overall exposure within post. Honestly - some shots even get more than that as I try to balance all the adjustments.

As most would say...and I'm sure you agree....fix noise in post because you can't fix motion blur....so set your ISO as high as needed to get the desired shutter as you state. I agree....1/1000 is ideal...but I've noticed I've dipped to 1/640 and even 1/500 when not paying attention during changing lighting conditions. So - next week I'm looking to revamp my tech setup to ensure I have the right exposure stuff set.

That's my take and I'm looking forward to hearing more from our professional base here within the forum...

JC

Sep 26, 2015 at 07:10 PM

jwarrenb
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

Thanks for the response.

Yes, I am shooting RAW.

Sep 26, 2015 at 08:07 PM

Game Changer
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

Have you considered flash for HS football in dungeon venues?

Sep 28, 2015 at 09:04 AM

Trevorma
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

I tend to shoot for right in the camera.

I find adjusting exposure in post adds way more noise then just increasing the ISO and EC......

Just my two cents though.

Sep 28, 2015 at 09:31 AM

bpalermini
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

I've kind of given up. The main field I shoot at is ISO 25600, 1/800, 2.8. I use auto ISO and +1/3 but 95% end up at ISO 25600, somewhat under exposed. I shoot a 1DX, 400/2.8 combo.

Then, when I import into Lightroom I use Auto Tone. It make the photos brighter than I normally would. Often I bring them back a bit but it is kind of a worst case scenario start. I apply sharpening and noise reduction and am learning to embrace the results.

One key is to shoot tight, which is hard to do when you can barely see the ball and the home team wears all black uniforms. Oh, and this is DIII college ball.

HERE is my gallery from last Saturday.

Sep 28, 2015 at 01:09 PM

thebmrust
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · High School football - 4th quarter under the lights

bpalermini... I don't see much wrong with those images might want to shoot some vertical.

Oct 02, 2015 at 07:18 PM


FM Forums \| Sports Corner \| Join Upload & Sell

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.