more team photos

[dedro]

more of the same from me...one day i will move on to something other than sports but for now this will do i guess. i messed with this one a wee bit. wanted to focus on just the catcher and umpire but caught some other folks too....c&c please


was lucky enough to see some college action this weekend....i missed the ball off the bat on this one but it went far...still need to work on this photo...just sharing with everyone.

[Shadowman]

I like the second image. Where's the ball?

[dedro]

i could not capture the ball even though i was holding the shutter down for consecutive shots. could that be my sdcard is too slow? or is that the camera?

I like the second image. Where's the ball?

[IzzieK]

i could not capture the ball even though i was holding the shutter down for consecutive shots. could that be my sdcard is too slow? or is that the camera?

You should had considered putting your shots to continuous...then you either got the ball or composite it in the shot...

[dedro]

isabel
what do you mean "composite it in the shot"?

You should had considered putting your shots to continuous...then you either got the ball or composite it in the shot...

[IzzieK]

isabel
what do you mean "composite it in the shot"?

It means, that if in one of those continuous shot you got a clear ball but a blurred on other aspect, you select that ball and separate it from said shot and insert it in the best shot of your series like as if it belongs there in the first place.

[kateveber]

Sometimes such sort of moving bodies having more difficult to capture. You've done nice job, Dedric.

[dedro]

ok...that's what i thought you meant just wanted to clarify. thanks for the input

It means, that if in one of those continuous shot you got a clear ball but a blurred on other aspect, you select that ball and separate it from said shot and insert it in the best shot of your series like as if it belongs there in the first place.

[rpcrowe]

i could not capture the ball even though i was holding the shutter down for consecutive shots. could that be my sdcard is too slow? or is that the camera?

It appears that you were shooting in the burst mode. There are some cameras which are more efficient (faster burst speed) than other cameras. There are also some cameras which have a longer shutter lag (the interval of time between the shutter button being pressed and the time that the camera acquires the image). This difference in shutter lag is normally so short that it is not discernible when shooting most images. However when shooting fast action the split second lag might be a factor in catching or missing the action.

Shutter-lag is different between various groups of cameras with the P&S being the most notoriously slow followed by bridge cameras and then DSLR cameras being faster. Even within DSLR cameras, there is quite a difference between various makes and models. P&S and bridge cameras have been reducing the shutter lags lately in newer models.

The shutter lag depends on the way you are shooting (pre-focus, etc.) as well as the auto focusing capabilities of the lenses with which you shoot. If your camera gives you a choice between TTL viewing and live view, live view usually has the longer shutter lag.

Here is some information regarding shutter lag in general:
https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E5D/E5DA7.HTM

I once had a link to a shutter lag test site. You would photograph your computer monitor which had a clock face in view. Where you captured the clock hand would measure your shutter lag. Unfortunately, that link is no longer active. If another member has such a link, it might help you...

However in shooting sports, a lot of the problems associated with that venue can be overcome with fast reflexes and an understanding of the sport. Catching action at its peak comes down to timing, reaction and knowledge of the game. I also think that the quality of the viewfinder has a lot to do with the ability to capture split second sports moments. I personally use my eye level viewfinder for 99% of my shooting. There is no way that I could photograph something like the batter and catcher in action using the LCD as my viewfinder. I am not saying that every photographer would have problems catching fast action with the LCD, just that if you can do that efficiently, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!"

OTOH - when shooting with a reflex camera, you are restricted to the view that your lens sees. It is difficult to anticipate action (such as a ball coming in from the side) because you don't see the ball until it is in the frame. Shooting with both eyes open is an acquired skill which can help your anticipation. I would have expected some Chinese manufacturer to copy this sports finder which was a Topcon camera accessory from the days of film...



So far, I have not seen a Chinese knockoff which could be relatively inexpensive and which would assist the anticipation of a ball entering from out of the frame and which would also allow the photographer to locate birds or surfers when shooting with a long prime lens against a relatively plain background like the sea or the sky. I did an eBay search regarding sports finders and, while there are quite a few listed, the prices reflect that they may be collector's items rather than working tools...

Regarding your image of the batter, it is better, when possible, to shoot right hand-batters from the first base side of the field and shoot left-handed batters from the third base side. That way, the batter is facing you.

Here are some baseball photography tips: http://www.nyip.edu/photo-articles/a...otography-tips

Here is a more in-depth discussion of general sports photography...
http://www.astropix.com/SPORTSPIX/NSC/NOTES.HTM

Finally: We have probably all viewed illustrations from magazines like "Sports Illustrated" and many photographers expect to match those illustrations the first time they shoot a sport, always forgetting that most Sports Illustrated photographers have vast experience (as well as a natural ability such as reflexes) shooting sports and they are also shooting with top-line equipment, and have access to good vantage points. IMO, it is pretty darn well impossible to consistently match the S.I. quality of photography when shooting from the stands with consumer or prosumer gear...

As an example in addition to field-level press passes, most pro sports photographers are equipped with telephoto lenses that have fast or relatively fast apertures. These faster apertures (f/2.8 in the case of a 70-200mm lens and f/2.8 to f/4 for longer lenses) not only allow faster shutter speeds and/or the use of lower ISO's but, they enable the use of selective depth of field which concentrates interest on the subject and knocks the distracting backgrounds out of focus.

Finally, the professional sports photographer will often (usually) have the use of at least two bodies with lenses of different focal lengths.

Here is an interesting video tutorial on sports photography by Scott Kelby:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ4KsGYDzgU

[Loose Canon]

Looks to me like you may be a little tight on the framing, Dedric.

[dedro]

Richard
thanks for the information and the links. it is appreciated greatly! i am so new to this, it's crazy. i'll keep working on it though.
Thanks again
Dedric

[dedro]

so i should not zoom in so close?

Looks to me like you may be a little tight on the framing, Dedric.

[dedro]

John...isabel
here is one with the ball included. i actually did capture the ball in a few shots but the image was not as clear...practice practice for me ....

[dedro]

some good stuff richard...thanks again!!

[IzzieK]

If I am you (though I can't...) I'd layer that ball in PP and put it in the top right frame of#1 shot where the girl's eyes will be looking at it...just don't tell anyone you did it.

John...isabel
here is one with the ball included. i actually did capture the ball in a few shots but the image was not as clear...practice practice for me ....

[Loose Canon]

so i should not zoom in so close?

Well Dedric?

From where I'm sitting it looks like on #1 there are some feet cut off in awkward places. I would either crop it closer, but first I would shoot it with a little looser framing and decide from there. As it stands it kind of looks like a mistake. So to avoid that either crop tighter if the photo has that potential, or shoot a bit wider and go from there.

In #2 The batter's right foot, the bat itself, and the Home Plate Ump (especially this) is not a good cutoff.

Great action stopping captures though! In the third shot? Looks pretty good if a bit soft. This would be a good candidate for that composite Izzie mentioned if you've a mind to put something like that together.!

I could see putting the ball closer to the fielder and cropping the chaff from there. And while you have a selection of the ball you could composite it in the other shots to see how that might play!

Sometimes with a bit slower shutter one gets lucky and gets some motion blur (say, the bat) while everything else is sharp.

Maybe something to just experiment with a bit!

[dedro]

i gotcha terry....good info to know! i'm not sure how to take the ball out of one image and insert into another yet (google) but i can learn.
thanks for your detailed comments....really helps a beginner like myself

Well Dedric?

From where I'm sitting it looks like on #1 there are some feet cut off in awkward places. I would either crop it closer, but first I would shoot it with a little looser framing and decide from there. As it stands it kind of looks like a mistake. So to avoid that either crop tighter if the photo has that potential, or shoot a bit wider and go from there.

In #2 The batter's right foot, the bat itself, and the Home Plate Ump (especially this) is not a good cutoff.

Great action stopping captures though! In the third shot? Looks pretty good if a bit soft. This would be a good candidate for that composite Izzie mentioned if you've a mind to put something like that together.!

I could see putting the ball closer to the fielder and cropping the chaff from there. And while you have a selection of the ball you could composite it in the other shots to see how that might play!

Sometimes with a bit slower shutter one gets lucky and gets some motion blur (say, the bat) while everything else is sharp.

Maybe something to just experiment with a bit!