Project 52 by Mal Schulstad

[ScoutR]

Excellent Malcom, Looks like you nailed the last one.

Seeing as my project this week is also trying to freeze the action on something, and I also have a D7000 I'm very interested in this thread.

We must be in parallel universes or something. I've been trying to think of what I can shoot that's moving and ONE option I am considering is going to the local community centre. There is hockey, ice skating AND, you guessed it swimming. I don't know if they have diving boards, but I was thinking (even before you posted this) that a mid air diving shot would be a good subject. Your shots prove that. Very Nice work, I'll be happy if I get anywhere close to this.

I'm going to take it one step at a time. I've been reading the manual and there are so many focus modes and combos. I plan to try them out one at a time. I plan to start with AFC 9 point AF and work my way up to AFC 3D tracking. I have some squirrels in the back yard that use the trees as a highway. If I can get close enough, I think they would be good subjects for the 3D tracking.

Anyway, Excellent job on the shots, and the dialogue on setting up and thinking the shot through was also very helpful, so keep talking
BTW what focus mode did you end up using on these. From what I've read in the manual, I think AFC 9 point AF would be OK for this type of shot???? Yes/No???

Wendy

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Along with having the right focusing mode selected being able to pan is another key element to getting sharp images of moving subjects.

Ah - well, guess what next week's theme is! I already have a few shots that I have to review

fav out of these would have to be your daughter doing what's looks to be a cannon ball. Nice and sharp and I love the expression on her face. Great work Malcolm!

Mine too - it's why I included it. Although I had some really interesting ones of a friend who was along and his expression as he did a front flip off the high diving board and realised he wasn't going to hit the water the way he wanted to!

We must be in parallel universes or something. I've been trying to think of what I can shoot that's moving and ONE option I am considering is going to the local community centre. There is hockey, ice skating AND, you guessed it swimming. I don't know if they have diving boards, but I was thinking (even before you posted this) that a mid air diving shot would be a good subject. Your shots prove that. Very Nice work, I'll be happy if I get anywhere close to this.

I'm going to take it one step at a time. I've been reading the manual and there are so many focus modes and combos. I plan to try them out one at a time. I plan to start with AFC 9 point AF and work my way up to AFC 3D tracking. I have some squirrels in the back yard that use the trees as a highway. If I can get close enough, I think they would be good subjects for the 3D tracking.

Anyway, Excellent job on the shots, and the dialogue on setting up and thinking the shot through was also very helpful, so keep talking
BTW what focus mode did you end up using on these. From what I've read in the manual, I think AFC 9 point AF would be OK for this type of shot???? Yes/No???

Wendy

It does seem like that, although I've heard Australia and Canada are similar in a lot of respects so perhaps we are!

On the focus modes, I originally started on AFA 3D tracking - which is much the same as AFC 3D. The main problem I found with it is that because it uses colour contrast to focus, unless your subject really stands out from the background colour wise, the camera can end up focussing on something other than your subject. This was happening when I was tracking someone that moved from having the roof of the complex as the background - easy enough to track against a plain white background there. But as the pool entered the background the camera shifted focus on occasion.

I shifted to AFA 39 after that - mainly because I didn't know how fast people were coming off the diving board and what flight trajectory they were going to use. The general rule of thumb is that the less focus points though - I just had no idea and they were coming off the board pretty quickly. The problem I encountered with AFA is that the camera must have been selecting AFS mode when it temporarily lost focus on people and then wouldn't fire the shutter - my camera's set up to only fire when something's in focus on AFS. I found I lost too many shots in AFA mode.

I switched to AFC 39 and that worked the best which were the last shots I posted. My AFC is set up to fire no matter what's in focus, but as it was tracking the person at the start of the dive, even though the camera might have thought it had lost focus, it was still in the area of interest.

So with your squirrels, if you have clear shots of them where they stand out against the background colour wise, I'd definitely try AFC 3D. If they don't stand out, 39 point might be better.

With the sports, it just depends on how well you can keep them in your area of interest. 9 point should be fine if their motion is predictable but might be a problem if it's a bit more random. 21 point might be better if you're not sure on their motion.

Hope this helps!

[Donald]

But I learnt a lot through this process.

And that is the wonderful thing that Project 52 seems to be contributing. Not only are you learning, but the rest of us are as well (see my learning from what Frank did with running water).

[Geoff F]

About all you can do with this sort of shot, Malcolm, is to try to spot focus on the faces and hope for the best.

In an ideal situation, you can have a fairly small aperture to give more depth of field. But of course, in the real world, increasing the depth of field reduces the shutter speed or increases the ISO which brings other problems.

However, the second pair of shots have worked well.

[ScoutR]

Thanks Malcom for the detailed reply, very helpful to myself and others too I'm sure. I'm kind of changing my mind for my subject. I think tomorrow I will go out and set myself up on the highway somewhere. Silly, I know, but I think if I can get close to the road with a wide angle, and then track cars from one edge of the frame to the other it will be a very good beginners test for me to see what the camera is doing. If a horse and buggy comes along, so much the better for subject interest, but I'm thinking for now, I need to work on something very easy to focus on and with absolutely predictable patterns.

I do have a question: I'm definitley going to start with AFC 9 point for the cars. Wide angle, focus on subject when it comes in left of screen, hope camera tracks the subject and then shoot at centre or right of frame. Hmmm suppose I should set camera for continuous shooting too.

Anyway the question Is: When subject comes into frame left side do I have to use the left side focus point to focus OR can I do what I usually do and use the centre point and then recompose. If I can get this answered before I go out, it will save me a step, but I'll be experimenting anyway.

Wendy

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I would have replied earlier but I've been trying to imagine what it is you'll be doing...

So - wide angle - I'm assuming 18mm, car comes in from the left and you want to capture it as it moves to the centre or right of your frame - and I'm assuming you'll be using a fast shutter to freeze the motion so you may or may not be panning.

My first thought is that if you're using AFC, you can't use the centre point when the car is on the left and then recompose your shot. The moment you recompose, the camera will refocus on whatever's in front of it. Because you want to use 9 point, it will only be a small area that it will select a focus point on.

Which brings me to a question of my own - were you going to be panning? Because 9 point is a small area, it's really for when you're panning. If you want the car in the centre of your frame, I would centre focus as the car approaches you, and then pan the camera to keep the car within the 9 points until you have the frame where you want it to take the shot.

If you want the car on the right of the frame as it moves from left to right, move the focus points to the right (hold the focus mode button down and use the multifunction button to move the points away from the centre and to the right (right arrow)). Then focus on the car with it in the right of the frame and then pan the camera again until you have the composition you want and shoot.

If you want to keep the camera stationary and just have the focus lock on and track the car until it moves from the left of the frame to the middle of the right, I'd use either 39 point or 3d (probably 3d I'm thinking). That way, you can focus as the car enters the very left of the viewfinder and it should track it all the way through the centre to the right.

Or try all three techniques! Hope this makes sense!

[Rob Douglas]

Pan and spot focus using center point in high speed continuous mode. That's what I use when at the track. I'm not sure of your focus modes available, mine are: one shot, AI focus, and AI servo on my Canon 50D I use AI servo for action shots on a moving target using the center point which is the strongest and fastest focus point (outer points are slower) AI servo will grab and lock my focal point on the target as long as I keep the shutter half pressed it will hold my focus as the target moves. I focus on the vehicle as it comes at me then pan with it until you have it framed where you want and fire off a bust of shots (I usually fire 5) I'm usually using a 70-200mm f/2.8L for this so it is a constant f/2.8 threwout the zoom so if I zoom in or out as I pan with the target I will not get an aperture change to affect my shutter speed. That's one more thing to think about :/ if you are not using a fixed aperture telephoto then when you zoom in or out on the target your aperture will change and affect the image. If you are dealing with a variable aperture lense (f/3.5-5.6) then I suggest a few pans without shooting while you zoom in or out to find the focal length you want. Then get your setting set and fire away. Hope this helped you Wendy. Panning can be a bit tricky at first but once you've got it down it's a powerful tool.

[ScoutR]

If you want to keep the camera stationary and just have the focus lock on and track the car until it moves from the left of the frame to the middle of the right, I'd use either 39 point or 3d (probably 3d I'm thinking). That way, you can focus as the car enters the very left of the viewfinder and it should track it all the way through the centre to the right.

Or try all three techniques! Hope this makes sense!

Yup, makes sense Malcom. The third one is the one I want to try, but I'm sure I'll experiment with the other settings and techniques too. I just want to go really slow not only to get it in my head what the camera does with each setting but I need to get used to the controls too.

Wendy

[ScoutR]

Pan and spot focus using center point in high speed continuous mode. That's what I use when at the track. I'm not sure of your focus modes available, mine are: one shot, AI focus, and AI servo on my Canon 50D I use AI servo for action shots on a moving target using the center point which is the strongest and fastest focus point (outer points are slower) AI servo will grab and lock my focal point on the target as long as I keep the shutter half pressed it will hold my focus as the target moves. I focus on the vehicle as it comes at me then pan with it until you have it framed where you want and fire off a bust of shots (I usually fire 5) I'm usually using a 70-200mm f/2.8L for this so it is a constant f/2.8 threwout the zoom so if I zoom in or out as I pan with the target I will not get an aperture change to affect my shutter speed. That's one more thing to think about :/ if you are not using a fixed aperture telephoto then when you zoom in or out on the target your aperture will change and affect the image. If you are dealing with a variable aperture lense (f/3.5-5.6) then I suggest a few pans without shooting while you zoom in or out to find the focal length you want. Then get your setting set and fire away. Hope this helped you Wendy. Panning can be a bit tricky at first but once you've got it down it's a powerful tool.

Thanks Rob, my lens is not a fixed aperature so I'll have to be careful with that too. Thanks for the heads up. I'm so used to using the zoom for framing that I would not have thought about it.
I'll be practicing in the next couple days, so we'll see how it goes. When I have a shot to post it will be easier to analyze what I could have done differently. I could end up spending a couple months in this project just fiddling with focus modes.

Wendy

[Rob Douglas]

Another tip Wendy, when you find a focal length that works you can use a piece of gaffers tape to hold the focus ring from moving on you.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Well, boy in motion anyway. This week I wanted to carry on my theme from last week but take it a step further - capturing a subject moving with the background blurred to give the sense of motion. The boys were my subject this week - on BMXs and scooters.

This exercise, I found, was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. When taking photos of people, I felt it was still important to keep the facial features reasonably sharp and recognisable. That is a lot harder than it sounds.

I did this exercise hand held and discovered a few learnings. Firstly, most of my shots ended up being at 50mm or less. I did try a few at 200mm but without a tripod, it was too difficult to keep the subject reasonably sharp.

Secondly, I found that my optimum shutter speed range for this type of photo was between 1/50s and 1/60s. Faster than that and I found that the blur that occurred didn't give enough of a sense of motion. Slower than that and it became to hard to keep the subject sharpish.

Panning technique and your subject's motion becomes very important in this type of photo. While Alex was on the BMX track, it was difficult keeping his facial features while he was travelling up and down jumps. However, as he rode past me it was much easier as I could just rotate my torso and keep my arms locked in place, creating a much smoother motion. I guess it was replicating what would happen on a tripod, but without it.

In any case, here's the photo. I think I achieved what I had set out to do, although there's certainly a degree of luck involved too. C&C welcome, or any other questions about my learnings that you might be curious about that I haven't addressed.

[Ricco]

You've done a pretty good job here. Whenever I try this sort of stuff l end up with the wrong parts in focus I.e. not the head.

You did well to get the composition so he has room to move in to as well.

Well done

[ScoutR]

Looks good Malcom. I like the blur in the wheel reflectors and I think there is enough background blur to give the sense of motion. You did a good job keeping his face sharp so I think you've done a very good job. I think if it was mine I'd like to see the frame and handlebars of the bike sharper but there are a lot of things I'd like to see that I never manage to do myself.

Thanks for posting your method and conclusions. Panning will most certainly be part of my Project 52 focus experimentation.

Nice job

Wendy

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Looks good Malcom. I like the blur in the wheel reflectors and I think there is enough background blur to give the sense of motion. You did a good job keeping his face sharp so I think you've done a very good job. I think if it was mine I'd like to see the frame and handlebars of the bike sharper but there are a lot of things I'd like to see that I never manage to do myself.

Thanks for posting your method and conclusions. Panning will most certainly be part of my Project 52 focus experimentation.

Nice job

Wendy

The BMX track that Alex was riding on is actually very uneven which causes a lot of movement - small vertical vibrations granted but more than enough to make it impossible for the bike to be sharp. On a smooth road would be a different story..

By the way - I forgot to mention that I believe VR helps. Some of the VR lenses have a "panning" function automatically and I believe there's some technology there that attempts to keep your subject in focus. It wasn't evident in my Sigma's Optical Stabilisation function and it was much harder getting the sharpness in my 50mm as well.

[Rob Douglas]

You did well Malcolm. The panning technique you described using is solid. That is pretty much how I pan if I am not using a monopod. with a little practice you will find it becoming more natural. Just remember smooooooth motion

[Goldcoastgolfer]

You did well Malcolm. The panning technique you described using is solid. That is pretty much how I pan if I am not using a monopod. with a little practice you will find it becoming more natural. Just remember smooooooth motion

Thanks Rob. Smooooooth is definitely the trick!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

This week sees me venturing beyond my normal comfort zone and into the nature and landscapes area. I've been chasing a majestic sunrise for weeks and thought for sure I'd be able to get one this week - but no luck. So we all headed out to Curtis Falls at Mt Tamborine for a bit of a bush walk to see what we could see.

I'm posting two photos with different treatments just to get everyone's opinions. As I said, this stuff isn't my forte and I struggle to see the nature and landscape scenes with the same passion as many of you on here so I'm hoping that with a bit of guidance and encouragement my blinders will eventually come off

This first one literally is just down the garden path. It was a challenge obviously being in the shadow at the base and then shooting the sky to get the detail in the clouds without going HDR. I've used a couple of graduated filters to bring up the detail in the darker areas.

In the first version I'm not sure if I've over done the colours:


The second one was my thought that there seemed to be enough tones and textures for a black and white conversion. However, on doing it, I'm not sure that it really has a dramatic impact:


So I ended up doing a hybrid:


And I'm not sure which one is best!

The second photo is my attempt at trying to get my people subjects into a natural setting. In this case the colour photo was a bit bland so I did a B&W treatment and a partial removal of colour.






Again - help on what works best would be great

Biggest challenge I had on the day - taking photos quickly with a tripod stuck to the bottom of my camera! I ended up using my tripod like a monopod!

[kezmal]

You did a much better job than I did with capturing the tree on the first one. I like to think of it as a Jack in the beanstalk tree I do prefer the first one in colour. With the second photo I think the B&W makes it look too busy, I'm not sure where I'm looking or what I'm looking at. The touch of colour in the second one draws the eye to the kids a little better, just my opinion??

[FrankMi]

In the first one, capturing any tree from that angle is challenging to the point of being darn near impossible. Great job! What lens were you using?

[Goldcoastgolfer]

In the first one, capturing any tree from that angle is challenging to the point of being darn near impossible. Great job! What lens were you using?

Thanks Frank. It's an el cheapo - Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4 (many acronyms after). Better than a kit lens but nowhere near top notch quality. I'm learning the joys and benefits of tripods - along with their limitations