beginner pics (t3i)

[dedro]

took this today in TV mode... comments and critiques welcomed. if i'm not doing this correctly, please let me know. thanks
f/5.6 1/160 ISO 100

[Shadowman]

It depends (TV mode) on what you wanted to capture in this shot and the shot after. Did you take shots of the batter's follow through swing?

[dedro]

It depends (TV mode) on what you wanted to capture in this shot and the shot after. Did you take shots of the batter's follow through swing?

i have a few with follow through

[Shadowman]

i have a few with follow through

How did they turn out?

[dedro]

not very clean....the bat was blurry.

[Stagecoach]

Hi dedro,

Not sure if that is your first name but would be good if you could add it into your details.

For a 'beginner pic', your words, very good. You have achieved clear focus (sharpness) of the batter and exposures good. Not sure what lens you are using but it may have been worthwhile zooming in closer on the subject, if possible. As for images of the bat being blurry at times this can enhance the image as it shows movement and action.

In all, a good subject to practice with and you can try opening up the aperture (if possible) to blur the background slightly to isolate the subject and try faster speeds by increasing the ISO to help freeze movement partially of the swing.

Grahame

[dedro]

blurred bat shot
f/10 1/80 ISO 100

[dedro]

great input Grahame....thank you
i used 55-250 lens for these shots

[travis4567]

Hope you don't mind Dedric, but I played with this photo a bit. Major crop and some minor processing in Lightroom.

[dedro]

Hope you don't mind Dedric, but I played with this photo a bit. Major crop and some minor processing in Lightroom.

this looks great!! i don't mind at all..... thank you

[dedro]

Travis4567....what do you use to crop your photos?

[Loose Canon]

Hey Dedric!

These two look pretty good. First thing I would do is correct the batting stance of the young lady!

But photographically? Hard to tell but the motion of the bat is great as long as the subject (especially the face) is sharp. Possibly get the shot tighter (as already mentioned). Some unnecessary stuff in the frame (on-deck batter as one example), and won’t have to crop as much out. Just assuming the batter is what you want.

But…

…conventional sports shooting dictates that if there is a ball in the sport, the ball should be in the shot. I don’t see it, which doesn’t mean its not there, but its not obvious. I would be tempted to cheat a little and add it in post if I took a shot where there was a ball. Then composite. It would make the shots sing!

[Ricco]

Dedric - roughly what zoom were you at? I.e. were you at the 250mm end of your lens or the shorter end?

Also, as mentioned previously, be mindful of what is in the frame of the shot. When you are positioning, try and keep the stray arms and legs out of the shot. In the 1st shot, there is 1/2 a catcher (either go for the full catcher in the frame or crop so that not at all). In the 2nd you have the bat.

I take a lot of kids sports shots and find there are 2 ways that I use to approach it - as a general rule, I am trying to get blurred background with a sharp subject:
1. In Av mode - I'll usually have the exposure down to the minimum (e.g. f2.8). I will then set the ISO so that my shutter speed is a couple of stops above what I need to freeze the motion. For example, if I'm chasing 1/1000 and correct exposure is at ISO400, I might select ISO640. That gives me good certainty of freezing the motion whilst blurring the background.
2. In M mode - If the light is changing (e.g. clouds / direct light), the alternative to this is that I will set the aperture, set the shutter speed and then set the ISO to auto. The camera then selects the ISO to be the minimum based on whatever the exposure is.

Hope this helps.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Dedric,

Shutterspeed dictates the degree to which the bat is "frozen". Probably around 1/640th will give a little movement (which you may prefer) and to stop things dead in their tracks, you'll probably need in the region of 1/2000th to 1/4000th.

Tv isn't a good mode; for starters it won't let you get the higher shutterspeeds automatically anyway (because the aperture won't be able to open wide enough), so you'll be committed to using a higher ISO anyway, and it's better to use a higher ISO AND have control over your aperture for DoF. So use Av mode - aperture wide open for your lens - and an ISO probably in the 400 to 800 region (depending on desired shutterspeed and the kind of day it is).

Auto ISO is another good option PROVIDING it lets you shoot fast enough (some models are a bit restricted with that). Auto ISO in manual mode is another option if the camera supports it.

[dedro]

Hey Dedric!

These two look pretty good. First thing I would do is correct the batting stance of the young lady!

But photographically? Hard to tell but the motion of the bat is great as long as the subject (especially the face) is sharp. Possibly get the shot tighter (as already mentioned). Some unnecessary stuff in the frame (on-deck batter as one example), and won’t have to crop as much out. Just assuming the batter is what you want.

But…

…conventional sports shooting dictates that if there is a ball in the sport, the ball should be in the shot. I don’t see it, which doesn’t mean its not there, but its not obvious. I would be tempted to cheat a little and add it in post if I took a shot where there was a ball. Then composite. It would make the shots sing!

Hahahaha i agree!! i showed her too...she says she will get it right! great comments, thank you

[dedro]

thanks for the great input guys...i will definitely use your advice the next time i go out. I'm very very excited about taking more photos of everything. i'm doing alot of reading and learning!!

[mknittle]

thanks for the great input guys...i will definitely use your advice the next time i go out. I'm very very excited about taking more photos of everything. i'm doing alot of reading and learning!!

TV for action and AV to blur the background on non moving stuff like portrats and flowers

[Colin Southern]

TV for action and AV to blur the background on non moving stuff like portrats and flowers

Av to control the background, Tv to make the background a "lottery"

[mknittle]

oops

[mknittle]

Av to control the background, Tv to make the background a "lottery"

Plug and play / point and shoot Iseem to get the same result either way