Advice for shooting a football game

elysium321

Hi,

I'm an amateur photographer looking for a piece of advice. I'm going to shoot a football game soon. I'll be using Nikon D5100 + Tamron SP70-300mm lens. I know that I'll need to use fast shutter speeds to freeze the motion. The game will start around 7pm. Hopefully the light will be good enough but I want to have a plan B if there isn't enough light for fast shutter speeds (especially for using a long lens).
What do you think is the lesser of the two evils?
Increase ISO and degrade the image quality? Anything over ISO400 on my D5100 seems to lack detail and produce a lot of noise.
OR
Keep the ISO up to 400 even at the cost of underexposing images? And then add more light in Lightroom and eventually degrading the image quality.

Any tips more than welcome.

CinSoots

Increase ISO every time.

Paulw

I would prefer noise to blurred images.

Shoot as high an ISO as you're comfortable with, shoot as open as your lens can go, and try to get a shutter speed of 1/640 or better.

Sit or kneel when shooting. Loads more tips and advice on my website.

twowheelsonly

+1 for the noise over blurred or shaky images. Use the ISO range - black and white is your friend when they get too dodgy looking

That camera should be pretty ok for up to at least 800 ISO and probably more.

As PaulW says, keep the speed up as much as you can . Around 600 if you can manage it but certainly 400 or more. At that time, if the weather is any way decent you shouldn't have any problem, certainly for the first half in any case.

If you can beg, steal or borrow an f2.8 lens (80-200 or 70-200 if possible) then do so. You really need to shoot wide open or up to a max of f4 to get the real stand-out shots. Bear in mind that the lens you have will (most likely) be a minimum of F5.6 if you extend out to the 300mm end. Stick to the action closer to you - ideally pick a quarter of the pitch and capture everything in there. Anything at the far end probably won't be sharp enough to use in any case.

TIP 3: Read PaulWs' page - some excellent tips there and stuff that you mightn't think of.

Where are you based by the way? If you're any way local to me I could possibly give you a loan of a lens for the night. (I'm in Cork..)

elysium321

Thanks for your tips guys. Higher ISO is the way to go then. And I agree with you that sharp images are more important than noise-free.
I can live with a bit of noise, it's more the lack of detail that I'm not comfortable with when shooting at higher ISO. I thought that the D5100 would be capable to produce decent images even at ISO800 but they look really flat, lack contrast and colours. Anyway, I'll take some test shots this weekend at different ISOs to see what the maximum acceptable might be.

@Paulw
Thanks for the link to your website. I only had a quick look but there are some amazing shots you took. Great source of inspiration indeed. Another bookmark for the weekend.

@twowheelsonly
It would be great if I could use a lens like the 70-2000mm f2.8, that would definitely help. Really appreciate the offer but I'm based in Dublin unfortunately. And the other thing is that the lens would be far more advanced than its user

TTWNF

i've started doing a fair bit of sports and the tips i've got in addition to the ones above are:

clean backgrounds as much as possible
faster shutter speed over low ISO... post production although time consuming can do a job on noise
shoot on continuos auto-focus and fire in short bursts
always sit and never stand... the players look bigger when you sit
shoot wide open... i always shoot at 3.2 and then 2.8 when i'm struggling with the light/under floodlights
be aware of whats happening around you...keep an eye on coaches
keep your ears open too & hear players talking to each other, slagging each other as you can anticipate something happening
read PaulW's tips a few times

the most important i think is to relax and enjoy it.... always better pictures!

Paulw

TTWNF wrote: »

always sit and never stand... the players look bigger when you sit
shoot wide open... i always shoot at 3.2 and then 2.8 when i'm struggling with the light/under floodlights
the most important i think is to relax and enjoy it.... always better pictures!

I definitely agree with kneel/sit rather than standing.

As for shooting wide open, I seldom shoot wide open, unless I absolutely need it. All my lenses are f/2.8, but normally I shoot f/3.5-f/4. The longer lenses do give a nice DOF even at f/4. I would only shoot f/2.8 is light is critical, even when shooting very high ISO (ISO 5000) and slow shutter speed (1/640).

If you're not enjoying it, then you will just frustrate yourself. 2-3 good shots are better than 20 average ones. Have fun, relax and the shots will come.

elysium321

Thanks guys, very useful tips indeed.

It is a relatively small pitch so I might be limited with the background (especially if it's sunny - unlikely though). But I'll walk around to see where the best spot might be. Thanks for that.
I'll be shooting at the maximum aperture but bear in mind that my lens is only capable of f/4, more likely f/5.6 at the long end.

The good thing is that the lads will be happy even with only average photos. It's just me trying to take the opportunity and get the most out of it. So hopefully I'll be lucky enough to take at least a few good ones.

TTWNF

elysium321 wrote: »

Thanks guys, very useful tips indeed.

It is a relatively small pitch so I might be limited with the background (especially if it's sunny - unlikely though). But I'll walk around to see where the best spot might be. Thanks for that.
I'll be shooting at the maximum aperture but bear in mind that my lens is only capable of f/4, more likely f/5.6 at the long end.

The good thing is that the lads will be happy even with only average photos. It's just me trying to take the opportunity and get the most out of it. So hopefully I'll be lucky enough to take at least a few good ones.

When i first started shooting sports i only had a 70-300 which widest at 5.6 and still got some good photos that people were happy with.... fill the frame for the action shots and/or crop tight

b318isp

And a few more:

- shoot with the sun roughly behind you so you have the maximum amount of light available
- use a monopod if you can get your hands on one (or a tripod with a ball head too); if you can't see if you can lean against something (or use a stool and you knee to brace your elbow); and if that's not possible, under no circumstances shoot using the rear screen, use the viewfinder with good bracing posture to keep the camera steady
- stay close to the sideline, but you may not be allowed to go behind the goal-line
- don't be afraid to take wider angled shots as well as the zoomed in ones
- you may get away with a slower speed than 1/640, perhaps 1/400 if light is good

Paulw

b318isp wrote: »

And a few more:

- shoot with the sun roughly behind you so you have the maximum amount of light available
- use a monopod if you can get your hands on one (or a tripod with a ball head too); if you can't see if you can lean against something (or use a stool and you knee to brace your elbow); and if that's not possible, under no circumstances shoot using the rear screen, use the viewfinder with good bracing posture to keep the camera steady
- stay close to the sideline, but you may not be allowed to go behind the goal-line

Most would shoot in to the sun. You don't care about the background really, so it can be more blown out. But, it will depend really. If you are shooting your team (rather than just covering the game), then you will move, and shoot both halves with your team attacking you.

For local games, I would shoot handheld, using a 70-200mm lens, not using a monopod. I use a monopod to take the weight or a large prime lens. You should be using a fast enough shutter speed to negate camera shake. Us a min of 1/focal length. So, keeping the camera steady can limit your ability to turn and move to capture the action.

I've never ever had problems shooting from any location I want. Why would you not be allowed behind the goal line? There is no point being near the goals, but shooting near the corner flag, from behind the goal line is probably the best place to shoot from, or just around the corner on the side.

TTWNF

b318isp wrote: »

And a few more:

- shoot with the sun roughly behind you so you have the maximum amount of light available
- use a monopod if you can get your hands on one (or a tripod with a ball head too); if you can't see if you can lean against something (or use a stool and you knee to brace your elbow); and if that's not possible, under no circumstances shoot using the rear screen, use the viewfinder with good bracing posture to keep the camera steady
- stay close to the sideline, but you may not be allowed to go behind the goal-line
- don't be afraid to take wider angled shots as well as the zoomed in ones
- you may get away with a slower speed than 1/640, perhaps 1/400 if light is good

yeah sometimes the wide angle shots can set the scene nicely...

i don't really understand why you say this "you may get away with a slower speed than 1/640, perhaps 1/400 if light is good" IMO if the light is good make good use of it with a really fast shutter speed...
Also i usually try shoot into the sun unless it's really low...

b318isp

Paulw wrote: »

Most would shoot in to the sun. You don't care about the background really, so it can be more blown out.

This is in relation to the OP saying the light being poor, so I'm assuming evening light. The low light will lift shadows too. Metering may also be a factor into a low sun.

For local games, I would shoot handheld, using a 70-200mm lens, not using a monopod. I use a monopod to take the weight or a large prime lens. You should be using a fast enough shutter speed to negate camera shake. Us a min of 1/focal length. So, keeping the camera steady can limit your ability to turn and move to capture the action.

Agree on the freedom of movement. That said, as above, if light is low and a slower shutter is needed a monopod can help a lot. Remember that the OP has neither a fast lens nor any IS. It may also need to be stopped down a little to get sharpness.

I've never ever had problems shooting from any location I want. Why would you not be allowed behind the goal line? There is no point being near the goals, but shooting near the corner flag, from behind the goal line is probably the best place to shoot from, or just around the corner on the side.

A number of referees will not allow people to stand along the goal ends, not even to spectate. I'm talking about the boy's league matches I have attended. Perhaps a prior word with the ref may be all that is needed.

b318isp

TTWNF wrote: »

i don't really understand why you say this "you may get away with a slower speed than 1/640, perhaps 1/400 if light is good" IMO if the light is good make good use of it with a really fast shutter speed...

You're right, this didn't really come out right. The point I was trying to make is that if light is poor a slower shutter may be needed, and 1/400 might be OK to use.

elysium321

Thanks guys for all your tips. I took a good few away and I'll see how I go tonight.
It seems that it's going to be overcast this evening if I'm lucky or a bit of rain if I'm not. So no direct sunglight, no shadows which is good but there may not be enough light which is not so good.

adox

elysium321 wrote: »

Thanks guys for all your tips. I took a good few away and I'll see how I go tonight.
It seems that it's going to be overcast this evening if I'm lucky or a bit of rain if I'm not. So no direct sunglight, no shadows which is good but there may not be enough light which is not so good.

Dot forget to stick a few shots up here.:)

elysium321

Just to give an update of how it went. The weather was s***e, it was dark and it rained for most of the game. I had to bump the ISO up to 1250 and yet the best shutter speed I got was only 1/500s or 1/640s. The photos came out with a fair amount of noise and not as sharp as I'd like them to be. I managed to take a few ok shots, nothing fantastic though.

I can't blame only the weather obviously. It definitely takes a lot of practice to be able to follow the action, put your subject in focus and take the right shot(s). So fair play to everybody who can do it

I chose a spot on the side roughly in the middle of the pitch. Now thinking about it, I would have probably got better/more action packed photos from either end of the pitch.

On a positive note, the game was great, we had great fun, everybody enjoyed it. The lads were happy with the photos I took so happy days. I'll try to do better next time.

Cheers for all your advice.

TTWNF

"The lads were happy with the photos I took so happy days. I'll try to do better next time. "

Glad you enjoyed it! .... sports photography can be pretty addictive! Great thread as i learnt something new from it in relation to shooting wide open...cheers PaulW

These are worth checking out for more tips!

http://youtu.be/wQ4KsGYDzgU

http://youtu.be/ksqfTapOk3o

LeoB

b318isp wrote: »

A number of referees will not allow people to stand along the goal ends, not even to spectate. I'm talking about the boy's league matches I have attended. Perhaps a prior word with the ref may be all that is needed.

Never heard of this before and I shoot at quite a few games, mostly G.A.A games.

I would not move from a council pitch or corpo pitch either if a referee asked me,(unless he would be thick enough to abandon it). I have only been asked once by an official what I was doing and my reply with a wink was "taking photos". I did explain later they are used on club F/B page but cant be tagged by juveniles.

Back to O.P. Good advice there from the other posters. It just takes a bit of practice to get to read the action. If you have a local club go down when they are playing at home and practice. Maybe give them a few prints. I usually shoot between f.4 and 2.8 and have no problem going up to I.S.O 800 or above. Shooting mainly G.A.A. games the action is fast especially hurling so I want a sharp sliother in the frame. In Gaelic football its probably that bit easier especially when the players are tackling.