photographing figure skating show in low light

Hi, I'm photographing a figure skating show. The skaters will be lit with a single spotlight. I'll be using my Canon Zoom lense 70-200mm at the highest speed on the program mode. I'm sure I'll get a lot of noise ...does anyone have a suggestion?

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Permalink Reply by jadeast on March 1, 2008 at 2:12pm: you leave a lot of unaswereds when you say highest speed do you mean iso or shutter, how bright is the spot , how fast is the lens, how far away are you going to be? my first thought would be to use spot metering, try for peak action when things are moving at their slowest in relation to the camera, go for shots where some blurring accentuates the feeling of motion, keep the frame as full of the subject as possible from where you will be shooting, Use the highest shutter speed you can without underexposing the subject, which when you trade it off against aperture willl give you a shallower depth of field and help avoid distractions in your frame. Program may not be your best setting, I would experiment with shutter priority as well. Available light photography is full of compromises but not hopeless. the advantage of being digital you have near instant feedback on whether what you are doing is working. Don't be afraid to experiment, after all if you put all your eggs in one basket you may come back with nothing! One final note try shooting in bursts to assure you get peak action. Good luck !!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suzanne Boulanger on March 1, 2008 at 7:44pm: Thanks for the advice. I've been photographing this event for the past 3 years and I never get the pics I would like to have. I take pictures in other arenas and get great pictures because the lighting is 100% better. I'm a photographer for Athletics Canada but taking pics outside is quite different. The show is tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Sue; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Gordie on March 1, 2008 at 9:07pm

Suzanne,

I recently went to a Disney Ice Show and was able to get many great shots under various lighting conditions. I strongly reccomend using a monopod to steady the camera. I was able to shot in manual mode with a shutter speed of 1/50 of a second and a high ISA of 800. Try to capture your shot with the subject moving towards you if at all possible. I used a Canon Digital Rebel XT with a 70-300 mm. I found that if I took the lens off of auto focus and manually focused on a know spot that I was able to get better shots. But this all depends on where you are seated and how far away you are. I've included 3 pictures from the show to give you an idea. Good luck.

Gordoe

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Boulanger on March 1, 2008 at 10:33pm: Thanks Gordie...I enjoyed looking at your pics. I'll post some pics tomorrow!; ▶ Reply to This