Post Photography Tips and Techniques for different situations

Many here are newbies to Photography and I see many posts asking for advice on camera settings for different situations: Portraits, Weddings, night, etc.

Let's share some tips and settings that we have found work well for us in the different environments in which we are shooting.

Tags: ISO, camera, settings, tips

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Permalink Reply by Anne Brink on January 10, 2009 at 12:25pm

Ok, I'll bite!

I shoot a lot of local HS (prep) sports for a local community weekly, and most HS gyms and athletic field might as well be called 'land of funky light conditions.' If it's a day game/meet, not a big problem. Night games under lights or in the gym, especially in schools without the richer booster clubs can provide extremely difficult light conditions. Whether you may use flash ranges from football or lacrosse (nobody cares) to "No flash, any one using flash will be escorted from the premises" (gymnastics).

Much of shooting sports is anticipation and social skills- but in terms of the technical- these are some baselines I've developed over the past few years, in dealing with the gymnasiums and fields where I shoot. They may differ for others, HS/Prep/youth sports have highly variable conditions- but it's what turns out to be the best starting point for what I do.

*) fixed aperture lenses required. The f/4-5.6 variable aperture lenses often don't do the job. If I can't shoot maximum zoom at f/2.8 (1.8 for gymnastics and basketball), I'm usually not happy with the results. I've had okay results with f/4. I don't use image-stabilizing lenses, but ones that have AF built into the lens, not just driven by the camera.

*) Know how high you can push the ISO and still get results you're happy with. Just 'cause your camera shoots ISO 1600 doesn't mean you will like the noise in shots with a *lot* of dark tones in them, when you do shoot at 1600.

*) While there are exceptions, I shoot game action shots in manual mode much of the time. Turn your camera to the score table in a basketball game, or get an end zone TD catch, but accidentally catch the stadium light in your viewfinder, and you might have a very nice style section sillhouette feature shot, but not the athlete's face, and not good for sports action. If one end of the field/gym/stands is lit better than the other, I can bump the shutter speed around as I move to my next location.

*) You need to be able to shoot fast shutter speeds, whether or not you have a long lens, whether or not you shoot with a monopod,,unless you want blurring or panning. (exception: golf.) Start with somewhere around 1/200 - 1/250 play with what you get. And if you have a lens that requires faster speeds, get a monopod! (A 300mm lens, if you follow the 1/[lens length] rule for min. shutter speed, might come up with dark on dark when you shoot f/4)

*) if you can successfully get panning shots of roller or ice hockey skaters, who weave while they move, you can probably get a panning shot of just about anything out there. Waste whole data cards practicing.

*) all the polyester in white uniforms these days blows out far too easily with flash. Learn to do as much you can without flash, and dial down your flash when you can't.

*) Golf, even HS golf, is ideally photographed from another state, with a lens as big as your head. If you're going to do this, get a monopod.

*) Gray cards only get you so far, but if I can, I take a light reading of my gray card on the field or court, not on the sidelines, before the game. If it's a game that starts late afternoon, and ends after dark, I can't win. I just do my best, adjust between game periods, and figure I'll have to balance further in lightroom, later on. If you balance for the field, the bleachers will likely look funny, and vice versa. Set white balance for the players, not the fans.

I'm curious what other people have found works for them in low-light, high-speed conditions, and what doesn't, so comments of any kind are more than welcome!