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Showing posts with label water polo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water polo. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Canon 300 f 2.8- Wow
I really love using this lens. I'm shooting the 2nd round of Water Polo Districts tonight- the Elite 8. So 4 games in an indoor space with decent lighting. Action should be fast and aggressive. The key to this set up is balancing the shutter speed with the ISO. I know to get a super sharp capture I'll need to shoot at 250 or 320. 500 would be perfect but I know that is not going to happen in the lighting conditions at the pool. Anything less and I'll get some blurring because of the speed of the players motion and the focal length of the lens.
This is the only lens that allows me to accomplish this and still fill the frame. I don't like having too much dead space around the subject on this assignment. One reason is the cropping I'll need to do. No sweat but there could 50-100 images that need to crop. Hmmm. No thanks. I like the players to explode off the print through the intensity of their actions and look- so filling the frame with the players becomes my goal.
The 300 also has an amazing level of sharpness and color clarity. Other than some tweaking of the exposure, I rarely boost the colors. Now- the lens is massive. A mono pod is a must. You also need a level of confidence because all eyes will be on you. There is no hiding or being subtle with this bad boy. Once it's on your camera, it's like a big notice board- "look at me" type of thing.
The only place in St Louis that has one for rent is Schillers Camera - the coolest camera store in the midwest. These guys know cameras. But book early- because it's almost always out. And don't drop it- it retails at $5000.
Monday, May 10, 2010
What makes a great action shot?
There is no question that for an action shot to look great you need the following-
1- fill the frame. Your subject is the player so focus on them. IMHO full body shots have too much dead space around them and cropping kills the quality. Too many photographers are afraid of tight shots. Off course- a full body shot can look amazing if the player is going some athletic move. My rule is 1/2 or less of the body
2) The eyes- As in portrait work- the eyes are essential. They convey the intensity of the event and all the emotions. You really need part of a face and one eye as a minimum to get the full effect of the emotions.
3) Doing Something- The ball must be in the shot and they must be doing something with it. Otherwise what's the point? A player standing holding a ball- yawn. They must do something. Plus, when they are in motion their muscles a lot cooler.
There is no question that for an action shot to look great you need the following-
1- fill the frame. Your subject is the player so focus on them. IMHO full body shots have too much dead space around them and cropping kills the quality. Too many photographers are afraid of tight shots. Off course- a full body shot can look amazing if the player is going some athletic move. My rule is 1/2 or less of the body
2) The eyes- As in portrait work- the eyes are essential. They convey the intensity of the event and all the emotions. You really need part of a face and one eye as a minimum to get the full effect of the emotions.
3) Doing Something- The ball must be in the shot and they must be doing something with it. Otherwise what's the point? A player standing holding a ball- yawn. They must do something. Plus, when they are in motion their muscles a lot cooler.
Photographing Water Polo
I love photographing sports- esp water polo. This past weekend was round of St Louis Water polo Districts. The event was at St Peters Rec Plex- a fantastic aquatic site.
Water polo (polo) is an amazing sport to play and photograph. The key- as in all ports- is anticipation. I like to sit just to the right on one goal. That allows me to get the faces of players as they play both defense and offense. I can also get my fav shot- the goalie in focus with an attacking player with ball out of focus. What I really think makes this game so amazing to photograph are a) the eyes of the player- such intensity- and b) the added feature of water. Whether you freeze it to drops or blur it slightly with a slower shutter- water ads a new level to the composition that you cannot find in any sport.
The added challenges of the indoor event make it a tricky event to shoot. On Saturday I had the 100-400 L f 4.5 IS Canon. Not the ideal lens. I had to crank the ISO to 1600 and I still had to loose some exposure to shoot at a high enough shutter to capture it. The BEST lens for this event is the 300 L f.2.8. It gives a level of sharpness that is amazing. This lens is my favorite. I can't wait to use it this Wed for the 2nd round of games.
On a side note- Primes- I love using them. More than zooms. I have only L lenses and the rimes are simply incredible when it comes to sharpness and clarity. My next purchase - 100 f2.8 L. Mmmmm can't wait.
Water polo (polo) is an amazing sport to play and photograph. The key- as in all ports- is anticipation. I like to sit just to the right on one goal. That allows me to get the faces of players as they play both defense and offense. I can also get my fav shot- the goalie in focus with an attacking player with ball out of focus. What I really think makes this game so amazing to photograph are a) the eyes of the player- such intensity- and b) the added feature of water. Whether you freeze it to drops or blur it slightly with a slower shutter- water ads a new level to the composition that you cannot find in any sport.
The added challenges of the indoor event make it a tricky event to shoot. On Saturday I had the 100-400 L f 4.5 IS Canon. Not the ideal lens. I had to crank the ISO to 1600 and I still had to loose some exposure to shoot at a high enough shutter to capture it. The BEST lens for this event is the 300 L f.2.8. It gives a level of sharpness that is amazing. This lens is my favorite. I can't wait to use it this Wed for the 2nd round of games.
On a side note- Primes- I love using them. More than zooms. I have only L lenses and the rimes are simply incredible when it comes to sharpness and clarity. My next purchase - 100 f2.8 L. Mmmmm can't wait.
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