On 12/6/06, Gary Lim, discombobulated, unleashed: >I plan to take pictures of my kid's (5 years old) sport and soccer games >this week. I've never really into sports photo stuff but I guess it's time >for me to learn. Anyone out there have any tips for me? Here is what I >plan to use 20D + 28-135IS and 100-400 IS. (btw, I found out the hard way >my vertical grip is not functioning properly. It gave me no battery while >the camera works fine without it!) > >OK, here is what I plan to do: > >1. max aperture (AV) >2. ISO 400-800 depending on the light >3. continuous focus >4. try to focus on the ball (?) > >Objective: I plan to take some interesting action shots. :) > >Any suggestion is appreciated.
Aside from those suggestions already mentioned, here's a few snippets from my experience. Be aware of other parents' sensitivity to your presence. There may be plenty of people there who you know, and who know you and what you're doing. Some you may never have seen. Maybe approach them and reassure them of your intentions. Sure, lots of folks take cameras to soccer matches, but not every one has long white lenses ;-) 5 yr olds move much slower than (say) 11 yr olds so the chances of catching some good action are many. But they do tend not to move in the 'classic' football (soccer to you mate) style - they can sometimes appear ungainly or awkward. Try and anticipate moments that reflect the sport. Just booting the ball into orbit is always a winner. Good defensive play is harder to illustrate. Someone mentioned concentrating on the kids and less on the ball, and for this age group you can't go wrong with that advice. Take a low fold-up type camping stool and get the camera onto their level. Long lenses (with IS) can be balanced on the knee with the elbow. Watch the backgrounds though - awkward backdrops with onlookers (sometimes doing everything except watching the event) can be very distracting. Position yourself so you're not shooting in the direction of fencing or parked cars. As with all sport, anticipate the action and know when to press that shutter button. At 2 or 3 fps, you can't hope to get the decisive moment by machine gunning. It's difficult enough at full chat on the 1DmII - better to snap the right moment one at a time. Don't use single shot mode, but squeeze the release at will, sometimes banging off one or two shots, sometimes half a dozen. I shot my son playing in a match when he was 8 (nearly 5 years ago), and they move a lot quicker. I used AF on a D60 with a Sigma 70-200 2.8 but constantly locked focus and tweaked manually. If you shoot wide open, expect some elements to be a bit soft - if it's sunny, shoot at 400 ISO and stop down a bit. You don't need ultra fast shutter speeds to freeze the action. 1/500th will be more than adequate. <http://www.cottysnaps.com/snaps/photoessays/essays/football.html> Mainly, enjoy yourself and get some great shots of your son. They don't have to be a Sports Illustrated cover, they just have to be a cheerful reminder of the day for you and your family. HTH -- Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com _____________________________ * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
