Ladies University Volleyball from the UK

[JohnG]

thkn777 wrote:

I took some quick snaps of a soccer game on weekend and found that I am very bad at that... even considering that already dim light (evening, sun was gone already). Upon seing your pics I should really try to shoot wide open (which is f/4 or f/4.5 for my walkaround zoom) - if you get that DOF on f/2 I should be fine with that setting!

I would suggest going to a game where the lighting is good and practicing.

an f4 or 4.5 lens probably is not going to be good enough for action shots after the sun goes down. You're either going to have motion blur because your shutter speed is too slow or your shots will be underexposed (because f4 isn't bright enough). And, not knowing what lens you are using, the focus motor on the lens can make a big difference too.

Also, as any of these other posters will attest, sports shooting is not as easy as it looks. It takes a lot of practice to develop good technique. So, don't get down on yourself if you only tried it once or twice. If you enjoy it, keep practicing and post some shots. Lots of good sports shooters here that can give you some valuable free advice on how to improve.

[thkn777]

ah. :idea:

Thanks for all the explanations - especially the distance/DOF thingie. Was at dofmaster.com and played with the numbers, I think I was trying to get too close, thus having very narrow DOF.

Prooved thatwithsome indoor soccer pics this evening - pics were grainy from high ISO but I think with spot AF and less zoom I'll try a bit more and am on my way now.

Thanks again. Distance! Who would have thought of that, really?! You learn new things every day...