Soccer Shots

[Big Texx]

I've shot a few games and recently I am unhappy with the quality of the shots I have produced. My first time out has been the best thus far. Here are a few of my recent shots that I am less than pleased with. I am not sure wat I need to do differently to improve the quality. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Info: Canon 40d, AV mode, ISO 400, 70-300mm, AWB

[JohnG]

Texx,

Good to see some of your work. My first suggestion is to post some slightly larger photos. It can be tough to judge issues - especially sharpness issues - with such small photos. I like to post something sized like this:



Not so large that it poses a download problem or can't fit on a page and scrolling is required but large enough where you can determine sharpness.

In general:

shot 1 - looks like the WB went awry - too cool. Also face doesn't look sharp. Need a larger shot and exif info to help (exif will tell me shutter speed so I can guess whether motion blur could be a factor - 1/400 it could be, 1/2000 no).

shot 2: some exposure problems - blown highlights and again face not sharp but in this shot it looks like it could be motion blur.

shot 3: overexposed so you've lost the facial texture.

shot 4: overexposed

shot 5: no ball, slightly overexposed (but recoverable in PP - I suggest a burn tool). Again tough to judge sharpness at this size.

shot 6: good exposure, good action - again, sharpness is unknown.

shot 7: first shot so far that actually looks sharp and has decent exposure. At this viewing size it's the first shot I would call sharp. Others may or may not be but I can't tell.

shot 8: again, looks soft.

So now some questions:

1. Are you using single focus point or all points?

2. AI-Servo?

3. How much were these cropped? Do you have some original un-cropped photos you could post?

4. If you can post an original shot, with data intact and no editing just resizing that could also show us where the focus point was. You need it to be on an area of contrast. One thing that immediately jumps out at me is a white t-shirt is a terrible subject. My Canon dslrs always seem to have trouble with all white - I'm guessing it's glare. So faces work much better than white uniforms even if that messes with your composition.

[Big Texx]

John,



Thanks for the comments and suggestions. To answer your questions: AI-Servo yes. Focus Point was probably all versus center. It seems that whenever they wear white uniforms the pictures seemed washedout/overexposed. I will take your advice as to trying not to use the middle of the jersey (when white) as the focal point. Also, when I shoot on this turf field I feel like I am getting more sun bounce of the turf than when I shoot on a grass field.

Thanks again!

BT

[JohnG]

Big Texx wrote:

John,


It seems that whenever they wear white uniforms the pictures seemed washedout/overexposed.

Also, when I shoot on this turf field I feel like I am getting more sun bounce of the turf than when I shoot on a grass field.

Just some quick follow up.

On point one - that's a bit odd - usually it's the reverse. If shooting AV, change your metering to Partial - it will give the most weight to the center of the image.

Also both points illustrate an important lesson - you have to constantly be reviewing the exposures you're getting WHILE YOU'RE SHOOTING. In soccer there is plenty of time when the action moves away from your position - use that time to review shots and see if you need to make adjustments. And, every time you change shooting positions on the field, make sure you review your first series of shots so you make the adjustments as soon as possible. I don't know if I've ever shot an outdoor game of any sport where my settings remained constant for the whole game. Keep at it. Lots to learn and you're on a good track.