shooting out of comfort zone, need help

[qtox91]

ok guys, im very new to photography but im improving by leaps and bounds. i read and try to learn anything and everything i can about it. Up till this point Ive been doing almost only portraits and am really getting the results i want and am really confident i could go out and see a picture in my head and make it happen in camera. but i recent just got volunteered to shoot for our local semi - pro basketball team, something that is a really amazing opportunity for me (considering ive only been shooting for a couple months now), but shots like that are something ive never tried before and are wayyy out of my comfort zone. im just wondering what kind of advice or tips anyone could give me about it.

[edbayani]

know the game!

[teaking]

fast lens, fast shutter speed, maybe even an high ISO if in low or crappy light and your not allowed flash. And like the poster above said know the game if you can second guess whats going to happen you can be in the right place. I would also say try to get both teams players in the shot and the ball to get some interaction or better still facial expressions. And maybe even look into back button focusing which will free up the shutter button for faster shooting.

You can also decide to prefocus in an area you know action will happen and wait or use continuous focus which should focus on players near the centre or other focus points.

[PhotoBlazr]

Don't worry too much, sports is actually quite fun to shoot and with all the action, its relativel easy to get decent shots!

I have a few points you might find helpful:

1. Use a fast (able to go down to a low aperture number) tele-zoom lens.
Most likely the lighting in the gym is going to be pretty low, so you'll need a fast lens to allow you to shoot at a decent shutter speed. As teaking said, you'll probably need to boost your ISO.
A tele-zoom/zoom will let you get tight shots. I usually use a 80-200 f2.8 for my sports shots which I think is a good range.

2. Shoot RAW or set your white balance properly before hand.
The lighting in gyms will be way off, and you'll need to correct for it in camera or in software at some point, otherwise your photos will be very yellow.

3. Watch where you shoot from.
Be aware that if you're standing on the side lines, the players will be running perpendicular to you. This will cause more blur than when you're shooting from either end (ie. under the baskets) when players are running toward/away from you.

4. Look for peak moments
ie. players shooting, stumbling for the ball, fighting for the rebouds, celebrating a win. Keep it varied.

5. Try not to use flash.
Players don't appreciate flash hitting them as they shoot in a small gym.. I learned that the hard way

6. Shoot in continuous mode if you can (and take some extra memory cards).
If you're anticipating the next moment, you're more likely to hit the peak moment when you start firing just before the action and through it.

[qtox91]

do you guys think i will be able to shoot this set with a 50mm? i have extremely limited funds, (in high school w/ crappy job, and living on my own) and so its about all i can afford. do you think ill be able to shoot it with the 50? i mean its either that or the kit and that doesnt have a low enough apeture

[teaking]

If thats all you have then you have to work with that, and try to think creatively you may have to try to get closer, or adapt your style get more action shots of interactions between players, If you can move then move and use the manual zoom method move your feet closer to the action or if you cant then you may have to shoot in the end closet to you. Have a look for photos taken with a 50mm and try to get some ideas.

[GadgetRick]

Ok, what kind of equipment do you have (besides the 50mm)? I'm guessing the 50mm is an f1.8? If so, you'll be good with the speed of the glass.

Depending on which camera body you have, you will be able to shoot at higher ISOs with less noise. You'll want to try and stop down somewhat from f1.8 because, depending on the lens, I find it to be a bit soft at f1.8--usually is wide open on lenses.

You can get a surprisingly high number of good shots with a 50mm (I've been shooting wrestling with one clicky for some pics). However, know that you're not going to be able to get stuff too far away or REAL close up. My shots look good except when I have to crop too much (you can see some shots like that in the set I posted the link for). But you can get some good shots even with a 50mm.

[qtox91]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

Ok, what kind of equipment do you have (besides the 50mm)? I'm guessing the 50mm is an f1.8? If so, you'll be good with the speed of the glass.

Depending on which camera body you have, you will be able to shoot at higher ISOs with less noise. You'll want to try and stop down somewhat from f1.8 because, depending on the lens, I find it to be a bit soft at f1.8--usually is wide open on lenses.

i have a canon 1000d

[GadgetRick]

I don't know that camera but I believe it's an older model so the high ISO properties may not help you here (i.e. you probably won't be able to shoot at high ISOs without a lot of noise) but I don't know that for a fact. This will (somewhat) limit you but you can still get good shots with fast glass depending on the lighting in the gym. Some gyms are lit reasonably well, others, well, not so reasonably well. In the latter, you may run into problems as you'll have to shoot with a slow shutter speed and will get some motion blur. You'll just have to plan for that and try to shoot around it.

Keep all of that in mind and take the other advice given here and you should still be able to get good shots. Try and get there early and take some shots of the teams warming up. This will give you a chance to check your lighting and figure out which settings are best for you in that environment. The last thing you want to do is miss a good shot because you weren't prepared with your settings (if you could have been prepared beforehand).

Oh, post some pics when you shoot a game! Have fun!

[qtox91]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

I don't know that camera but I believe it's an older model so the high ISO properties may not help you here

its a canon xs. just another name lol

ok ill defiantly link them