Help - Sports Photography in the Rain (Tomorrow!)

[bigrobo89]

Hi all, hopefully a few people on here will be able to offer me some advice -

I've been asked to photograph a rugby match for some friends tomorrow afternoon, the problem is the weather forecasts show a horrible day of constant rain and high winds making for less than ideal situations. To compound this I don't have a true sports photography lens, that is to say a quick enough lens. I have a sigma 55-200mm F4-5.6 and I also may use my 50mm 1.4 for some closer stuff.

Any tips and suggestions for shooting sports photography in horrible conditions would be greatly appreciated, and like I said its tomorrow afternoon so the sooner the better.

Thanks,

Paul

[karen_s]

I am jealous :-) I love to shoot in rain and snow but it does have it's challenges.

Your long lens might be just fast to get some good shots but you may find yourself settling for the slower action. I've shot (American) football at night on fields with poor lighting. The more I shot, the more I looked for slow moving, intense shots, like the players facing each other on the line right before the snap of the ball. I also looked for the muddiest uniforms and faces and found those opportunities to make for some neat shots. Reactions after points may work too. Catch the passion and fire of the game. And don't forget the rain suits, hopefully you have one for you and your camera.

I'm just an amateur photographer so hopefully someone with more experience will chime in, before tomorrow :-)

Good luck!

[jdepould]

What's the sport?

[Sterling]

"I've been asked to photograph a rugby match for some friends tomorrow afternoon..."

[RichardTaylor]

If you don't have rain gear for your camera/lens you may want to take some plastic bags and rubber bands to protect your camera. Just put a hole in the bottom of the bag and poke the lens through it. Try to seal it with the rubber bands, or tape, around the lens hood. Use a skylight filter.

A bit like the guy with the white bag.


If you can have an umbrella even better.

As for shooting - if it is raining the light levels may Ibe very low. I would shoot at a very high ISO, and use a fairly wide aperture and take what ever shutter speed you can get. A monopod may help.

Here are two examples.
(1)


Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 270 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 2/3 EV

(2)

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 380 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 1/3 EV