Shooting wrestling

[singleguy]

I am going to a WWE live event on May 9.I am not on front row but im on the edge of the floor just a few rows back. I want to take pictures, but im not that experienced. Its an arena so its gradually dark..(the ring is brightly lit, with light getting less the further up the arena you go.) Im not too far away so its not that dark..Its wrestling so there is obviously movement..any tips on suitable aperture and shutter speed, or ISO? Will the ring ropes be a problem with focus? Any tips would be appreciated...if i know how, ill put some pics on here after the event..for criticue..if anyone 's interested.

[RichardTaylor]

A basic guide for shooting any kind of movement in low light is;

I proabably would be using centre weighted metering.
Shoot RAW to give you more leeway when PPing. (especially noise reduction)

(1) Maximum ISO
(2) Aperture priority
(3) Maximum aperture
If you have trouble auto focussing then manual focus.
Take what ever shutter speed you can get (hopefully it will be around 1/200 minimum).
Check your histogram (don't believe the LCD display) for correct exposure.
If you have enough light consider reducing your ISO or increasing you aperture slightly to get a little more DOF in need be.

You may find these threads of interest.
question for sports photographers

High School Wrestling

GadgetRick does a bit of wrestling shooting you may want to have a look at some of his posts.
Here's one.
Borrowed a D90 for this wrestling match...

[graciousness]

Ok, I don't know if this will help you at all, but I'll throw in my .0002 cents anyway

Being that you're going to be only a few rows away from a well-lit ring, you may find that you will have all the light that you need. Those stage lights are really bright and I would recommend not using your flash at all; you'll find that such light would actually be dramatic, depending on how wide or close your shots are.

An almost similar sort of background and light I was presented with was a few years ago in a billiard hall - super dark inside and only the billiard table lights were the available light. The action is a little bit different, of course, but the idea is still the same. I didn't use flash as it woudl have been too distracting at such a close distance I was taking. The end result you can see below and I'll post the exif so you get an idea.

a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gracehuntley/5530871444/" title="IMG_0490 by Grace Huntley, on Flickr">

Camera Canon EOS 20D
Exposure 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias -1 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire
Lens: 18-55mm kit lens

I am sure that I could have taken better photos if I had known how to set my camera manually at the time, however, the results were quite decent, if not, good. Look at the ISO - it's only 400. The aperture was quite surprisingly open. This is due to the really bright light on the table. This will be comparable, if not, even more on the wrestling ring.

If I were you, if you are really inexperienced with photography, shoot in P mode as this will still allow you to set some settings (like not popping the flash, set the ISO, etc). Start your ISO at 400 as soon as you get there, look at your shots on your LCD and histogram, then go higher or lower as you need to be. The important thing is that your shutter speed in P mode is fast so that you're freezing the actions you want. Focus on the amount of light and the shutter speed that you want and when you get your settings, then you can concentrate on composition.

You'll want to enjoy the event, of course, so if you're not comfortable with manual or semi-manual modes (aperture priority or shutter priority), don't be ashamed to use P mode. This really isn't the time to be experimenting with your camera settings if you're not comfortable with it, as what is important is that you get the right photos you want at such an event.

Now, if you are comfortable enough to set up your Aperture, ISO and shutter speed, then do what Richard said. You'll find that the event is easier to shoot than you think.

Have fun, that is what's important and don't forget to share your experience with us here.

[jojonac]

It would help to know what kind of equipment you are shooting with.

I you have the ability to rent a fast lens then I might suggest it. Anything that can get you f2.8 or lower would really help out in a low light situation. If you are shooting with a pro body then you can crank the ISO up pretty high and not worry to much about the noise. If its a entry level SLR then keeping the ISO as low as practical would be suggested.

Also be aware that they might not even let you take a big camera into the building, I know I have seen this before when going to concerts, and other events.

Good luck

[gturner]

you should have enough light, it is lit for hd tv.

A 70mm 2.8 at around 800 ISO should be ideal, just keep an eye on your metering mode.

[singleguy]

At the Thompson Boling Arena where my wrestling event is being held, cameras w detachable lenses are not allowed in..so the camera ill be using is the only one i have...its a Fugifilm finepix S2950 14 MP megazoom...if that helps...not a DSLR, of course..but it was reviewed fairly well..

[RichardTaylor]

The same principals still apply.