Sports Mom

[ksaginak]

Hi!
I am new to DPS and look forward to learning from everyone. I have a Canon 7D and mainly shoot my kids sporting events. I am attaching a shot from a recent flag football game that I would like critiqued. Thanks!

[lputman]

Hi ksaginak, welcome to dPS. Do you have the EXIF for this photo? Also, we ask that you ask specifically what you would like critique on. It helps you to learn as well as giving the members a starting point.

[ksaginak]

Thanks Lori! Being new, please tell me more about EXIF. Also, I am trying to capture clean, crisp images. I often get a great shot, followed by a blurry shot. I think I am having AF and ISO issues. Just want to learn.

Thanks!
Kelli

[GadgetRick]

The shot is interesting enough with the subjects. I'd maybe crop it a little tighter.

It's quite flat. You might want to increase the contrast a little to make it pop a bit.

You also may want to check your white balance. Not sure if you're shooting RAW or not but you can try the Daylight setting. Might look a little better.

The camera is also a little tilted. Looks like they're running downhill. You should be able to fix that when you crop the image.

Keep shooting and enjoy!

[karen_s]

The exif data includes info like shooting mode (Auto, Manual, AV, ...) ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and focal length. It's embedded in the file and you should be able to view it in the software that comes with your camera (I believe Canon's software is called Digitial Photo Professional but other software like Adobe Lightroom also shows this info).

Without the info, it's a little tough to diagnose why some images are blurry and some are sharp so I'll just offer some general info. If you are shooting in Auto, Program, or Sports Mode, you will most likely get varied results because the camera is constantly changing it's settings based on what it thinks you want. If you are shooting in another mode like Tv, Av, or Manual, then it may be the shutter speed is too slow to stop the action. (For most outdoor sports I shoot for a shutter speed of 640, some need faster, some I can get away with slower). There are also different AF modes that can affect your chances of getting crisp images. I use continuous focus myself and it works quite well.

That's about all I can offer without the exif data. Hopefully you can find it and get it posted so you can get more specific advice.

And I agree with the previous posters comments on cropping tighter and straightening the image. It is a nice action moment though and that is half the battle when shooting sports.

[kingmsport]

Great shot. I shoot with a 7D also. It is a great camera. You can find some shots I took with a 7D and a 70-200 f4.0L at King Motorsport Photography -- John H. King.

I think your shot captured a great moment of action. However, I think it is a little over exposed (too light). Lack of proper exposure is also limiting the amount of saturation and vividness that the 7D is capable of capturing. You might be able to adjust this in photoshop or iphoto, but that is never as good as getting the exposure and color correct with the camera.

Don't know what lens you are using but if you can't zoom in or get closer, you will have to crop your images in post processing. I like the fact that you are shooting with a wide aperature (low number f/5.6) becasue it throws the background out of focus. However, in this case, the background consumes the subject and becomes too distracting. You need to crop in tightly so the viewer can focus on the facial expressions. Also, by cropping in, the background will become more abstract and less distracting.

The most important aspect of sports photogrpahy is capturing compelling action. I think you did that well with this image by capturing the tension between the one boy "eyeing" the flag on the ball carrier and his attempt to avoid the impending grasp. Great shot.

[Jim Bryant]

Here's my version of your photo, cropped and toned. You need to save it at a larger width and height. The 72 DPI is fine, size could be 10 inches on the longest side.

[ksaginak]

Thanks so much for all your comments, suggestions, and input. I don't get on line much, so signing on last night and readying all your posts was a feel-good moment for me. I was relieved to read that I am least capturing decent action, not to work on the details, which is always a work in progress, for me anyway. I have shot thousands of pictures since this one and will post a recent one and see if I've grown any.

Thank you again!
Kelli

[mikoyan]

I would agree with everyone else. It's a nice shot but it would be a better shot if you tightened in on the subject of the photo (I'm assuming the kids). As for your other concern about imagines being focused and then blurry, if you are doing outdoor sporting events you might want to start learning the manual settings for the shutter speed at least. On a cloudy day, you may going down to a lower shutter speed as the clouds pass under the sun.

[ksaginak]

Thanks Jim! I like what you did to the photo. Wish I could see it larger. I'm working on my lighting and other skills. Football season is starting so I'll get lots of practice. ~Kelli