Figure Skating = any tips?

[wings of a bluebird]

My daughter is a figure skater and I am not allowed to use a flash at the rink.
It's indoor, with fluorescent lighting and it's dim. When I go I have trouble getting a high enough shutter speed vs ISO without causing too much grain.

Any tips at all on how I might try it differently? I'll try to find an old pic I took to see if I can link it in to show. Ok here it is - although it's not been edited, sharpened or saved for web LOL



Canon EOS 550D
Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/9.0
Focal Length 180 mm
ISO Speed 800
Flash Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode Manual
Lens Type Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6

Tips? Help? Advice?

[Jim Bryant]

In order to stop the blur, you either need to get a fast zoom lens (70-200mm f2.8) or use your highest ISO. Also, the focus is not on the skater, but wall behind her. Don't worry about using a high aperture. Since the lighting in the rink is constant, set your camera on manual, adjust to your lowest f-stop and play around with changing your shutterspeeds. I recon if you use the 70-300 above 150mm range it'll change the aperture to f5.6, which you might get 125th shutter speed, which will still not stop the action.

[Chip]

Over exposing the photo just a bit (in camera) will help reduce noise. So, maybe open the aperture as much as possible, turn up the ISO as much as possible, over expose by 1/3 or 2/3 a stop, and see what happens?

Do you have any type of noise reduction software to help with any noise that does show up?

Also, assuming your zoom if f/4 at 75mm and that it closes down as you zoom in, you can keep the shutter speed up by not zooming in (and cropping later).

Indoor sports will help you find the limits of your gear very quickly. Fast glass sure helps, if that's an option.

[wings of a bluebird]

thanks for the tips.

Jim - yeah I'm aware the focus is off - this isn't a good one (she was just coming into frame to do a jump) I was just looking for one to show how grainy they get - even at ISO 800. I think my camera actually goes up to ISO 6400 but when you'd ever use it I have no idea! I did take some shots at 1/125 in that session but even they were blurry. Which is fine if you're going for the "movement" sort of look, which I am not. Well, sometimes for arty-farty shots, but I really want to be able to take a nice pic of her when she's doing her program at competitions/tests etc.

Chips - I have NFI what noise reduction software even is! eek! So I guess that means I don't have it. Sadly I'm stuck with the glass I have - it's all I could afford at the time, and since I only do volunteer work, I don't get paid therefore can't upgrade any time soon

[Chip]

Don't fear high ISO! I use ISO 3200 often and can even use 6400 and get decent shots, like this:



Sure there's noise in the darker background, but I don't think it detracts.

As long as the shot is not underexposed, the noise from high ISO will be minimal. So, don't underexpose your photos. Learn how to make your camera take photos that are a bit over exposed or at least well exposed (the one you posted above looks underexposed to me) and you just might be pleasantly surprised about how good the photos look!

And if there is noise, "noise reduction software" does just what the name says: reduces noise as part of post-processing. There are free programs out there (Google search), and likely some free 30-day trials of programs for sale, that you can use to reduce any noise you might have.

Honestly, the noise in the photo you posted doesn't look bad to me. I've seen a lot worse. I think a lot of the issue with the photo is that it's a bit on the dark side.

So, in sum, shoot at high ISO and keep the aperture as open (as low an ƒ#) as possible. Even without the best gear, I bet you can at least take some better photos. And with practice and some free software, you might just get some that you're actually proud of.

Have fun, practice, experiment and come back if you have more questions.

[Jim Bryant]

Originally Posted by wings of a bluebird

thanks for the tips.

Jim - yeah I'm aware the focus is off - this isn't a good one (she was just coming into frame to do a jump) I was just looking for one to show how grainy they get - even at ISO 800. I think my camera actually goes up to ISO 6400 but when you'd ever use it I have no idea! I did take some shots at 1/125 in that session but even they were blurry. Which is fine if you're going for the "movement" sort of look, which I am not. Well, sometimes for arty-farty shots, but I really want to be able to take a nice pic of her when she's doing her program at competitions/tests etc.

Chips - I have NFI what noise reduction software even is! eek! So I guess that means I don't have it. Sadly I'm stuck with the glass I have - it's all I could afford at the time, and since I only do volunteer work, I don't get paid therefore can't upgrade any time soon

My cameras will only go up too ISO 3200, but if they did go to 6400, I'd use that instead of fill flash.

[wings of a bluebird]

that's a great shot Chip!

Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

This isn't a great picture, I know that. I realise it's underexposed, but it's the only one I had available to me when posting (I lost my hard drive a while back and most of the pics I had taken of her skating are on that).

I guess I felt I had to add a picture in (given it's the critique section and all!) when what I really wanted to do was just ask some "how do you do it" questions and hope for some good solid advice from people who are used to taking action shots.

I guess I've been just a little afraid of using the higher ISO's - but seeing your tennis shot makes it seem much more doable without it turning out horribly wrong!

Next week when she's back at the rink I will try and give it another shot

[APhotoSchool]

Hi, Don't be afraid of high ISO! Just test your camera a bit at different settings and find out how high a setting you can shoot without getting too much noise. Try noise ninja or adobe lightrooms noise adjustments to make the image look clean if it is a bit too noisy. Also, I noticed you shot that at f/9. Open that lens up!! Even cheap lenses will hit at least f/5.6 so you might as well go all the way open. This will afford you a lot more light! I run a website that offers tips on shooting action that you may find worthwhile, it's in my signature line below.

----
Connor Walberg
Learn to shoot Action photos at Action Photo School !

[jdepould]

Also, don't feel like to have to freeze everything. Most figure skating doesn't involve extremely high speed motion, so you don't need stratospheric shutter speeds to get acceptable sharpness.

Often, the skater's torso isn't moving nearly as fast as their extremities. Don't be afraid to let parts of the body blur and just focus on getting the face sharp. Waiting for the right moment also plays a big part in this.

You can also use motion. Practice panning. Exhibit A (I know it's speed skating, close enough): http://www.andrewburtonphoto.com/IMG...couver_014.JPG
Exhibit B (This one is figure skating): http://www.andrewburtonphoto.com/IMG...couver_026.JPG