Shippensburg University Men's Soccer Action

[19riddler90]

Camera: Nikon D3000
Exposure: Manual
Lens: 70 - 200 m f/2.8
Focal length: 120 mm
ISO: 1600
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/4000
White balance: Auto

I would like to know this photo is composed well?

How could I've gotten a blurred background while taking this shot, this is the lowest f-stop I could have used without messing up the exposure?

Are there any other possible way to have taking this photo that would have made it sports illustrated worthy?

Any general comment and suggestion is welcome!

[Doug Sundseth]

Why did you shoot this at ISO 1600? For soccer, I would expect that you would only need 1/500 to 1/1000 second exposures to freeze the action. That means you could get the same exposure with the same aperture by going to ISO 400 and get less noise. If then wanted to open the aperture, you could drop the ISO further or raise the shutter speed again.

For composition:

The photo is tilted to the left, which is easy enough to fix in post, but you need to do that.

There is too much negative space in uninteresting places; I'd recommend shooting this in landscape, so the negative space is related to the game rather than being parked cars.

There's not really all that much obviously happening here. A really good shot will tell a story; I don't see that here.

Finally, your white balance looks really blue.

[Krusty79]

For additional advice, I would read through the other threads in this section and pay attention to what Jim Bryant says, as he does this for a living.

[Jensers]

Shooting with a 2.8 lens, but you are at 6.3 so your depth of field is too large and it contributes to the distracting background. I agree with what has already been said - ISO needs to be half of what it is, and the shutter speed can go down to 1/200, but 1/400 is usually what I shoot for.

I also agree that the image is not all that interesting. It is taken by someone standing and shooting at the exact angle that anyone would be standing and watching if they were there, there is nothing memorable going on, and to top it all off - there is nothing happening in the background to add any interest or emotion to the story.

Just two normal guys running on a normal field shot in a normal way with normal surroundings, and based on the fact that only one dude is watching - nobody even cares to watch it in person.

I am sure that is not the case, but that is what the image says to me - but it is your image and it may say something else to you... and you are free to have it say whatever the hell you want - who am I to decide what it says (Unless you are trying to sell it to me).

Technically:
Numerically Lower your ISO, Shutter Speed, f-stop, and try again. Lets get that handled first.

If you want composition advice I would say to find an interesting perspective, watch the background, and try to tell a story.
A good way to get started is to spend some time looking at good soccer images - try european mags and sites like 4-4-2, SkySports, UEFA, etc... Pick an image that you really like and then go out and try to re-create it. Figure out where you need to be and when, and set up to try to get that shot. Maybe go early and have someone recreate the shot for you as a dry run. I dont know if any of this will help, but this is what I do... After a couple games I usually get the image I am looking for and I add it to the toolkit and start over with another image. I am not trying to be a knock off artist, but attempting to create a foundation that I can add my own spice to as my confidence grows.

[Jim Bryant]

CROP!!!!!!!! Crop out everything that distracts from the action. And shoot from a lower angle like your knees. Use your lowest f-stop and high shutter speed.