EMU Basketball Vs. U. Illinois - Chicago

[mikoyan]

So once again, for this I'm gonna post one of my shots that I thought was close but not quite. Tonight I decided to go for the 28 to 135mm lens because the action is alot closer than I was expected (having always shot from the stands or football...). That helped quite a bit more. Anyway....

From Michigan Exposures

The Fun Stuff:
Model Canon EOS 50D
ISO 6400
Exposure 1/320 sec
Aperture 5.0
Focal Length 70mm

I would say that my only complaint about this lens is that I can't get a wider aperature, so depth of field is an issue. And my complaint about this picture is that I didn't get most of the ball and the player's head is chopped. Otherwise, I think I was pretty close on this shot.

So with a shot like this, should I pull the lens out a little more to get more of the shot and post crop?

[Krusty79]

Yes, I would say to shoot wider and crop later. In this shot, the action is cut off. You would have a nice shot here if we could see the ball and the arms of the player in front. Even if you have moved your point of view up so we can see the action, but the players' legs are cut off, that would be an improvement. I would definitely try to avoid cutting off the ball in the future.

[Hill Country Hack]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

Yes, I would say to shoot wider and crop later. In this shot, the action is cut off. You would have a nice shot here if we could see the ball and the arms of the player in front. Even if you have moved your point of view up so we can see the action, but the players' legs are cut off, that would be an improvement. I would definitely try to avoid cutting off the ball in the future.

+1 on the shoot wider and crop later. You can also try shooting in portrait to get more of the vertical lines of the players. This would be a very good shot with the entire ball and the hands of the two jumping players.

With your lens you will always have an issue of not being able to get a narrower DOF. If you have the gumption and ability, rent a faster lens (for example 17-58mm f2.8 IS USM $45.00 US for three days) and shoot is almost wide open. You will get faster shutter speeds and hopefully lower ISO to decrease noise.

Keep at it.

[mikoyan]

I'm not normally a basketball fan, so I don't watch it often. I will be getting more practice but I'm not sure how many games I will go to.

But thanks for the advice, tha'ts kind of what I figured.

[Jim Bryant]

No ball, no hands..............get the ball in the frame and in focus! also shoot at your lowest fstop..........crap in the background is distracting.

[mikoyan]

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

No ball, no hands..............get the ball in the frame and in focus! also shoot at your lowest fstop..........crap in the background is distracting.

I'm shooting as low as the lens will go. although for a shot like that, I can probably go lower since I'm at 28mm almost.

And thanks. I'm trying to get the hang of this.