Paintball Running Photos

[twcull]

Hi all,

I found some paintball photos I took in the summer and meant to get some critiques regarding them and perhaps some help for better focusing. This photo looks okay, but I find the cropping to be a little too tight, and the I wish the focus was more on the entire player rather than his marker (paintball gun) alone.

Composition is something I'll have to fix in the field, not in post but I digress. My biggest question is regarding the focus on the marker, is there a method to incorporate the entire player plus the player aside from opening the aperture wider? In paintball every one is running or moving quickly unless they are caught behind a bunker, so I was trying to keep the shutter speed down along with the ISO by keeping the aperture a little wider open.

Also, if you notice anything else please post it up. I have thick skin, and by no means think this is a 'professional' photograph. I want to improve so I can truly capture the moment.

Thanks,
Thomas



EXIF Data

Camera: Canon Rebel XT
F-Stop: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/250 sec.
ISO Speed: 400
Focal Length: 45 mm
Metering Mode: Pattern
No Flash

[Hill Country Hack]

Hello Thomas,

Photographing paintball. I like it. How do you use the viewfinder with those face shields?

First off your thoughts are a bit backwards on the apeture. In general terms, for more depth of field (DOF) one needs to use a smaller apetrure (bigger f number). To reduce DOF a larger (smaller f number) is needed.

As you are constantly moving you will not have time to make camera adjustments on the fly unless you are very skilled. I recommend shooting in either Apeture Priority or Shutter Priority and allow the camera to make the rest of the decisions. If you want a larger DOF select around f6.3 while in Apeture Priority and adjust from there to keep your shutter speed were you want it. Or in Shutter Priority set the desired shutter speed and take the f stop the camera gives you.

If you tend to be shooting in the shade you will have no choice but to increase your ISO to get the desired shutter speed/Apeture. If you can keep your ISO at 400 or lower, great. If not, you will have to accept the noise and deal with it in PP.

If you are in mixed light you can try using center weighted metering to help keep your subjects from being too dark while the camera is trying to compensate for the brights and darks in the image.

Look in your manual and see if you can convert one of the buttons on the back of your camera to the focus button (back button focus). I find this helps me a lot while shooting moving subjects. I just keep my thumb pressing the back button while I compose the shot.

Leave more room in your images as to leave other crop options. Sometimes you may find an unintended nugget.

Practice and practice some more.

[twcull]

It's surprisingly easy to view through the masks!

[mikoyan]

If there is one thing I've been learning with sports photography is to try to shoot wider and crop out what I don't want later. You only get one chance to get "the shot" and I've had too many "the shots" become meh because I didn't shoot wider.

I do like that picture, but I think I'd like it a little more if you had an enemy in there or something.

[twcull]

I forgot to add I was in full stride behind the player, not sitting still so it made it hard to focus as well. Mikoyan, I'll keep the wider shot in mind next time, and hill country I'll use those tips and see what I can produce! Thanks

[alstauffer]

Originally Posted by mikoyan

I do like that picture, but I think I'd like it a little more if you had an enemy in there or something.

I agree with that - if you could just make out someone's mask between the trees on the right this would be awesome. Flying paintballs would have improved even more

Anyway, it looks like a good start, and while I agree with you that it would have been better if the focus were on the whole player, it's definitely hard to focus while running around, and you're much braver than I am taking your camera out there in the first place!

EDIT: Also, I have no experience with that camera on higher ISO but I would try bumping to at least 800 in such dim light - that should be a manageable amount of noise

[gturner]

There is not enough action for me nor does it say paintball, it is more a pic of the back of someones head.
Sports shots need context or action, regardless of weather it is baseball, soccer, pingpong or paintball.
Check out the best of sport photos online to get more of what I mean.

I get what you are trying to do, but consider how much better it would be if the gun was up and the gas was blowing, or there was an opponent down range, anything to make it more interesting.