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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
soccer remote camera question
Monty Rand, Photographer
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Bangor | ME | USA | Posted: 9:46 AM on 11.07.09 |
| ->> OK, so I just picked up a 15mm fisheye for the 5D MKII. I'm planning on using it at a college soccer game today as a remote behind the goal. I've never done this before. I've looked at a few photos on-line and they show the camera as being placed outside the net. I was thinking of putting it inside the net in the center so I don't see the net. Yes I know it can get hit, I have insurance, I don't care if it gets nailed. Let's hope not, but if it does, it does. I also thought about using a super clamp and a magic arm and getting the camera off the ground. and shooting slightly side to side. Any ideas on what camera placements work best and what lenses may also work the best? I have a 16-35 as well that I could use. Thanks. |
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Rick Osentoski, Photographer
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Martin | OH | United States | Posted: 10:07 AM on 11.07.09 |
->> I set up a remote whenever it is not going to rain for soccer, unless you are shooting youth NCAA, MLS and FIFA will not allow the camera in the net. I shoot with a 17-40 at 17, camera on the ground, set off to one side depending on the light. I try to get the whole net then crop to the action.
here is a recent image with that placement.
http://www.photoshelter.com/c/ozdigitalstudio/image/I0000o2eLlTrCuA0 |
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Max Gersh, Photographer
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St. Louis | MO | USA | Posted: 10:09 AM on 11.07.09 |
->> Many places won't let you place the camera inside the net. They don't care about your camera. Their concern is the players safety.
Something to look at is the webbing on the net. Some of the nets have a tight weave while others are looser. The loose ones allow you to stick your lens through, giving the same visual effect as having the camera inside the net. Just tape the net to your lens barrel.
You can play around a bit with position. I have ran it right on the bottom and also up on the side. I preferred the low angle.
Any where you mount it, the magic arm is a good way to go (even if the camera is as low to the ground as possible). Since it has a relatively low weight limit in terms of a load it can handle, if your camera gets nailed, the magic arm will give and absorb a good portion of the impact.
Get to the game a few hours early. Play with your lenses and angles and find what you like best. I also use safety cables. If the camera gets nailed, I don't want it to shoot off too far. Just another way to control where the pieces end up. |
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Jack Megaw, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Pittsburgh | PA | America | Posted: 10:16 AM on 11.07.09 |
->> I wouldn't put it in the net. You do get players falling into the goal when they're clearing the ball off the line, or if a striker going in a bit hard. I think it's a bit of a risk to the players, and I don't think the ref (if he knows what he's doing) would allow you to. (also a bit of target practice in warmups before the game is tons of fun!)
What you could still do - and still get a similar look is to shoot through one of the holes in the net - but keep the camera on the outside. You should be able to manage this with the side netting.
Here's the answer I got when I posted a similar thread about goal remotes before.
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=33322
Hope this helps! Good luck!
-Jack |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 10:20 AM on 11.07.09 |
| ->> Honestly, for a soccer goal the 15 is probably waaaaay to wide. A 15 is what you put in a hockey net. |
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Darren Whitley, Photographer
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Maryville | MO | USA | Posted: 11:11 AM on 11.08.09 |
| ->> I agree George. There's no need for the "fish in the net." Unless you're going for effect, it requires too much cropping. |
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Daniel Malmberg, Photographer
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Andrew McGovern, Photographer
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Tokyo | Japan | Japan | Posted: 8:59 PM on 11.09.09 |
->> Good advice from George and Daniel M. One of the problems with soccer goal remotes is that the players - sometimes even the GK - are too far away and appear too small in the frame. Add that to the chances of the ball going in at all at your end of the field and other variables and your odds of getting a decent photo can get very long.
The magic arm approach solves the main problem because you can actually see the players. Another is to set the camera as high as your mini tripod or plate will allow and use something not so wide (28 or 30mm). Raising it even an inch or two can make a big difference in what you can see a few meters down the field.
Either way, as with any remote, you have to decide whether it is worth the effort and if you want to take the time to set one up. For me it depends on how important the game is, how many cameras I have, background, and even the weather. On the positive side, if you do nail one and get a good photo it's a great feeling.
Good luck. |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 10:22 PM on 11.09.09 |
->> Most folks with a behind-the-goal remote will go with a 35mm or longer to make sure the players don't become ants in the frame.
Like any remote it requires a lot of experimentation to get the view you want and then lots of luck that all things fall into place at the right moment. |
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Thomas B. Shea, Photographer
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Pearland/Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 10:27 PM on 11.09.09 |
| ->> I have put my camera through the net before in the corner. 35 mm to 50mm is nice for soccer remote. |
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Tim Vizer, Photographer
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Belleville | IL | USA | Posted: 4:51 PM on 11.11.09 |
->> I echo Max's comments above about the netting....I tried a remote behind the net (I personally wouldn't even consider putting one inside the net for safety's sake for the athletes) at a WPS game earlier this year, but the thick weave of the netting all but blocked the keeper diving for the saves.
And George is right too, a 15 is just too wide. Better would be a wide angle zoom (like a 16-35 or so), and make notes about which setting yields best results. Good luck! |
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