| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Shooting tight - Suggestions/Techniques?
Joe Lorenzini, Photographer
 |
Flower Mound (DFW) | TX | USA | Posted: 12:23 PM on 02.23.11 |
->> In never-ending attempts to improve, I'm wondering if anyone cares to share suggestions or techniques on shooting tight. I've been playing around with it and would feel like a dolt if I didn't tap into the incredible resources on the board.
Does anyone intentionally shoot tight? If you do, how do you handle the focus? Do you use a smaller aperture? Is one angle better than another? Long focal lengths only?
I'm trying with soccer and basketball with single subjects but I'd like to get good enough to use it on football and hockey where there can be multiple players in the same shot.
Maybe it's just experience related, I'm working on that. Either way, the results can be fairly dramatic and I'd like to get better at it.
Any thoughts are honestly appreciated,
Joe |
|
Brad Mangin, Photographer
 |
Pleasanton | CA | USA | Posted: 12:34 PM on 02.23.11 |
->> Joe- there are many times when I shoot tight depending on the assignment, etc. In order to do this I need good light and a long lens like an 800. When everything comes together and the light is screaming late in the day or nice and flat on an overcast day I love to shoot super tight.
I also will decide to shoot tight every once-in-awhile just to break up the monotony. When I am editing my stuff and starting to bore myself over a short period of time it is time to shake things up.
Also remember that it is fun to go the OTHER way when you want to try something new and fun and that is to shoot wide. There is a time and a place for the "Normal" head-to-toe action that fills up newspapers, magazines and trading cards. However that special look you get from shooting tight- like Peter Read Miller can do at a football game and you say "WOW" as the picture literally jumps off the page of the magazine.
You will need to practice so you do not cut off too many body parts as it is much tougher to keep things in the frame when you are that tight- especially if it is windy outside. This is where your steadiness and hand-eye coordination comes in.
Here is a good example of what I am talking about from my blog:
http://manginphotography.net/2010/09/800mm-lens-buster-posey-fun-afternoon/
Good luck and have fun! |
|
George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 12:43 PM on 02.23.11 |
->> Joe,
This is one of those areas where the best advice is practice, practice, practice.
You may want to start on slower sports or youth leagues where the players move slower than college and pros to slowly work into the groove or following while shooting tight.
Also, if you are a shooter who instinctively uses the center focus point on as the critical focus and aiming spot, when shooting vertical this may cause too much body to be cut off in sports like basketball. So you may want to practice using another focus point and get used to putting that on the face so that you keep enough of the lower body in the frame.
Over the years I've tried it with some success and I've edited a few photographers who specialized in shooting with longer lenses than those around them and trust me, when they were on their images really popped over anyone else. |
|
Doug Pizac, Photographer
|
Sandy | UT | USA | Posted: 12:58 PM on 02.23.11 |
->> Shooting tight is highly dependent on the subject. If you're dealing with a stationary situation like a portrait, then zeroing in on what you want is relatively easy. But with sports, shooting tight isn't necessarily feasible because of the varying distances between you and the athlete. Yes, you could use a zoom but doing so will distract your concentration from deciding when to click the shutter. And the mechanical movement can soften your photo depending on which shutter speed you're using.
For basketball, there's a big difference between shooting down court with a 300mm vs a 400mm. The 400mm is a lot tighter, but you miss some action because you're too tight. And the vice-versa with the 300mm. And if you're shooting under the basket and only have an 80mm lens then position yourself close to the hoop; and if you have a 180mm then sit at the three point line. Or mix it up for variety. You may be surprised with what you get. The important point is to learn your lenses so they become extensions of yourself.
It is also a matter of taste and how much money you have to spend on lenses. And even if you have both lenses (300mm & 400mm), I can assure you that you will invariably choose the wrong one at crunch time. It's called Murphy's Law and all photographers are subject to its rules.
But there is a solution for what you're trying to achieve to match what you see in print. It is called cropping.
There are many great tight action shots that look mundane if viewed full frame. It is the crop that makes the good photo great. And cropping is a lot cheaper than buying more lenses.
One of the most common problems I see when reviewing portfolios and with the students I teach is the lack of cropping skills. A "C" grade photo can be turned into a "B" or "A" with the proper crop. It can also make a difference in sales too. A dynamic photo because of a good crop will sell a lot faster and for more money than a drab full frame one.
One thing I impress on my students is that prosumers don't crop; pros do. Which one do you want to be? |
|
Gareth Irvine, Photographer
|
Portadown | Northern Irelan | Northern Ireland | Posted: 5:02 AM on 02.24.11 |
| ->> There's nothing like the feeling of filling the frame with action :) |
|
Joe Lorenzini, Photographer
|
Flower Mound (DFW) | TX | USA | Posted: 4:36 PM on 02.25.11 |
->> Thank you for the advice all, I took it to heart.
Brad - those are unique and terrific photos of Posey. The bokeh behind him makes it almost seem magical.
George - I'm doing my best to practice. Shot a hockey tournament over the weekend (8 games) and shot with a prime for most of the games. Got A LOT wrong but the ones that came out look cool, strong even!
Doug - Thank you for your comments on cropping. Confirms how important it is to know or "see" the crop. For some reason, basketball cropping is, for me, a weak point of my shooting style which is what led to the "shooting tight" post. I'm looking at what others do but I'm either not composing my images correctly or I'm just not seeing the crop correctly. I'll keep working on it.
Back to practice...
Joe |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|