Photographing Volleyball: Part 2

Last weekend, I photographed my second volleyball game for the University of North Florida.  I learned a few more things and have some new insights.

• push the ISO a little higher and try to shoot at an aperture around f4.  It is more forgiving than lowering the ISO and shooting at f1.4.  While I would like as little noise as possible, it doesn't matter how much (or how little) noise is in a photo if it's not in focus. 

• For the last match, I switched to the 50mm lens and shot a bit wider.  I was initially concerned about it being too wide, but was happy with the results.  Not only did I still get some great action, but I was also able to capture the emotion of the game in the other players' faces.

Tips for photographing horse jumping

When you're shooting a horse jumping competition, it's all about freezing the action in your photo.  I shot a horse competition for the first time not too long ago and here's what I learned.

1. It's all about timing.  The ideal time is when the front hoofs are tucked underneath the horse. 

  

If you are a little slow on the shutter release button, you'll end up with an image closer to this one.  

Notice how the legs are coming down and getting ready to land.  This image doesn't have the same visual impact as the one above it.

2. Horse move quickly.  In order to got shots like this, I recommend shooting at a shutter speed no slower than 1/500th of a second.  Because the shutter speed needs to be so high, I was shooting at 2.8 and had the ISO cranked up to 8000.

3. If at all possible, shoot horse going over obstacles that conceal their hind legs.  There are times where their back hoofs are still on the ground as their front legs start coming down for the landing. 

This image does not have the same impact as the one below because you can see the back hoofs still on the ground.

This horse's hind hoofs are probably still on the ground, too, but because you don't see them, the overall image is more striking to the viewer.

This is one of my favorite images from the set.  The timing was right, I like how the rider's position matches that of the horse, it all came together nicely.

If you'd like to see more shots from this event, check out my site, John Shippee Photography.  If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

Sports Photography

I have never considered myself a sports photographer.  Most likely because I'm not a huge sports fan.  As I sit here and think about it, I can only think of two sporting events that I have photographed.  A Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game and a good friend's (might as well say brother's) swim practice.  There are some interesting images to be captured in most any sporting event.  There are some boring ones, too.  The trick is, as with most types of photography, to capture the right moment.  For example, the swimmer entering the water after the starting gun is fired.

That is way more interesting than a few tenths of a second later when he's completely under the water and all you see is the remnants of the splash.  But don't get too comfortable in one position.  You never know how something will look from a different angle.  If you're allowed to move around, do it.

It also helps to be observant.  I don't know much about the various swim strokes, but after watching a few laps of various strokes and listening to the coach, I learned that the butterfly stroke looks a lot better in photos than the freestyle.  Or at least that's my opinion.

The rest of the images can be seen here at my gallery.

A few quick tips to leave you with in no particular order:

1. be observant
2. shoot with as fast of a shutter speed as you can.  These were taken at 1/1000 of a second.
3. do some research online if you know you are going to be shooting a sport you aren't familiar with.  Do a quick Google Image Search or check out ESPN's website to see what images they are showcasing.
4. if there are other photogs there, introduce yourself and ask questions.  It was an ESPN photog at the NFL game that told me he shoots at 1/1000 of a sec to capture the moments.
5. don't get discouraged.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, leave me a note in the comments section below.