Why dont my sports pictures look Professional

[Mitch45]

do u think that the 50mm wiykd be fine for shooting vollyball in a gym?

[JSPhoto]

do u think that the 50mm wiykd be fine for shooting vollyball in a gym?

I wouldn't use a 50mm for volleyball or basketball unless #1: your right up close to the action #2: your manual focusing The focus of the D40 & 50mm are just too slow for fast action. For a general all around good lens for sports inside and outside the 80-200 would be your best bet.
Also, with practice and proper technique you can stop action at shutter speeds much less than 200. Even cars moving at high speed can be shot at much lower shutter speeds. It does take a lot of practice. Even with the D40 you'd be much better off with the 80-200 than the lens you have now.

Part of the of the problem with your example is a lack of light, without light your present setup just can't focus fast enough. The lens won't give the kind of background you want no matter what though as it's not designed to to,

JS

[Didache]

In the end, sports photography, like many other photographic specialties, is not an easy discipline. Pro sports photographers (as well as talent) have years of experience. I am not sure all the advice, no matter how good, on equipment is going to make up for that. You need to practice, practice, and practice some more - and gradually you will see what works and what doesn't.

In general terms though (just reiterating what other people have said) - you need

a) a FAST shutter speed to freeze the action - setting a fast shutter speed will automatically increase the aperture which throws the background nicely out of focus
b) try to ensure that the background is not too distracting
c) crop and straighten

Keep at it!
Mike

[Mitch45]

sorry would

[brmill26]

Yes, a 50mm should be great for shooting volleyball. And for the price and the image quality, every photographer should own a 50mm.

[Dylan8i]

i believe the one he posted in the sports forum was iso 800

[livin4lax09]

1/640 will generally freeze action. sometimes you can get away with 1/500, but very VERY rarely will you get away with speeds of 1/200 and 1/250. Unless you're shooting turtle races.

and yeah, you need practice. I guarantee you any photographer you see on here whose work impresses you started with exactly the same type of shot you posted. I know I did.