Hints on taking snowbaroding shots

[jnrhiggs]

I would just like to ask some info on taking snowboarding shot. I have a D70s and have tamron di 2 11-18mm, the nikon DX 18-70mm and a nikon ED 70-200mm 2.8. I study photography at school meny years a ago and would like to get back in to it.

1. What mode setting should i be using
2. What shatter speed should i set it to
3. What should be the ISO
4. Should i be using auto f or manual
5. i have a sp600 flash any hents with that

[opus]

I can't give you any specific settings, but my 15-yo son takes some pretty awesome shots with his Canon S400 set on auto.

Are you going to be ON the hill with the boarders, or are you planning to shoot them from farther away? Are you shooting during the day or at night (lighted, obviously)? Are you hoping to freeze the action in the air, maximizing the look of height for the boarders? Or are you shooting them straight on against the snow?

The answers to these questions will determine what settings you should use.

[Photo-John]

Whistler, huh? One of my favorite places - in the summer. Haven't been there for snow sports. But it's the greatest for mountain biking.

Your question is maybe too open. There are lots and lots of techniques and styles. There are different types of photos and there's no one answer. If you're shooting in a halfpipe the answer will be different than if you're shooting on the slopes. Have you taken any snowboard pictures yet? Maybe you could post some samples and tell us what some of the problems you've been having are. That's usually easier than telling you how to do it.

I'm going to Utah to ski and shoot, next week. I will be shooting in manual exposure mode, allowing my exposures to be about 1 stop overexposed so that the snow is white. You should probably start out using full auto or shutter priority. Set your exposure compensation to +1 or +2. Check the histogram on your camera to see what works best. If you're panning you can use slower shutter speeds. But try not to go below 1/250th second. This will get you started. All of these suggestions are just that - suggestions. There are no rules. Like I said, I'll be shooting in manual exposure mode and I'll probably be moving my shutter speed and aperture all over the place for creative reasons. Practice, experiment, and show us your photos. Then we can help. Keep it simple and keep your expectations low. Experience is the real answer.

[jnrhiggs]

Thank you for the reply I well be doing most of my shot in the park and pipe. I have posted some photo I shot on Saturday night which I shot in the p mode and manual focused.I tryed to take some with AF but did not wk. Hope you can give my some feed back on them. I mainly use the 11-18mm lence. it gave me a real kick to get behind the camera agian. I find the photos are not that sharp.

[Photo-John]

You didn't say you were shooting at night. That's completely different. Your flash looks good. But the background is too dark and everything is too frozen. I would shoot this at very slow shutter speeds - like 1/4 second - and pan. That will open up the background some more and add some motion to the photos. I have an off-camera cord for my flash. I'd use that for this. It allows me to move the flash off to the side a bit so I can get some shadows on a rider's face. Here's a link to a mountain bike photo I took like that: http://gallery.mtbr.com/showphoto.ph...at=500&page=10

[jnrhiggs]

I’m going to be doing most of photos in the day time but I was on my way hm and sore them setting up for the event and rush hm to get my camera and just wonted to see what I would come up with. What do you think of the shot are they in focus. Your help is great all I won’t is to have fun and take some good photos.

[Photo-John]

I forgot about focus. There are specific auto focus techniques for sports photography. The first rule is to only use your center focus point because it's the most accurate. I can tell that some of the photos are soft. I would have stopped down and pre-focused for these. Plan where you want to take your shot, focus on the rail, hold the shutter-release down to lock the focus, and then pan, shoot, and follow through. That's how I'd do these - holding the flash in my right hand, of course.

Shooting in the day will be different. Light won't be a problem. Remeber that your camera's light meter will want to make the image medium gray. So it will make a photo with lots of snow too dark. You'll want to always shoot at least one stop brighter than what the meter it telling you.