Need some tips on taking photo

[Quadracer041]

I am looking for some tips on taking pictures in an outdoor stadium (Sam Boyd Stadium at UNLV). I will be there to watch the AMA Supercross race soon. Race will be held at night but the stadium will obviously be lit up. I have a Nikon D90 with the kit lenses, 18-105 and 70-300. Just looking for some setting tips to get some well lit action shots. White balance, shutter speed, apereture etc..... Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[dmourati]

I am looking for some tips on taking pictures in an outdoor stadium (Sam Boyd Stadium at UNLV). I will be there to watch the AMA Supercross race soon. Race will be held at night but the stadium will obviously be lit up. I have a Nikon D90 with the kit lenses, 18-105 and 70-300. Just looking for some setting tips to get some well lit action shots. White balance, shutter speed, apereture etc..... Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I have the D90 and the 18-105 and shoot a lot of action sports. I would start out at ISO 800 and open up your aperture as much as possible. You'll probably get some motion blur which could turn out cool. The only way you'll get crisp shots is with a flash. The pop-up won't cut it.

Good luck.

[Quadracer041]

So if I had say an SB800 I would be able to get some good crisp action shots? Even in those conditions?

[dmourati]

So if I had say an SB800 I would be able to get some good crisp action shots? Even in those conditions?

I think so. Underexpose the ambient about 2 stops and pop the riders with the flash to freeze the action. The closer you get the better you will be able to leverage your flash. I would try setting the SB-800 in manual mode at full power off camera and triggering it via optical slave from the pop-up. You should be able to bum-rush the front row for at least a few attempts.

[Quadracer041]

I think so. Underexpose the ambient about 2 stops and pop the riders with the flash to freeze the action. The closer you get the better you will be able to leverage your flash. I would try setting the SB-800 in manual mode at full power off camera and triggering it via optical slave from the pop-up. You should be able to bum-rush the front row for at least a few attempts.

Ok, you lost me a little...... I new photography so you have to dumb it down for me a little, lol. I understand the under exposing, but what do you mean by underexposing ambient? And when using the flash isnt the shutter speed limited to like 200 or 250? Atleast with the pop up flash it is. I dont have an sb800, I would have to pick one up. When you say have the flash off the cam, just have someone else hold it and aim it at thye rider I am shooting?

[dmourati]

Ok, you lost me a little...... I new photography so you have to dumb it down for me a little, lol. I understand the under exposing, but what do you mean by underexposing ambient? And when using the flash isnt the shutter speed limited to like 200 or 250? Atleast with the pop up flash it is. I dont have an sb800, I would have to pick one up. When you say have the flash off the cam, just have someone else hold it and aim it at thye rider I am shooting?

Ambient just means the light present without the flash. The stadium lights in this case.

First, take a picture without the flash. This picture should be underexposed (ambient light) by about two stops. It should look dark but not fully black. Use your camera meter, histogram, and LCD display to help you. This will be the background of your final image.

Now you are ready to add in the flash. The shutter speed will be limited to 1/200th as you said above. This is okay because the shutter speed is not going to affect your flash exposure at all. You will have better luck moving the flash off camera. Either hold it, have some one hold it (I call this a voice activated light stand or VAL) or find some way to mount it to a railing. Play with this before the event if you decide to use the flash off camera so you understand how to setup the D90 pop-up flash in Commander mode and manually dial in the flash power from the camera. The flash will just do what it is told. You'll set the flash to be a remote flash and use Nikon's CLS (Creative Lighting System) to tell the flash when to fire and at what power. You aim the flash at the rider you're trying to shoot and press the shutter. This flash part will be the foreground in your final image. The flash will not affect the background at all because of the distances involved.

I highly recommend the strobist site for all the basics of flash photography:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Good luck.

-D

[SmartWombat]

Depends if you're going as an accredited photographer where you can get close enough to use your flash, or as a fan up in the stands where your flash probably won't do much but over-expose the heads in front of you.

[Quadracer041]

Ambient just means the light present without the flash. The stadium lights in this case.

First, take a picture without the flash. This picture should be underexposed (ambient light) by about two stops. It should look dark but not fully black. Use your camera meter, histogram, and LCD display to help you. This will be the background of your final image.

Now you are ready to add in the flash. The shutter speed will be limited to 1/200th as you said above. This is okay because the shutter speed is not going to affect your flash exposure at all. You will have better luck moving the flash off camera. Either hold it, have some one hold it (I call this a voice activated light stand or VAL) or find some way to mount it to a railing. Play with this before the event if you decide to use the flash off camera so you understand how to setup the D90 pop-up flash in Commander mode and manually dial in the flash power from the camera. The flash will just do what it is told. You'll set the flash to be a remote flash and use Nikon's CLS (Creative Lighting System) to tell the flash when to fire and at what power. You aim the flash at the rider you're trying to shoot and press the shutter. This flash part will be the foreground in your final image. The flash will not affect the background at all because of the distances involved.

I highly recommend the strobist site for all the basics of flash photography:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Good luck.

-D

Just coming back to this trying to get a better feel for flash use. When you say under expose by 2 stops you mean have the camera in manual mode and adjust my settings using the cameras meter so im underexposing the 2 stops right? Then turn on the flash (having the flash in manual mode at its brightest setting) then keeping the camera in manual mode take my pictures with the setting i got for underexposing by the 2 stops right?

[Chris350]

You can also use the exposure compensation controls to add or subtract exposure value while shooting in auto modes or you can do it in manual. If the D-90 is capable of using the Nikon Creative Lighting System, you can use the pop up flash as a master to trigger a remote flash. I know it will work with an SB-600, 800, and ought to work with the new 700 and 900's. Have a look at this http://photofocus.com/2010/10/05/usi...ghting-system/ for a nuts and bolts run down of how it works. It describes using SB-800's as slaves, but SB-600's work too, and are cheaper. There are other cheaper flashes that are specifically designed to be used as slaves, but you'll need to do some research to decide how they work best with your situation.

[dmourati]

When you say under expose by 2 stops you mean have the camera in manual mode and adjust my settings using the cameras meter so im underexposing the 2 stops right? Then turn on the flash (having the flash in manual mode at its brightest setting) then keeping the camera in manual mode take my pictures with the setting i got for underexposing by the 2 stops right?

You got it. That's a great baseline. Obviously, you won't be able to power up your flash if you start at full power. I always feel better starting around 1/4 power to give myself some leeway on both sides of the flash power. Starting at 1/4 also lets you recycle faster and potentially get a couple of shots instead of just one if you're at full. Keep your shutter speed at 1/200th (or maybe 1/160th) and open your aperture up towards the wide side. Your last variable here will be your ISO so try to ball park it (wild ass guess ISO 800) then check your histogram to see how you are doing.

Zoom on the flash head can help to a smaller extent. Using more than one flash can also help. Double check your flash durations at the power you will be shooting and try to keep it at 1/1000th or faster.

[Quadracer041]

You got it. That's a great baseline. Obviously, you won't be able to power up your flash if you start at full power. I always feel better starting around 1/4 power to give myself some leeway on both sides of the flash power. Starting at 1/4 also lets you recycle faster and potentially get a couple of shots instead of just one if you're at full. Keep your shutter speed at 1/200th (or maybe 1/160th) and open your aperture up towards the wide side. Your last variable here will be your ISO so try to ball park it (wild ass guess ISO 800) then check your histogram to see how you are doing.

Zoom on the flash head can help to a smaller extent. Using more than one flash can also help. Double check your flash durations at the power you will be shooting and try to keep it at 1/1000th or faster.

OK, you lost me again, lol. Lets see if I understand..... Have the flash in manual mode at 1/4? I have an sb900 and I have 5 settings for 1/4.... +0.7ev, +0.3ev, -03ev, -0.7ev and just 1/4. Is that 5 diffrent power levels for 1/4 alone?? What if 160ss and 200ss is more then 2 stop underexposed? What if 200ss and a big aperture is way too underexposed? How do I check/change my flash duration?

[dmourati]

OK, you lost me again, lol. Lets see if I understand..... Have the flash in manual mode at 1/4? I have an sb900 and I have 5 settings for 1/4.... +0.7ev, +0.3ev, -03ev, -0.7ev and just 1/4. Is that 5 diffrent power levels for 1/4 alone?? What if 160ss and 200ss is more then 2 stop underexposed? What if 200ss and a big aperture is way too underexposed? How do I check/change my flash duration?

Sorry, I through a lot out there all at once.

Straight up 1/4. It's the very middle of those five options which are just fine-tuning adjustments.

If 160th or 200th is more than two stops underexposed you will have an overall darker image. You can bump up your ISO which will lighten the image as well as help you get more power out of your flash. Same for the aperture question. Just bump ISO till you get a base exposure that you like.

Flash durations for the SB-900:

Flash Duration 1/880 sec. at M 1/1 (full) output
1/1100 sec. at M 1/2 output
1/2550 sec. at M 1/4 output
1/5000 sec. at M 1/8 output
1/10000 sec. at M 1/16 output
1/20000 sec. at M 1/32 output
1/35700 sec. at M 1/64 output
1/38500 sec. at M 1/128 output

One last tip, get your flash as close as you can. This will be the single largest determining factor of whether a single speedlight will do the job adequately or not.

[Quadracer041]

Flash durations for the SB-900:

Flash Duration 1/880 sec. at M 1/1 (full) output
1/1100 sec. at M 1/2 output
1/2550 sec. at M 1/4 output
1/5000 sec. at M 1/8 output
1/10000 sec. at M 1/16 output
1/20000 sec. at M 1/32 output
1/35700 sec. at M 1/64 output
1/38500 sec. at M 1/128 output

One last tip, get your flash as close as you can. This will be the single largest determining factor of whether a single speedlight will do the job adequately or not.

ok i got it now, the flash durations u are posting are they adjustable or is M1/2 output 1/1100, M1/4 output 1/2550 and so on just how it is?

[dmourati]

ok i got it now, the flash durations u are posting are they adjustable or is M1/2 output 1/1100, M1/4 output 1/2550 and so on just how it is?

That's just how it is.