first BB game

[hjscm]

Went to nephews middle school game. almost got some good shots got to work on focus. and couple of other things

[dhyravy]

These look to have a bit of camera shake or motion blur from low SS. From the underexposure I would guess that you were using a bit too much shutter/not low enough aperture. Some info about your settings and such would help.

[Homer]

As Daniel said the shots have a slight blur to them and a bit dark. Let us know what your settings were and what lens your using.

Jim

[hjscm]

i was sitting on the floor. i can't seem to get enough light. was using iso 3200, nikon 50mm 1.4. i can't find the right combo to get high enough shutter speed and not underexposed. my highest shutter speed i can get is about 640. with ap at 1.4. i tried my 70-200 2.8 and only get about 1/250 without underexposed.

thanks for the help

[JSPhoto]

i was sitting on the floor. i can't seem to get enough light. was using iso 3200, nikon 50mm 1.4. i can't find the right combo to get high enough shutter speed and not underexposed. my highest shutter speed i can get is about 640. with ap at 1.4. i tried my 70-200 2.8 and only get about 1/250 without underexposed.

thanks for the help

You have the right idea in #2 & 3...#1 crop all the excess off.

Now your issues here are apparently your technique, your either not panning smoothly and/or moving the camera when pressing the shutter button. This is one place where the Pro series bodies shine because the heavier the body/Lens the easier panning is. and less possibility of movement when pressing the shutter button. Pressing the shutter button is like shooting a gun as you squeeze the trigger and don't pull it or you'll miss your target and pull to the right. The same can be said for the camera as you push the shutter button you may be too hard on it and moving the camera. The best way to find out is have someone watch you as you shoot to see if your moving the camera as you press the button or not. It takes a smooth even pressure, not a quick push. Panning takes lots of practice, and more practice. Believe it or not one of the best ways to learn is go outside and shoot cars as they drive by your house. Your neighbors and the drivers may think your whacked but it will help! And on my road I will do it when school lets out and you see the kids slow down so it has an added benefit I hjaven't done it in a long time though as I have done this so long now it's just second nature.

JS

[dhyravy]

First, I wish I had a gym where I could get 1/640!! That's probably the main reason the shots are dark/underexposed. Using available light, 1/250 or 1/320 are pretty much the limit for anywhere I shoot. How do these look on your monitor? I'm not sure what you are considering a proper exposure. Here is a shot from last year's state tournament that ran in 4 papers. Shot with no flash, although this college arena has much better light than pretty much any HS gym around here.

[hjscm]

First off thanks, I was probably moving the camera like a shotgun. following my shot. so i should keep it still? also is 1/250 fast enough to stop the action? i was afraid they would get motion blur at that speed. they look actually fine on my monitor. my light meter is either in the middle or one way overexposed when i shoot these shots. boy do i have a lot of work to do.

[JSPhoto]

See this thread and scroll down to my photos, those are shot at 1/200.then do a search for shots where we are talking about panning, there are a bunch of them. Once you get the hang of it you can shoot at much lower speeds and get really good sharp photos, but it takes lots of practice the slower you go. Try shooting a race car on a small track at 100Mph at night at 1/60 and get it sharp, it can be done, but it took a lot of practice to do it. Same goes for BB and shooting, you have to follow the subject but do it smoothly and press the button smoothly enough to make it work properly.

Trouble with Focusing

JS

[dhyravy]

Good point JS, panning is an art. I think it's the combination of smooth motion, push don't punch the shutter button, and most of all don't get too excited by what you see in the viewfinder.:thumbsup: 1/250 is fast enough for basketball with good hand held technique and especially since most of the shots you want are peak action (such as at the top of a jump) where the motion sort of stops anyway. Higher speeds are great if you can get them, but the caves they call HS gyms just don't cooperate very well! :mad2:

[hjscm]

any good books on this subject? can't wait till the next game so i can try some things out. thanks for the help. we will see what happens next.

[JSPhoto]

any good books on this subject? can't wait till the next game so i can try some things out. thanks for the help. we will see what happens next.

A good book on panning? Not that I know of, and none can teach good technique more than practice practice and more practice. Most of the time when panning I do not move my feet, just turn my body. It takes practice to do that and not go up hill with the camera when doing so unless you intend to like doing a series of shots on a layup. A book can't tell you anymore than there is in these threads on panning. Some it comes naturally, some really have to work at it. Again, search the threads for panning and also re-read the notes posted here and also look through the threads for basketball... theres a lot of them.

JS