Track & Field Suggestions

[disneyboy2003]

One last question:

Assuming it's still sunny, would I go with a 200 ISO?

If it clouds over, maybe 400? Or should I just wait and see how low I can go with a 1/1000 shutter speed?

Yes, I'd go with whatever ISO it takes to get you that 1/1000 sec shutter speed.

Actually, your camera's sensor should be good enough that ISO 400 should produce very good, relatively noise-free photos.

 

[mom2rtk]

Well, I'm back from the track meet (finally!) and am much happier with today's results!
1/1000 f5.6 ISO 200

1/1000 f4.5 ISO 200

1/1000 f5.0 ISO 200

ISO 1/1000 f4.5 ISO 200

Still an awful lot of clutter in the background, but it helps to have my subject in sharp focus. (Another thought I had after the fact was that maybe I should have tried Aperture Priority at 2.8 in hopes of fuzzing out some of that background clutter.)

I started out with the Tamron lens set to Tv at 1/1000, ISO 200, AI Servo, continuous shooting. It was BRIGHT sunshine, but my aperture was still maxing out at 5.6, so I opted to switch to the Sigma 50-150 f2.8.

I was much happier with the results. The only bad thing is I'm not sure which of the changes I made was the real answer to my problem! Regardless, the entire thinking process was really helpful!

He was supposed to run in the last event of the night around sundown, so I was practicing on other kids in the lower light. I bumped my ISO up to 1600 and moved my shutter speed down to what it could still handle (around 1/400) and was STILL happy with the result, although I won't post here since the shots are other kids. One of the reasons I bought the Sigma were for low light soccer games in the fall, so I feel confident now that it will meet that need pretty well.

Many thanks to all for your help today!

If you have other thoughts or suggestions, feel free to post away!

 

[mom2rtk]

Not sure if someone posted it and I missed or it wasn't brought up. Either way I'll throw it out there.

I know someone mentioned focus modes, but from what I saw mentioned it was between manual, single and continuous (servo). For moving objects, as has already been stated, use continuous (servo).

What I didn't see mention was the focus points that you see in your view finder. There should be a few options with that as well. For something so specific as to get 1 person within a bunch in focus, I change your focus points to single. Then use the thumb wheel on the back of the camera to move between the different points in the view finder. This way YOU have complete control over what in the view finder gets focused on. If you let the camera choose what focus points to use (and when that happens the camera will choose multiple points) you don't know what the camera see's as opposed to what YOU see.

Basically, use single point focus in continuous focus mode. This way you find what you want in focus and as it moves the camera will refocus on that point (so long as you hold the shutter 1/2 way).

Many thanks for your help to Kyle! I did end up using the center point in the viewfinder with continuous (AI Servo) focus. It worked much better this time!

 

[disneyboy2003]

Well, I'm back from the track meet (finally!) and am much happier with today's results!

Still an awful lot of clutter in the background, but it helps to have my subject in sharp focus. (Another thought I had after the fact was that maybe I should have tried Aperture Priority at 2.8 in hopes of fuzzing out some of that background clutter.)

I started out with the Tamron lens set to Tv at 1/1000, ISO 200, AI Servo, continuous shooting. It was BRIGHT sunshine, but my aperture was still maxing out at 5.6, so I opted to switch to the Sigma 50-150 f2.8.

I was much happier with the results. The only bad thing is I'm not sure which of the changes I made was the real answer to my problem! Regardless, the entire thinking process was really helpful!

Ahhhhhhh! Somehow, my eyes feel better seeing your sharper photos. Great job!

You mentioned that you want to try to blur out some of the background. Since you're using Shutter Priority (Tv), you could have probably gone with even faster shutter speeds, like 1/2000 sec or even 1/4000 sec, and your camera would have automatically selected f/2.8 for the aperture.

However, I'm not sure if you'd be able to *completely* blur out the background, despite an f/2.8 aperture. Because of your far distance from your subject, your depth of field will likely be large. In other words, you're still going to have much of the background that's in-focus. Other athletes in the background who are lounging around on the field and who are close to your son will likely be in-focus, despite your f/2.8 aperture.

Anyway, great job on your 2nd attempt!

 

[disneyboy2003]

Okay, there actually is a way to blur the background, but it involves Photoshop. Basically, I cut your son out of the picture, blurred the rest of the image, and placed your son back on top of the blurred image. I didn't spend as much time as I should have to make a "clean" cut, but I wanted to do this as a "proof of concept."

Maybe it looks fake. Maybe it looks "artistic". Maybe it looks slightly real. I'll let you decide.

I used "Gaussian blur" to blur the background.

I used "motion blur" to blur the background.
​

Selecting & cutting a subject from a background is not an insignificant process. It actually takes several minutes, so you probably wouldn't do this for all your photos. I'd just do this only for maybe 1 or 2 special photos.

Anyway, just a thought.

 

[mom2rtk]

First, thanks Disneyboy for the kind words of encouragement! My eyes also felt much better seeing the new photos! I couldn't wait last night to download the new batch and see how I did. That sun was so bright yesterday that there was no way to tell on the LCD screen.

And thank you for showing me what's possible in Photoshop! I hope once I master the technical stuff IN the camera that I can learn how to post process. I just have an old Photoshop Elements 2.0 that came with my first DSLR in 2004! But all I really do with that is crop, lighten and adjust contrast.

Most of my photos end up in my scrapbooks, and the effects you illustrated for me would be great to use there.

 

[Suburbanmom]

Nicely done! These photos are great! Best wishes for a successful track season (for you and your son )

 

[mom2rtk]

Nicely done! These photos are great! Best wishes for a successful track season (for you and your son )

Thanks Amy! I really appreciate you guys helping me think this through yesterday. He's only a freshman, so we have many photo ops.... errrr....I mean meets.... still ahead of us!

I was happy with my shots. My son was happy to shave 11 seconds off his mile, so it was a good day all around.

 

[mouselovenfamily]

Although the blur looks nice in the photos, I would keep this one clear so you can read the "BLUE SPRINGS" on the girls shirt in the back ground!

Nice photos!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Although the blur looks nice in the photos, I would keep this one clear so you can read the "BLUE SPRINGS" on the girls shirt in the back ground!

Nice photos!!

Howdy! I wasn't "getting" the post at first.... then I remembered I had a buddy out in that neck of the woods! Too bad I didn't think ahead and let you know I'd be out in your neighborhood. Maybe we could have met up for an impromptu photo lesson! (you know... assuming you could figure out my Canon! )

I'm starting to figure out there is plenty of time between events at a track meet for photography lessons...... probably a nap too....... but it was still a lot of fun!

BTW: I'm not sure of the final results, but I'm pretty sure Chrisman beat Blue Springs in every event......

 

[mouselovenfamily]

Howdy! I wasn't "getting" the post at first.... then I remembered I had a buddy out in that neck of the woods! Too bad I didn't think ahead and let you know I'd be out in your neighborhood. Maybe we could have met up for an impromptu photo lesson! (you know... assuming you could figure out my Canon! )

I'm starting to figure out there is plenty of time between events at a track meet for photography lessons...... probably a nap too....... but it was still a lot of fun!

BTW: I'm not sure of the final results, but I'm pretty sure Chrisman beat Blue Springs in every event......

OUCH!

My daughter is no athlete so I really don't keep up on a lot of the sports up there. We do attend football and basketball for my budding star in 7th grade. My husband has his name on some banners in the gym from our high school days, and it's Nathans goal to get his name up there by his dads. That would make a nice photo!! Glad you had good weather! Let me konw if you come back and I can meet ya, even though you have a Canon!

 

[mom2rtk]

[/B]
OUCH!

My daughter is no athlete so I really don't keep up on a lot of the sports up there. We do attend football and basketball for my budding star in 7th grade. My husband has his name on some banners in the gym from our high school days, and it's Nathans goal to get his name up there by his dads. That would make a nice photo!! Glad you had good weather! Let me konw if you come back and I can meet ya, even though you have a Canon!

Actually that really was a joke. Chrisman rarely wins anything. For my son, it's about having fun with his buddies. It would be really cool for your son to add his name to his dad's in the gym!

 

[ThurlFan]

Say, the Kansas Relays are coming up in a couple weeks. Would be a great place to sharpen your skills. It's at KU's Memorial stadium and there's always room along the edge of the track in the stands. I had a great time there last year even though I didn't have anyone competing (I just like a good track meet).

 

[mom2rtk]

Say, the Kansas Relays are coming up in a couple weeks. Would be a great place to sharpen your skills. It's at KU's Memorial stadium and there's always room along the edge of the track in the stands. I had a great time there last year even though I didn't have anyone competing (I just like a good track meet).

I appreciate the thought. But we try hard not to mention the name "KU" around here, so I'm pretty sure I'd never talk my husband into stepping foot onto the campus with me....... I haven't been there since "KU Band Day" back in the late 70's.... clarinet in hand......

 

[disneyboy2003]

First, thanks Disneyboy for the kind words of encouragement! My eyes also felt much better seeing the new photos! I couldn't wait last night to download the new batch and see how I did. That sun was so bright yesterday that there was no way to tell on the LCD screen.

There's actually a solution to this, if you're willing to spend another $80. The Hoodman HoodLoupe is an eyepiece that you place on your LCD screen any time you want to review your images in direct, bright sunlight. Here's the link to their Web site (which includes a brief 1-minute YouTube video on how to use it): http://www.hoodmanusa.com/products.asp?dept=1017

So if you think you'll be taking photos a lot in bright sunlight, this may be worthwhile. This is what the HoodLoupe looks like, when viewing your LCD screen:

And thank you for showing me what's possible in Photoshop! I hope once I master the technical stuff IN the camera that I can learn how to post process. I just have an old Photoshop Elements 2.0 that came with my first DSLR in 2004! But all I really do with that is crop, lighten and adjust contrast.

Most of my photos end up in my scrapbooks, and the effects you illustrated for me would be great to use there.

It might be worthwhile to just get the newest version of Photoshop Elements (currently v8.0) plus a Photoshop Elements book. Learning photography AND learning post-processing techniques almost go hand-in-hand, especially these days with digital photography. Amazon currently has Photoshop Elements 8 for $77 (link). I'll bet a lot of scrapbookers are using Photoshop Elements, too.

For a book, I really like Scott Kelby's way of teaching Photoshop because he breaks everything down into simple step-by-step instructions and has screen captures of each step, so there are TONS of screen captures. So I'd recommend his book The Photoshop Elements 8 Book for Digital Photographers for $31.50 on Amazon (link). You should probably go to your local bookstore to flip through this book, just to make sure it fits your reading and learning style. Plus, you can browse through some of the other Photoshop Elements books, just to be sure.

Anyway, I just helped you spend another $190. Isn't photography fun?

 

[MICKEY88]

Okay, there actually is a way to blur the background, but it involves Photoshop. Basically, I cut your son out of the picture, blurred the rest of the image, and placed your son back on top of the blurred image. I didn't spend as much time as I should have to make a "clean" cut, but I wanted to do this as a "proof of concept."

Maybe it looks fake. Maybe it looks "artistic". Maybe it looks slightly real. I'll let you decide.

I used "Gaussian blur" to blur the background.

I used "motion blur" to blur the background.
​

Selecting & cutting a subject from a background is not an insignificant process. It actually takes several minutes, so you probably wouldn't do this for all your photos. I'd just do this only for maybe 1 or 2 special photos.

Anyway, just a thought.

I use paint shop photo pro x3, but I would think you could do the same with photo shop,

rather than cutting out the subject, just create a new mask layer, blur that layer, then use the erase tool to erase the subject, on thata layer, which in turn allows the clear subject to show, then merge the 2 layers..

if you have difficulty erasing on the blurred layer, you can do 2 things, either up the opacity on that layer so you can see the layer below, then erase and change the opacity back..then merge layers

or copy the original, then blur it, then paste clear copy on top as a new layer, then erase everything , but the subject, again merge layers...

 

[mom2rtk]

There's actually a solution to this, if you're willing to spend another $80. The Hoodman HoodLoupe is an eyepiece that you place on your LCD screen any time you want to review your images in direct, bright sunlight. Here's the link to their Web site (which includes a brief 1-minute YouTube video on how to use it): http://www.hoodmanusa.com/products.asp?dept=1017

So if you think you'll be taking photos a lot in bright sunlight, this may be worthwhile. This is what the HoodLoupe looks like, when viewing your LCD screen:

It might be worthwhile to just get the newest version of Photoshop Elements (currently v8.0) plus a Photoshop Elements book. Learning photography AND learning post-processing techniques almost go hand-in-hand, especially these days with digital photography. Amazon currently has Photoshop Elements 8 for $77 (link). I'll bet a lot of scrapbookers are using Photoshop Elements, too.

For a book, I really like Scott Kelby's way of teaching Photoshop because he breaks everything down into simple step-by-step instructions and has screen captures of each step, so there are TONS of screen captures. So I'd recommend his book The Photoshop Elements 8 Book for Digital Photographers for $31.50 on Amazon (link). You should probably go to your local bookstore to flip through this book, just to make sure it fits your reading and learning style. Plus, you can browse through some of the other Photoshop Elements books, just to be sure.

Anyway, I just helped you spend another $190. Isn't photography fun?

Very cool! I didn't know they made anything like that! It would be fun to try sometime. I didn't even know they made such a thing!

And yes, I do need to upgrade to a newer Photoshop elements. I could probably afford it, but right now just hate the idea of a new learning curve. Between 3 kids and the costume biz, most days I don't even know which end is up...... But one day soon.

I love that I've been able to advance my photography just by hanging out here on the DIS and checking in while waiting for the iron to heat up or in the 5 minutes until I have to run someone to school. Life will slow down soon, right????

I will have some time on our road trip this summer. But the laptop battery won't hold a charge, and I'm afraid Photoshop (even elements) will overload my husband's netbook.

 

[MICKEY88]

here is another device for viewing your lcd in bright light

http://www.delkin.com/products/popupshades/

 

[ThurlFan]

I appreciate the thought. But we try hard not to mention the name "KU" around here, so I'm pretty sure I'd never talk my husband into stepping foot onto the campus with me....... I haven't been there since "KU Band Day" back in the late 70's.... clarinet in hand......

Oh, you must be one of 'them'

I'm a proud Jayhawker myself

 

[Coach K]

I have been shooting cross country and track and field for over 30 years and am still finding new angles and subjects every time I shoot. I always set my focus to manual and pre-focus on a spot. I have never gone faster than 1/500 or even 1/250. I found that this was fast enough to stop the action for the distance events. You may want to go faster if your are trying to shoot other events (like the sprints or field events). I always try to get the start and finish. In between I would try to shoot at the top of the curve as they are entering the back straight or coming out of the final curve and entering the home straight. Usually there is not to much clutter in the background at these points-but this depends on the set-up of the track-where the concession stands are, etc. I agree with what a PP had stated about the KU Relays. This would be a great spot to go to get experience about shooting the sport. It wouldn't hurt to take your son-you can learn a lot about the sport by observing how things are done at a very high level. You can also appreciate what the athletes have to do to compete at that level. I have had my athletes compete at a very high level (the Olympic trails, collegiate nationals, Penn Relays, etc.) and at a more modest level (the unseeded heats at JV meets) and I always come away with an appreciation of the sport and also trying to learn something about how capture it on film (or digital film these days). The more you experiment, the more you learn and find what is best for your setting. Just my 2 cents. Good luck to your son.