Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I had the opportunity to try my Nikon D-300 at a football game under the field lights the other night. My initial camera settings of ISO 200 with the camera set to programmable mode did not do well. After trying a few different WB settings I decided it should be left at Auto since I wanted to work only one feature at a time until I understood what effect my setting changes had. I haven't had the opportunity to shoot in these lighting conditions before so I enjoyed the challenge. At the initial settings my camera was using the shutter speed was very slow, near 1/13 sec at F/5.6. All the images were blurred and even panning was difficult. Mostly because I didn't have a monopod or tripod with me.


Eventually I decided to bump the ISO setting up all the way. The top photo here was with an ISO of 200, the bottom with the ISO set to the equivalent of 6400. At this setting my shutter speed increased to 1/80 sec at F/5.3 for this image captured in the darker parts of the field. This allowed me to shoot multiple images and freeze most, but not all the action giving the images a sense of motion. I also changed my camera from it's Vivid setting to Standard thinking it might help speed things up. After viewing these images I think I should have left it at Vivid.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Photography Tips

Here are a few things you can do to improve your photography that will apply regardless of what camera you use. These are the basics that every photographer should know and do to get reasonably good pictures out of any camera.

Make sure you have a clean lens. Don't just blow the dust off, but use a clean cloth suitable for cleaning lenses and do it right.

Set up so your camera is stable and won't move as you press the shutter. You can do this a number of ways. If you will be handholding the camera, hold your elbows in against your sides, and stand with your feet apart with one slightly forward of the other. You can also lean against a solid object like a light pole, tree, building or whatever. The best method though is to use a tripod or monopod. I have both but I like to carry the tripod best. If I want to use it as a monopod I just extend only one leg and us it as I would a monopod. I'll add instructions about to how to use these tools later.

Finally the "First" basic thing you need to do is read your manual and learn what all the parts of your camera are for and how to use them. If you understand how your meter works and what white balence is you'll go a long way to getting that shot you want when the light is wierd and you are wondering why your pictures are all dark or yellow instead of like what you saw on the monitor or in the viewfinder.

I'll expand on all these topics in the coming weeks and months so you'll want to check back and see what I've added from time to time.