Shooting Night Sports

Thu, 20 Nov 2014 13:49:51 GMT

I am asked all the time how come my pictures look so much better than "My little pictures?" at almost every night football game. Overly simplified, it's the gear. More specifically, the lenses being used. A lense is described in focal length (ie: 70-200) and in its widest f-stop (70-200 2.8). Of course, the lighting used by the facility matters too. Sometimes, no matter what you do with your gear, the lights are so bad....you are at the mercy of the field. Using a stock lense at f4-5.6 (average standard lense), will make it very hard for you to get crisp, action stopping, bright pictures.

Touchdown Canes!

Simply put, you need a long lense with a wide open aperture (2.8). You need to set your ISO high (as high as your camera will allow) and you need to shoot 1/1000 or faster, to stop the action. Then understanding the game, where the action is, where it is going and what is likely to happen next, helps a lot, in being prepared for the next shot.

If you have a few dollars to spare and really want to improve your night photo shots. Take a look at B&H Photo (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/) they have all the best gear at about as good a pricing you will find. They even have a used/refurbished section, for some really great deals (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/SLR-Interchangeable-Lenses/ci/10209/N/4036297804). So go get yourself a 70-200, 2.8 lense, up your ISO, set your shutter speed, and have fun!!

Scott-

Russell Scott Photography: Blog

Shooting Night Sports