For those who do sports photography...particularly inoors..

[Shanah-rhymes with Donna]

I'm having the darndest time (did I really use the word darndest....oh my...) shooting indoor basketball pics. The light is so poor and the kids move so fast! Anyway...I got some "fair" shots only to hear "too bad the ball isn't in the shot too!".

Like Randy is teaching...you have to see the WHOLE pic...yet another example of that. For this type shooting though the great "shooting" catch is when they are jumping high in the air to take the shot but usually by then the ball has left their hand...hard to capture THE moment they are at a high peak AND still have the ball. I think if I used the C shooting mode and took a bunch in a row I'd catch it but then the external flash couldn't fire and you really kind of need that!

Any tips on shooting indoor sports? It's hard!!!

[RandyP]

Originally Posted by Shanah-rhymes with Donna

I'm having the darndest time (did I really use the word darndest....oh my...) shooting indoor basketball pics. The light is so poor and the kids move so fast! Anyway...I got some "fair" shots only to hear "too bad the ball isn't in the shot too!".

Like Randy is teaching...you have to see the WHOLE pic...yet another example of that. For this type shooting though the great "shooting" catch is when they are jumping high in the air to take the shot but usually by then the ball has left their hand...hard to capture THE moment they are at a high peak AND still have the ball. I think if I used the C shooting mode and took a bunch in a row I'd catch it but then the external flash couldn't fire and you really kind of need that!

Any tips on shooting indoor sports? It's hard!!!

On your D700 set your Auto ISO on to 6400, set the minimum shutter speed to 1/1000 (it will automatically adjust down based on the lighting), set your focus mode selector to continous, shutter speed to continous high, set your images to JPG (they write to the card faster than RAW) and shoot in AP mode at F2.8. I also set my AF mode selctor to Auto Area.

Depending on the light in the stadium you should be able to shoot without a flash. If not set your flash to manual, first trying 1/2 power moving to full if needed.

When shooting action shoot in a continous burst at the fastest frame rate that you can manage. On the D700 if you use the external battery pack you can go up to 7 FPS. You will get a number of shots per action shot and filter through to find the 1 best.

As mentioned above shoot at F2.8 if your lens will allow. This will put a shallow DOF on the player in action and give you the professional look and feel to your sports images.

[DonnaNJ]

I shoot a lot of indoor basketball photos in really poorly lit school gyms and it's tough.. like Randy said use a high ISO.. I shoot on manual so I usually wind up using a 250 - 300 shutter speed.. one hint I've found useful.. if you are able to stand or sit behind the right hand corner (when you're facing the court) of the court.. usually then you'll have them running AT you and you can get some good dribbling shots and catch them going up for a shot.. the reason the right side is because most kids are right handed.. someone told me this years ago and it works pretty good.. btw don't sit too close to the court it could be dangerous :-) Oh and I don't use a flash..my son would kill me LOL

[MIDA78466]

I've just started shooting basketball--I wanted to get practice shooting in manual mode. Have lots of experience with football. Used some of the same techniques I used in football--focused on the spot in the court where I thought the play would end up. As they approached that spot I started shooting. Also used a high ISO and shutterspeed with my 2.8 lens. We are not allowed to use a flash in our gym. I found that you have to take LOTS of photos to get a few good ones. In football I took anywhere between 300-500 shots in a game.

[Shanah-rhymes with Donna]

Tyou all...this really helps me....I have to practice all these tips for camera settings and placement .....and then I have to practice some more.

I feel so lucky to have such a supportive, knowledgeable and generous group of friends here willing to share...tyou!