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Figure Skating shoot Suggestion?

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PeterY

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Never shot a sports event. Been asked to shot a figure skating competition. Not for money, just as a favour for my niece.

I have a Canon 30D and just rented the 70-200 f2.8 IS. Will no doubt shoot in RAW but following such a fast moving subject, would it be better to shoot hand held and count on the stabilizer to do its magic? I guess Stabilizer Mode 2 in this case?

What shutter speed freezes a double axle and would I be able to achieve such a speed under fairly low light arena? (No flash allowed).

What settings do you guys normally use for this situation? Av at 2.8 all the time? Any suggestions? Thanks.

Peter
 
I've done some ice skating shooting, just for family.

Use manual; otherwise the ice vs the skater outfit will wreak havoc with some shots.

2.8, and at least 1/250sec. I always found hand held to be pretty good. Since it's fast moving, you want the flexibility. You'll probably need 1600 ISO.
Ali
PeterY said:
Never shot a sports event. Been asked to shot a figure skating
competition. Not for money, just as a favour for my niece.

I have a Canon 30D and just rented the 70-200 f2.8 IS. Will no doubt
shoot in RAW but following such a fast moving subject, would it be
better to shoot hand held and count on the stabilizer to do its
magic? I guess Stabilizer Mode 2 in this case?

What shutter speed freezes a double axle and would I be able to
achieve such a speed under fairly low light arena? (No flash allowed).

What settings do you guys normally use for this situation? Av at 2.8
all the time? Any suggestions? Thanks.

Peter
Click to expand...
 
If it is a normal size rink you may have a tough time covering the whole thing with the 70-200, unless you can get mid rink. If the lighting is pretty good then try 3.5F - 4.0F, because DOF at 200 2.8 is very shallow. 1/250 is the minimum shutter more like 1/320 -1/500 or more if you can push it to stop the action. You well need to shoot RAW for the best chance at doing any recovery if needed in PP.

If you can watch the skater practice the routine a couple of times before the shoot and get some idea where the action well be, then you can anticipate the shots. If that can be done at the same rink then you may also get some good feedback on the camera setup including WB. But even if it is not at the same rink, shooting at a rink will give you a base line on the lighting, which you can then judge what needs to be done at the competition.

--
Mouse Driver
HTTP: www.pbase.com/mousedriver
 
Much depends upon the lighting there. With a 30D, I would hope for enough light to shoot at ISO 800, with a shutter speed faster than 1/125 second. I would use servo AF, with only the center spot active, and set the IS to mode 2.

I would try for different creative effects as the night went on, but it wouldn't be a bad start to shoot some images in AV mode, at f/2.8, or f/3.2, and see where the shutter speed falls. If the lighting is bright enough to keep shutter speeds high, you can look forward to a nice series of pics. If the shutter speeds tend to be a little slow, you might try some shots in TV mode with the shutter speed set at 1/125, and using PP to lift the underexposed images to the correct value. If it is only a matter of 2/3 stop or so, it will pay off well, as your shutter speed will be fast enough to capture the action, while PP wil be well able to correct the exposure without noticable IQ issues.

Of course, it the lighting is bright enough to shoot at f/2.8-3.2, ISO 800 in AV mode, and the shutter speeds remain well above 1/125 sec., stick with it for your rink shots, and lift the background in PP later. Also, shoot everythng in RAW.

Have fun!

--
Voyager
 
If you want a brighter exposure, get up a little higher in the stands and shoot slightly down. There's no need for nosebleed seats, but handholding while standing near the hockey boards... you'll get more clutter and a darker exposure. A little altitude will give you more ice as a background, and that will brighten your exposure.
The flip side of this is that you aren't able to capture the height of the jump.

If you're in a rink with hockey boards, that's going to be tough to do no matter what.

I've shot hockey for years. RAW, ISO 800, 1/400th. 1/250th isn't enough shutter for sharp shots... but if you want to show some motion... hair fluttering or hands and skates in motion will turn slightly blurry at 1/250th.

You can shoot the beginning and ending of the routine at whatever shutter speeds you feel comfortable with... 1/60th if you want, just as long as the skater is posing still.

70-200 f2.8 IS will work just fine. You won't have any problems Leave the IS on whatever normal mode is... I never use the tripod mode on my 70-200 f2.8 IS.

I don't shoot full manual either. I shoot Tv and let the camera choose the f-stop based on my desired shutter speed. Sometimes I get f5.6, sometimes f4, sometimes wide open at f2.8. It varies, and that's fine.

If it is dark, you can pick up a bit more depth of field by underexposing by up to a full f-stop, or giving away some shutter speed. If you want more shutter speed, go to ISO 1600, or underexpose by up to a full f-stop.

I use Adobe Camera RAW to adjust the exposure afterwards. It works well. I like ISO 800 and underexposing more than I like shooting at ISO16.

Good luck.

--

'In 1983, the game of golf had a firm grip on the waist of my boxers and was administering the death wedgie. I had a dose of the atomic yips and after missing 10 of 11 cuts by a single shot, I was ready to quit and apply for a job as a wringer-outer for a one-armed window cleaner.'
  • David Feherty
 
Great advice. Thanks!
I am going to be in a hockey arena with boards unfortunately.

Peter
hockeynut said:
If you want a brighter exposure, get up a little higher in the stands
and shoot slightly down. There's no need for nosebleed seats, but
handholding while standing near the hockey boards... you'll get more
clutter and a darker exposure. A little altitude will give you
more ice as a background, and that will brighten your exposure.
The flip side of this is that you aren't able to capture the height
of the jump.
If you're in a rink with hockey boards, that's going to be tough to
do no matter what.

I've shot hockey for years. RAW, ISO 800, 1/400th. 1/250th isn't
enough shutter for sharp shots... but if you want to show some
motion... hair fluttering or hands and skates in motion will turn
slightly blurry at 1/250th.
You can shoot the beginning and ending of the routine at whatever
shutter speeds you feel comfortable with... 1/60th if you want, just
as long as the skater is posing still.

70-200 f2.8 IS will work just fine. You won't have any problems
Leave the IS on whatever normal mode is... I never use the tripod
mode on my 70-200 f2.8 IS.

I don't shoot full manual either. I shoot Tv and let the camera
choose the f-stop based on my desired shutter speed. Sometimes I get
f5.6, sometimes f4, sometimes wide open at f2.8. It varies, and
that's fine.

If it is dark, you can pick up a bit more depth of field by
underexposing by up to a full f-stop, or giving away some shutter
speed. If you want more shutter speed, go to ISO 1600, or
underexpose by up to a full f-stop.
I use Adobe Camera RAW to adjust the exposure afterwards. It works
well. I like ISO 800 and underexposing more than I like shooting at
ISO16.

Good luck.

--
'In 1983, the game of golf had a firm grip on the waist of my boxers
and was administering the death wedgie. I had a dose of the atomic
yips and after missing 10 of 11 cuts by a single shot, I was ready to
quit and apply for a job as a wringer-outer for a one-armed window
cleaner.'
  • David Feherty
Click to expand...
 
PeterY said:
Never shot a sports event. Been asked to shot a figure skating
competition. Not for money, just as a favour for my niece.

I have a Canon 30D and just rented the 70-200 f2.8 IS. Will no doubt
shoot in RAW but following such a fast moving subject, would it be
better to shoot hand held and count on the stabilizer to do its
magic? I guess Stabilizer Mode 2 in this case?

What shutter speed freezes a double axle and would I be able to
achieve such a speed under fairly low light arena? (No flash allowed).

What settings do you guys normally use for this situation? Av at 2.8
all the time? Any suggestions? Thanks.

Peter
Click to expand...
 
BTW, you can find some of my iceskating shots here:

http://homepage.mac.com/aozer/IceSkating/ClickMe.html

They have EXIF info.
Ali
PeterY said:
Never shot a sports event. Been asked to shot a figure skating
competition. Not for money, just as a favour for my niece.

I have a Canon 30D and just rented the 70-200 f2.8 IS. Will no doubt
shoot in RAW but following such a fast moving subject, would it be
better to shoot hand held and count on the stabilizer to do its
magic? I guess Stabilizer Mode 2 in this case?

What shutter speed freezes a double axle and would I be able to
achieve such a speed under fairly low light arena? (No flash allowed).

What settings do you guys normally use for this situation? Av at 2.8
all the time? Any suggestions? Thanks.

Peter
Click to expand...
 
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