Tricky Lighting Situation

[AGanino]

My son is a high school wrestler. I am at the point where I can take decent photos of his meets in typical gym lighting, but some of the schools use a spotlight over the wrestling mat. This results in a small, well lit area surrounded by much darker areas. I sit in the bleachers, where it is dark, and end up with overexposed images if the wrestlers are in the center of the mat. When they move to the edges of the mat, the lighting is quite different. They move so fast that I can't take the time to adjust camera settings from one spot to the next.

I have a Canon EOS D7 and use a Tamron 70-200 2.8 lens. I generally go with shutter speed priority and a high ISO. I'd like to know how to set my camera to avoid blurry photos no matter which part of the mat the wrestlers move to. I don't mind doing some minor editing after the fact.

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

[davidedric]

What metering are you using?

 

[mamallama]

Spot meter on the wrestlers. It is a very easy solution.

 

[FingerPainter]

Spot meter on the wrestlers. It is a very easy solution.

That will give you consistency (as long as you meter on the same part of the same wrestler) , but whether it will be consistently correct, consistently too light or consistently too dark will depend on the EC setting you select.

And you may not be able to keep the spot on the same part of a quick-moving wrestler. If you sometimes meter on a dark singlet and sometimes on light skin (or vice-versa) you won't get consistent results. In that case, perhaps you should try centre-weighted metering.

 

[uncleskull]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

 

[NikonNature]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

Exactly what I was thinking. The problem with any of the semi-auto modes is that you hand control over to the camera to judge the exposure. The kind of light he is describing is the kind that often fools the meter.

With full manual, you can set your aperture once and forget it. Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room. Set your ISO as needed to get a good exposure near the center of the mat. As the match continues, you can essentially use shutter speed as your exposure compensation, quickly dialing up or down as needed. This will still take some trial and error, but you be able to dial in pretty quickly.

 

[D Cox]

I would set the camera to matrix metering (I don't know what Canon call this but you should be able to find it), and use an EC adjustment as well to be sure to avoid overexposure.

S mode will allow you to set a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action, or nearly freeze it, which may be better.

Auto ISO can be set with an upper limit to avoid having too much noise.

 

[FingerPainter]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

Exactly what I was thinking. The problem with any of the semi-auto modes is that you hand control over to the camera to judge the exposure. The kind of light he is describing is the kind that often fools the meter.

With full manual, you can set your aperture once and forget it. Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room. Set your ISO as needed to get a good exposure near the center of the mat. As the match continues, you can essentially use shutter speed as your exposure compensation, quickly dialing up or down as needed. This will still take some trial and error, but you be able to dial in pretty quickly.

You two seem to have overlooked this part of the OP:

I sit in the bleachers, where it is dark, and end up with overexposed images if the wrestlers are in the center of the mat. When they move to the edges of the mat, the lighting is quite different. They move so fast that I can't take the time to adjust camera settings from one spot to the next.

 

[FingerPainter]

I would set the camera to matrix metering

What makes you think this isn't what he is usign now, and how would it help?

I'd suggest to you that his symptoms sound like a problem of tio wide and area being metered.

(I don't know what Canon call this but you should be able to find it), and use an EC adjustment as well to be sure to avoid overexposure.

S mode will allow you to set a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action, or nearly freeze it, which may be better.

Auto ISO can be set with an upper limit to avoid having too much noise.

Yes, I certainly think Auto ISO might be part of the solution here. It sounds like he isn't using it.

 

[NikonNature]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

Exactly what I was thinking. The problem with any of the semi-auto modes is that you hand control over to the camera to judge the exposure. The kind of light he is describing is the kind that often fools the meter.

With full manual, you can set your aperture once and forget it. Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room. Set your ISO as needed to get a good exposure near the center of the mat. As the match continues, you can essentially use shutter speed as your exposure compensation, quickly dialing up or down as needed. This will still take some trial and error, but you be able to dial in pretty quickly.

You two seem to have overlooked this part of the OP:

I sit in the bleachers, where it is dark, and end up with overexposed images if the wrestlers are in the center of the mat. When they move to the edges of the mat, the lighting is quite different. They move so fast that I can't take the time to adjust camera settings from one spot to the next.

Not really. That's why I said your SS becomes your exposure compensation. He can use a faster SS in the center of the mat and slower near the edges. This is why I suggested "Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room." This approach should be able to handle a two-stop difference - say 1/1000s in the center and 1/250s near the edge.

BTW, with full manual the metering mode becomes irrelevant. You are the meter, and decide if you want a little more or less exposure.

 

[FingerPainter]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

Exactly what I was thinking. The problem with any of the semi-auto modes is that you hand control over to the camera to judge the exposure. The kind of light he is describing is the kind that often fools the meter.

With full manual, you can set your aperture once and forget it. Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room. Set your ISO as needed to get a good exposure near the center of the mat. As the match continues, you can essentially use shutter speed as your exposure compensation, quickly dialing up or down as needed. This will still take some trial and error, but you be able to dial in pretty quickly.

You two seem to have overlooked this part of the OP:

I sit in the bleachers, where it is dark, and end up with overexposed images if the wrestlers are in the center of the mat. When they move to the edges of the mat, the lighting is quite different. They move so fast that I can't take the time to adjust camera settings from one spot to the next.

Not really. That's why I said your SS becomes your exposure compensation. He can use a faster SS in the center of the mat and slower near the edges.

Read his last sentence in the quote above. He doesn't have time to change the shutter speed. Also, it is unlikely he would want to change his shutter speed since it is likely set to get the desired amount of subject motion blur.

This is why I suggested "Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room." This approach should be able to handle a two-stop difference - say 1/1000s in the center and 1/250s near the edge.

Depending on framing, 1/250 may be too slow.

BTW, with full manual the metering mode becomes irrelevant. You are the meter, and decide if you want a little more or less exposure.

True enough, but neither I nor OP have discussed full manual. I think many skilled, experienced photographers may well use full manual in this situation. Does OP sound like he's there yet?

 

[MicahDickinson]

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying this, but it seems that the OP is saying that the lighting of the dark parts of the mat and the light parts are too far apart for the DR of his camera to handle with equal exposure settings, and they don't feel they can change the exposure settings fast enough. If these stated conditions are both true then OP cannot achieve what they're looking for. They have to change one of those two conditions:

1. Get a camera with better DR, or
2. Practice changing exposure settings quickly (focusing on just one of SS, Av or ISO)

--
micahdickinson.com | Instagram: @micahdickinson | Twitter: @micahdickinson

 

[NikonNature]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

Exactly what I was thinking. The problem with any of the semi-auto modes is that you hand control over to the camera to judge the exposure. The kind of light he is describing is the kind that often fools the meter.

With full manual, you can set your aperture once and forget it. Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room. Set your ISO as needed to get a good exposure near the center of the mat. As the match continues, you can essentially use shutter speed as your exposure compensation, quickly dialing up or down as needed. This will still take some trial and error, but you be able to dial in pretty quickly.

You two seem to have overlooked this part of the OP:

I sit in the bleachers, where it is dark, and end up with overexposed images if the wrestlers are in the center of the mat. When they move to the edges of the mat, the lighting is quite different. They move so fast that I can't take the time to adjust camera settings from one spot to the next.

Not really. That's why I said your SS becomes your exposure compensation. He can use a faster SS in the center of the mat and slower near the edges.

Read his last sentence in the quote above. He doesn't have time to change the shutter speed. Also, it is unlikely he would want to change his shutter speed since it is likely set to get the desired amount of subject motion blur.

This is why I suggested "Set your shutter speed a little higher than needed to give you some wiggle room." This approach should be able to handle a two-stop difference - say 1/1000s in the center and 1/250s near the edge.

Depending on framing, 1/250 may be too slow.

BTW, with full manual the metering mode becomes irrelevant. You are the meter, and decide if you want a little more or less exposure.

True enough, but neither I nor OP have discussed full manual. I think many skilled, experienced photographers may well use full manual in this situation. Does OP sound like he's there yet?

Perhaps this is the key. With the approach I described, a quick spin of the thumb dial should be three clicks, or one stop. You can do this twice in about a second. But if this is unfamiliar territory, he might not be comfortable doing this. On the other hand, giving it a try could help him advance, or at least get more comfortable.

Also, I am accounting for the fact that is indeed a challenging situation. Even pros would not have a really high keeper rate. My method would eliminate wild swings in exposure because you eliminate the meter being fooled.

 

[AGanino]

Hm, auto? I am so new to this. I set the white balance for the florescent lights. I've read all the replies and realize how out of my depth I am and how much I have to learn!

 

[AGanino]

Clearly I am on a level very far below -- I don't even know how to do this! I will add it to my research list. Thank you for responding!

 

[MicahDickinson]

Hm, auto? I am so new to this. I set the white balance for the florescent lights. I've read all the replies and realize how out of my depth I am and how much I have to learn!

You'll get there!

 

[AGanino]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

Thank you -- the trick is, not all of the meets have the spotlight. I will try manual. I have avoided it only because the wrestlers move so fast, there's not much chance to adjust any settings as they move from the brightest spot in the center of the mat to the darker areas at the edge.

 

[AGanino]

Thanks so much, I think I can manage this most of the time. Only a handful of meets over the year have a mat with a spotlight. Most of them have more consistent lighting. I have avoided Manual because the boys can move so fast from the brightest part of the mat to the lightest, but I will give it a try.

 

[AGanino]

I would set the camera to matrix metering (I don't know what Canon call this but you should be able to find it), and use an EC adjustment as well to be sure to avoid overexposure.

S mode will allow you to set a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action, or nearly freeze it, which may be better.

Auto ISO can be set with an upper limit to avoid having too much noise.

I am looking forward to the day when I know what all this means! :-D

 

[MicahDickinson]

If the light level within the spotlight is relatively uniform, I would switch to manual and find the best setting to give you proper exposure, DOF and action stopping. That way you know shot to shot is going to be consistent and you can concentrate on the action.

You have the advantage of repeatability over the course of several meets, so you should be able to find something suitable for your son's gym.

Thank you -- the trick is, not all of the meets have the spotlight. I will try manual. I have avoided it only because the wrestlers move so fast, there's not much chance to adjust any settings as they move from the brightest spot in the center of the mat to the darker areas at the edge.

A Midway point from Auto to Manual would be to use shutter priority. That way you're only adjusting one value on the fly. Practice, practice, practice. Get out and shoot. Read the manual, watch YouTube tutorials, and really get to know the basic exposure controls on your camera. Experiment with different exposure settings and see the effect they have on your photo. Maybe get a beginners guide book to photography as well.

Assuming you're not a professional, as long as you're having fun and you're happy with the results, then you're doing it right.

--
micahdickinson.com | Instagram: @micahdickinson | Twitter: @micahdickinson