Tips, tutorials and discussion of photography, cameras and accessories.
13 posts Page 1 of 2
Hi I want to take pix of my daughter in gymnastics. The gymn has no windows and all fluorescent lighting. I have been searching for settings to try but would welcome suggestions and ideas. thanks for help
Hi Angela, I hate shooting in a gym. My shoots never look right and I still need to test out different settings. I tend to keep my camera on Priority since action shots don't give you enough time to change settings or your miss the shot. I usually get there a little early so I can play with settings before the event beings. I end up putting the camera on fluorescent lighting and use Priority. I keep saying I am going to get a fluorescent filter but haven't done so yet. I ususally still have to edit out some yellowish color when using rapid fire. Seems the camera sometimes doesn't keep up. Hopefully since my camera has been in for repair again this won't be an issue this year.

I would suggest that you post what Camera and model you are using so that if someone has the same camera they can better assist you on what settings to use.

I will be watching this thread to see what others suggest.

Kim
My Creations
Canon 40D, Canon 28-135mm IS lens, Canon 300D, Canon 18-55mm lens, CS3


Kimz Kreationz Blog
I don't think you are expecting advice about acquiring pro cameras and fast lens... So, with a very difficult situation with bad lighting, far and moving subjects, try to get reasonably good pictures to get the mood of the event, which should not be a problem, and risk many close-up tele shots to get a few good ones.
- ISO setting: don't be afraid to use 1600 ISO
- lens: a large aperture lens f:2.8 if possible. Personally, I would use my standard fix focal 50mm f:1.8 for close-ups and my sigma 17-70mm f:2.8-4.5 for wide angle ambience shots.
- White Balance: I would leave it to auto and shoot raw...
- exposure mode: I would use shutter priority. For gym, you can choose to stop movement or go to volontary artistic motion blur. Manual exposure may be a good choice if lighting is not changing.
- Don't forget to examine your first test shots and their histograms. Beware of overexposing.
- Using a monopod is often allowed and advised
- Try many different things, experiment and have pleasure in shooting. This will show in the results.
Michel B
PSE6, 11,12,13.1 - LR 5.7 Windows 7 64 - OneOne Photo Perfect Suite - Canon 20D, Pana TZ6 - Fuji X100S
Most used add-ons: Elements+


Mes Galeries
oops sorry you're right the camera would help....cannon rebel xsi.

The good news is that it isnt an event. I get to have the gym, apparatus (beams, bars etc..) and my daughter all to ourselves. :biggrin: I decided not to wait for a gymnastics meet just want to shoot some nice pix that I can print in BW or sepia and put on our family wall of fame.

Michel thanks...I will start working with these settings and trying some things.
turtlespirit wrote: "some nice pix that I can print in BW or sepia and put on our family wall of fame."


Well you needn't worry about White Balance then - just leave it in Auto. That probably leaves the only problem being the power of overhead lighting - you won't want that behind your subject, but I would expect a lot of pictures would be taken looking somewhere towards the ceiling, so you should probably use some fill-in from your on-camera flash.

I'd make sure I had a fairly wide angle lens, shooting with a wide aperture as much as possible to blur the background. As long as you're not heading for small apertures (f8 and beyond), ISO200 is probably fast enough. So I'd set for Aperture Priority (usually called Av) which, unless you've get an expensive lens, is probably f4 or f4.5. You might like to introduce some blur into the action (rather than freeze it), so then just take the aperture up to around f8. And shoot RAW.
PSE6 on WinXP, Pentax K10d...... and now a Canon G10.

Gallery
Since you have the gym to yourselves, use flash. Could even set up reflectors which can be as simple as a white sheet. Think studio lighting except on location.
Don't use flash if they are are doing any gymnastics moves at all.
Very dangerous!!

I am anxious to see your photos. I was a Level 10 gymnatic judge (incl. college) and competitive coach for many years.
That ended when daughter became heavily involved in competitive dance. I had a child who did not like to go upside down.

I like MichelB ideas above. I would also set camera on continuous shooting, or sports mode.
m
Michelle
Good point about the danger of flash, Michelle.
On the other hand, balancing flash light and ambient light with moving subject is nearly impossible. You have to use fast shutter speed (1/250th for my 20D) to avoid a sharp flash image over a blurred one... even forgetting white balance. Ambient light is the way to go.
I envy you for such a shooting opportunity! As I am not a specialist in gymnastics, I would also shoot 'reportage' style candid shots, portraits and close-ups. Wide angle, shooting close to your models. Think of the famous dancers paintings by Degas...
Michel B
PSE6, 11,12,13.1 - LR 5.7 Windows 7 64 - OneOne Photo Perfect Suite - Canon 20D, Pana TZ6 - Fuji X100S
Most used add-ons: Elements+


Mes Galeries
:| She's not ready yet. "Mom I need to brush up my skills a little more. Can I have more time before the shoot?" So I cancelled and she wants "a couple months" she is not at competition level yet. Michel your input has got me scrambling for a photography class in my area, it has shown me how much I don't know. So put this thread on ice until little missy feels 'ready' with her gymnastics skills and I undestand some of the fabulous suggestions given here. I would like to undertand more about shooting in RAW as was one suggestion, and so I am off to class, and internet reading etc. Thanks for the help. I printed the thread out and I will keep you posted when this shoot happens.
When you are ready to go, don't forget Michel's suggestion about some "reportage shots" - close up candids - an excellent idea. When shooting action, continuous burst mode is a good technique.

When shooting continuous you should experiment with shooting Jpeg-Fine rather than or in addition to some in RAW. The RAW files are much larger and your camera's buffer may have trouble keeping up.

Before the actual gymnastics shoot, experiment with continuous mode shooting -- especially in RAW. Find out before it counts if you are going to have a problem.

Rusty
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness" - Dave Barry

If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. - Robert Capa

www.prestophoto.com/photos/gallery/19932
13 posts Page 1 of 2

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests

cron