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Monday, September 1st, 2008 12:19 pm
I've just been asked to take some photos for work this weekend. Of a five-a-side footbal tournament. Not exactly a photographic subject I've ever tried before. Any of the photographers out there (including those who've, say, covered Whitby) got any handy advice for taking photos at sporting events? It's a bit of a change from my usual gig/club/architecture/portrait millieu!

(And this is when I wish I had a 70-200mm (or more) f/2.8 lens! [grin])
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Monday, September 1st, 2008 02:31 pm (UTC)
I think it is number three in the market or I could be making that up.
Could well be right. Not my church, so I'm not sure. [grin]

I basically let the camera do the work too, but I like to know what some of the numbers actually mean. Most kit and standard zoom lenses have minimum apertures of about f/3.5 to 5.6, which are viewed as reasonable. Fast zoom lenses tend to open down to f/2.8, and prime (non-zoom) lenses can go down to around f/1.2 for what [livejournal.com profile] reddragdiva has been known to refer to as "honking light-buckets".

The number after the f/ is the second half of a ratio, indicating how much of the lens is actually letting light in. So something taken at f/2.8 means that the aperture opening is 1:2.8 of the lens (or 1/2.8, for fractional people) - about a third. If it's taken at f/10, then it's about a tenth.
Monday, September 1st, 2008 02:34 pm (UTC)
Bibble!

*scrabbles for a non techie speak book*
Monday, September 1st, 2008 02:41 pm (UTC)
[grin] Sorry about that!

In brief ... the smaller then number next to the "f/", the bigger the hole, and the more light you can get into your camera. The more light you can get into the camera, the faster a shutter speed you can use, and the less blurred people are due to moving.

(There is a payoff in terms of depth of field, but I think that would require a series of images to illustrate - which I haven't yet taken ...)

(Good icon.)
Edited 2008-09-01 02:41 pm (UTC)
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 08:33 am (UTC)
I should like my light-buckets to honk.
Like geese.
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 09:37 am (UTC)
[grin] I think f/1.2 honks like an air horn. On a supertanker.
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 07:56 pm (UTC)
I think that phrase could be reserved for this f/0.7 monster.

"The much interpreted artificiality and hypnotic slowness of the protagonists is partly due to the technical requirements of filming: actors had to pay attention to not move too fast thereby leaving the extremely limited depth [of field]."
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 08:16 am (UTC)
Wow. Just ... wow.