I started this photography thing to take nice action shots of my kids playing soccer and volleyball. That was probably 5 years ago and today I still can’t get enough of it. While at the games I would take shots of the entire team and share them with the parents. Now, I don’t do that as much. During high school season, I shoot for Maxpreps.com which has really made me a better photographer. Maxpreps demands you fill the frame with your subject and like the photos somewhat overexposed for my liking. But that’s OK because it has made me really dial in my camera because I find it easier if I get the exposure right before I get to post-processing. It’s hard to fill the frame on a big field sport such as soccer or baseball with a 70-200mm lens, so I got crazy and bought a Nikon 200-400mm f/4 and it’s awesome.
Nikon D600 w/ 200-400mm f/4 at ISO 1600, 260mm, f/4.5, 1/640
Nothing special about the photo above except it’s my daughter (she’s awesome) who couldn’t find a shin guard…that never ends at any age for you soccer parents out there with youngin’s
I took it out for a test drive yesterday and it’s “as advertised.” Although, I’ll really have to work on my technique because I’m zoomed in so much, it’s actually pretty difficult to follow the action and keep it in frame. I’m not a sprayer…at most, I take 3-4 frames at a time. I think it’s because of my Air Force training on the M-16 rifle. In full automatic mode on the M-16, you’re trained to take 3-4 controlled shots so you keep your aim stays true. I found that same technique works in sports photography as well.
During breaks, I do like to catch players goofing off and it’s amazing how teenage girls can spot a camera from 40 yards a way and give a pose just in case it’s actually pointed at them. The shot below is a prime example (I added some glowing effects just for fun).
Nikon D600 w/ 200-400mm f/4, at ISO 1600, 260mm, f/4.5, 1/640 sec
At any rate, I still need more practice with this beast of a lens and hope to capture some great shots this coming season. I’m glad soccer season is starting.
In the first part of this post, I explained how my daughter signed me up to shoot a Quinceanera for one of her friends and how this something really outside my knowledge and comfort zone. I did a lot of research and found a photographer named Roy Hernandez in California who does amazing work, from which I got my motivation to begin. In the first part, I talked about going to my subject’s (Cheyenne) grandmother’s house for some initial shots, and then taking shots in harsh sun light. So, environmental factors made me have to think and really understand my equipment. Photography is much more than just buying expensive equipment. If you don’t have a basic fundamental understanding of exposure and how to quickly adjust your camera, you’re in a world of hurt…and I certainly was in this case.
In this second part of my Quinceanera shoot, I faced another harsh environmental factor, and that was the actual aesthetics of the church and dance hall. I had the actual street address of the church, and I had that entered into my phone’s Google Maps, but I’m a man and really only use that to get me in the general area. Once I’m in the general area, I use my man instincts to find where I’m going…and it usually works…not going to lie. However, in this case, I’m driving in the general area and looking for a church. I found a couple churches in the area, but no cars, no mom, nothing at any of them. So, I went back to the phone and actually pin-pointed the location, which turned into being an old strip mall, and the church was actually located in an old store.
Nikon D90, 18-55mm DX, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/125
Inside the church was not better. There was nothing really resembling a church. There were standard banquet chairs and a big blue stage, with light/dark two-toned blue painted walls. Not the prettiest of backgrounds for a Quinceanera ceremony. (DSC-237) Her mom wanted me to get a good shot of each of the members of the court as they came up the isle when entering. Then shots of Cheyenne as she entered. I spoke with the Pastor and asked about any restrictions in taking photos during the ceremony. He said absolutely not and I was free to roam. With that, I began walking around trying to find a way to get shots of the kids while making the church look good. I was using my Nikon 18-55mm which was pretty much useless in this dimly lit church without a flash. I put on my Nikon SB-600 Speed Light and tried different power settings.
Nikon D90, 50mm f/1.4, at f/3.5 and 1/125, ISO 200
This helped, but as you can see on the left, although she has a wonderful smile, the photos I took of the kids were pretty ordinary.
So, I went to my trusty Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8. Here, this lens really bailed me out because now I can get in close without getting into the middle of the ceremony. Additionally, by using a really shallow depth of view, I was able to bokah-out the ugly church settings and I think I captured some great shots.
Nikon D90, 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 400, 110mm, f/2.8, 1/80secNikon D90 w/ 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 400, 110mm, f/2.8, 1/80sec
Things didn’t get easier when I got to the dance hall. Low ceilings and very little light pushed me to become very close to my SB-600. Before this event, I honestly didn’t use my SB-600 much since I do much more outdoor sporting events. My wife bought me a really nice camera bag and it has AA-batter storage section which I always kept stocked because it was there…but man, I’m glad I did, because halfway through the dinner/dance portion, the batteries were gone in the SB-600. Lesson: Always have batteries with you whether you plan to use them or not.
During the dinner and dance, I again relied primarily on my 70-200mm lens. I was able to hang out on the side next to the DJ and just capture the kids being kids.
Nikon D90 w/ 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 200, 150mm, f/2.8, 1/60sec
While always keeping an eye on Cheyenne to try and capture her in candid moments
Nikon D90 w/ 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 200, 200mm, f/2.8, 1/60sec
It was about this time I stopped worrying about the surroundings and just focused on capturing small moments which Cheyenne and her parents were probably too busy to see, or just capture the fun of their family and friends.
Nikon D90 w/ 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 200, 200mm, f/2.8, 1/125sec
So you can see, I’m really a beginner and I really enjoyed the Quinceanera more than I thought I would. I worked this a total of about 10-hours in all, and I will say I probably learned more about photography in that 10-hours than I have in a long time. I proved that for me to get better and learn this art, I need to break out of my comfort zone every once in a while. It was challenging, educating, and just a lot of fun. I hope to do more in the future.
