Photographing sports games, outdoors and children at play

DjRobDjRob
edited November 2013 Posted in » Canon T3i Forum
Just unboxed my T3i, kit 18-55mm and 75-300mm. This is quite a departure from my GE point and shoot. I would like to photograph sports games, outdoors and children at play. Any tips? I also have an issue with the auto focus.

Comments

  • MooseMoose
    Hey @DjRob - Sounds like you're looking to freeze action. For that you'll want to shoot in shutter priority (Tv mode). Set your shutter speed to 1/500 to 1/1000 for sports and 1/250 to 1/500 for kids at play. Be sure to set your ISO to Auto when shooting in this mode in order to get properly exposed images.

    One other trick that can help is to set your drive mode to continuous burst. This will allow you to rattle off a series of images in quick succession, improving your odds of a keeper.

    As for focus, switch over to Ai Servo and half-press the shutter to focus on your moving subject. When ready, fully press the shutter to capture. All the best!
  • DjRobDjRob
    Thanks Moose! Love this forum!
  • dhayes9162dhayes9162
    edited September 2016
    Thank you so much!! I want to take the same shots too. Going to work with this. Love this forum!!
  • keerthikeerthi
    edited September 2016
    I am planning on taking pictures of my daughter, and she doesn't stay in one place to take the picture. I want to take some natural pictures of her inside our home. Will the above settings work for that? Should the flash be on or off for the above settings? Thanks.
  • RuthRuth
    edited March 2017
    I am planning in taking candid shots if my kids snow tubing and I'm not sure the settings for moving objects and a glare from the snow. I also am wondering if the sd card has any weight in on how fast the camera will rest for the next shot.
  • PBkedPBked
    edited March 2017
    Hi @RUTH,
    Photographing anywhere near snow can be daunting, however, here are a few hints.
    1) Switch your metering mode to spot metering.
    2) Choose the center focus point.
    3) Choose AI servo as your focus mode.
    4) Set your camera to TV (shutter priority) and use a speed of around 1/500th.
    5) Set your camera to continuous shooting.
    6) If using a zoom lens, do not try to adjust the zoom focal length while shooting. Set it beforehand.
    7) If your lens has IS (image stabilization), use it.
    8) Use auto ISO and auto white balance.
    9) Try using Faithful as your picture style rather than standard.
    10) It is easier to track subjects coming towards you than subjects crossing across your frame. Also, this tends to lead to more dramatic and interesting shots.
    Good luck and happy shooting.
    Regards,
    PBked
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