Originally posted by: Amol
This is my current equipment (like I said before, I'm a student, so I don't have awesome equip):
Canon 18-55mm (the kit lens that came with the XT; was only $20 more when I bought so I though might as well)
Canon 50mm f/1.8
Canon 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 USM (telephoto on loan from the school)
Edit: I also have an external flash at my disposal. Which one it is, I dunno
Those should be fine for what you're doing, there's really no need to go to any great expense to get good shots for the yearbook. I would suggest that you get something like the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8, it's a good lens for indoor sports and not that expensive. You can get a new one for about $300. I'd like to know what sort of flash you have because you're going to need a good one.
This is going to be long, but I get paid to do photography for school yearbooks so I'm hoping I have some tips that will be helpful. I'm not sure how experienced you are in photography in general or sports photography in particular, so I don't mean to offend you if I mention some things that are too basic to be helpful.
Several people mentioned expensive lenses and that you would be stuck at shooting at an ISO of 1600 inside etc., those things aren't really necessary for you to get good shots. Yes, if you're interested in trying to become a professional photographer in the future you should rent some of the expensive glass from rentglass.com or adorama.com and play around with them, but a big part of the photo is the photographer and you can make up for some limitations in equipment with some good strategies.
Shoot lots and lots of photos. Even the pros know that the best way to make sure they come away from a shoot with something good is to take tons of photos.
Get as close to the action as possible without getting in the way or getting yourself injured. Some people would think you'd be more likely to get hurt shooting football, but I think baseball is more dangerous by far. I've never been hit by a baseball (knocking on wood), but I've seen plenty of coaches and players who have been and that thing can hurt when it comes flying off those bats at 90 mph and you're just a few feet away, not to mention what it could do to your camera. So always stay alert when you're on the sidelines in baseball including between innings when there are two or three baseballs flying around at the same time. When you're shooting baseball you'll be tempted to shoot on auto because you'll get some fairly decent photos easily that way, but work at shooting at the most wide open aperture possible so that you don't have a lot of distractions in the background of your photos and make sure you fill the lens with your subject. Yes, it's a little more difficult, but you'll get the hang of it.
2nd base - easy, but not so good
2nd base - better, but still not good
2nd base - getting there
2nd base - there ya go
Also keep in mind that your shooting schedule for baseball runs just the opposite of the way football did. The days are still really short when the baseball season starts and the shadows are long early in the season, so plan on doing most of your shooting later in the season when you'll have more light.
When you're shooting football and the play is coming right at you the auto focus has a hard time locking on so you have to be patient and hang in until it gets it. That can be a little difficult when several large fellows in pads and helmets are bearing down on you, but just remember, the best way to avoid getting clobbered is to move in the opposite direction that the play is heading. When the team is within 20 yards of a touchdown, head to the back of the endzone for the best shots. If your team is a passing one, don't get too close to the back of the endzone, TD catches are usually made toward the back and you don't want to be too close with your telephoto lens, which by the way, should be almost exclusively your 75-300. You should also have your shorter lens with you too though in order to get photos of the cheerleaders on the sidelines. It's almost impossible to get good pics of them with the long lens. You'll also want the short lens to get pics of the band and majorettes at halftime. The best time to get good football photos with your equipment will be in the first 3-4 weeks of the season because of the days getting shorter. You can get some really good shots without a flash in the first half during that time. After that you're going to need the flash with the lens you have.
With flash near the sideline
A little further out
A little further still
Almost midfield
Middle of the field
A good flash will do wonders later in the season.
I've probably been hit more in basketball than anything else, but it's pretty impossible not to get hit at all when you're right under the basket, especially if your team likes to run and gun. There are just so many bodies flying at you that you can't avoid them all. If you have room, try to stay to one side or the other of the mat on the wall when you're under the basket and just get in front of it from time to time. You may not be too worried about getting hurt when you're under there, but you also have to keep in mind that one of the players could get hurt when they hit you and nobody would be too happy with you if that happened, well unless it was the best player on the opposing team.
When you're shooting sports you should always move around the field and vary your perspective. I find that a lot of photographers make the mistake of just parking themselves under the basket in basketball games and that's a mistake. Shoot from the corners, on the sidelines, and from up in the bleachers. You also get better shots in basketball when you're on the floor if you stay low. Get down on one knee when you're under the basket and sit down in the bottom row of the bleachers and lean forward.
Low under the basket
Low on the sideline
Also, I used those two photos as examples because of the different lenses and conditions as well. The one under the basket was taken using the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens like the one that you have at ISO 1600, f/1.8, and 1/1000th without a flash, and the one from the sidelines was taken with the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 at ISO 800, f/6.3, and 1/250th with an external flash. There's nothing like shooting sports in high school gyms. I was able to use the 50mm f/1.8 in the first photo because I was in a large arena with decent lighting. Not so much in most high school gyms, that's when it's usually easiest to just go with a lens like the 28-70mm f/2.8 and a flash. With a flash you can run into problems with shadows, but you can use a bounce card or box to help there, or you can lower your flash power to 1/16, or you can only use the flash when you're shooting plays on the floor and switch to the 50mm f/1.8 for just under the basket. The reason for that is the terrible lighting in most gyms, and not just lack of adequate lighting, but it varies from area to area in the gym as does the white balance. You can set your custom white balance for the 50mm f/1.8 for right under the baskets and then move around with the longer lens and flash because the flash will compensate for the lighting no matter where you are in the gym. You'll get used to what you have to do in your own gym after some experimenting for a few games, but you'll have to constantly be re-adjusting and experimenting at other schools' gyms if you go on the road with the team.
This is getting really long so let me finish up by mentioning that you should always remember that the best kind of sports photo for a yearbook isn't always the traditional action shot. Remember that your photos are telling the story of a season and you want shots in there that people will look at 20 years later and have the memories of that time come flooding back. So look for shots like these as well.
Seniors after their last game
Tournament loss
Seniors and coach after last home game
One last look
Homerun congratulations
We won
I love this game
Good luck, and let me know if I can be of any help to you.
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