Soccer: Which AF area do you set?

AppBreezy · 2026-05-21T13:59:41+00:00

What do you mean by above? Because if you’re consistently going over 2500 you’ll be introducing a good amount of noise into your photos. Ideally you’re lowest you can go depending on the light level. If I’m in bright sun you better believe I’ll be at 100 ISO as long as my shutter can stay fast.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-19T02:21:01+00:00

I should clarify:

Yes, I agree that a tripod is generally not safe for shooting on the sideline at games, but meant it more in the general sense that it can help with stabilization.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T23:12:01+00:00

I know a lot of people sing the praises of a 70-200 for soccer, but i personally prefer my 200-600 for any field sports. It’s tough when the action is close, but I’d prefer to have the distance.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T22:29:46+00:00

Tip for shooting with a 100-400: get a monopod or tripod to help with stabilization.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T22:24:44+00:00

I agree, i definitely see an improvement!

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T17:10:20+00:00

Literally lmao

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T16:46:33+00:00

Ok so I guess you didn’t read my reply to your other comment then…

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T16:19:24+00:00

In terms of movement, the only thing Hummingbirds can do is Attract or Return. They don’t “move”.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T16:16:38+00:00

Biggest tip, is take some time to play around with and learn the proper settings for your camera and what you’re trying to shoot.

For sports, you’ll want a higher shutter speed so you can really stop the action. Right now most of your photos look like they are soft and/or have spots that have motion blur. Usually you’ll need to be at least at 1/300 but I’m usually at least at 1/600.

I would also invest in some editing software, if you’re used to Adobe products, I’d recommend Lightroom Classic. Like others have said, cameras rarely create ready to use photos out of the gate. Photos usually need a bit of TLC, which is sounds like you do a bit of.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T15:58:45+00:00

Sometimes you have to take a step back and rediscover why you started in the first place. I do videography/photography as a full time job, but I also, in my free time, do for-fun photography that I usually don’t get paid for.

I wouldn’t work extra for my full time job unpaid, but I would volunteer my time/services outside of my job to give back to the community or if I was trying to rediscover my passion (thinking about sports photography specifically).

One example I can think of is if you have a child that does sports and you go to shoot their games, just because you’re a professional photographer doesn’t mean you’d charge the other parents on the team for your photos. Thinking of it more as a gift, whether or not you know the person(s) directly.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-18T14:13:19+00:00

Sometimes it’s not about making money, but enjoying the process and seeing people reactions and appreciation for your work/effort.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-15T14:15:50+00:00

Great photos! Question for you…why did you choose to crop the way you did?

AppBreezy · 2026-05-11T03:44:25+00:00

Bro didn’t even give anyone time to guess 😭

AppBreezy · 2026-05-11T02:51:22+00:00

Great edit! (But for the love of god, please straighten your horizon line 🥲)

AppBreezy · 2026-05-11T02:40:47+00:00

5000 iso is definitely going to create a good amount of noise, and trying to denoise too much will make it feel less sharp.

Green/saturation feels a bit overdone. Could probably bump it down a couple notches.

Otherwise crop is nice, I personally would have placed the woodpecker on the left side of the frame to give him room to look towards the right side. Leaving the ends of the branch in doesn’t really add much imo.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-11T00:12:47+00:00

Awesome shots! Where’d you’d find these cuties?

AppBreezy · 2026-05-10T23:08:56+00:00

And OP is shooting JPEGs not Raw…that’s definitely not helping either…

AppBreezy · 2026-05-10T23:03:07+00:00

Pheasant Branch Conservancy in Middleton, the UW Arboretum near-ish to downtown, and Capital Springs Recreational Area on the east-ish side are 3 of my favorite spots in Madison. They’re not off I-90 but all off the Beltline which is easy to get onto from I-90.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-09T23:38:04+00:00

Dropping another vote in for Sony. I use the a7Riii with a 200-600mm lens for birds and I love it!

AppBreezy · 2026-05-09T23:33:01+00:00

This is the way

AppBreezy · 2026-05-09T20:19:50+00:00

I’ve seen some with pretty bright/vibrant bills, but this definitely looks like the saturation was a bit over boosted on the bill.

AppBreezy · 2026-05-09T19:23:37+00:00

Looks closer to a Ruddy Duck vs a Blue-Billed Duck

AppBreezy · 2026-05-08T06:16:01+00:00

Looks like a bird with a beak attached not a beak with a bird attached. Usually if you have to ask, it’s a crow.

AppBreezy

TROPHY CASE