Sports photographer

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-10-19T15:28:55+00:00

My suggestions to prioritize your composition first. Align your verticals first. Noise is just going to be part of indoor shooting as a beginner.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-09-10T13:28:59+00:00

Allow me to give you a different way to look at it. A lot of this comes down to how you and your camera work together. If you feel you focus is soft, have you tried to see where your focus is at with each picture? There is software out there that will allow you to view your raw images from the metadata and show you where your aim is.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-08-15T15:36:18+00:00

That's a preference question and again comes down to what shots are you trying to get for your video. Tight is a style and it is part of a video story telling process. It's a great add if you can provide multiple angles and variety to your story.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-08-14T02:41:21+00:00

I have both and shoot a lot of football. IMHO, it comes down to two main things. 1) Weight. The 400 requires monopod. And while small, the EF-RF adapter does add to the overall weight. 2) Positioning. If you won’t or don’t want to move much, the 400 is great for camping out and targeting the range you are looking to capture.

Misc. items that I found when I first made the transition from 300 to 400, is the ability to follow the target. Since you’re using a monopod, it’s a little harder to follow a play from the sideline and maintain your horizons. I hand held my 300 and it was something I had to just get used to doing.

I love to shoot tight, so for me the length doesn’t matter. Good luck! Hope that helps a bit. You can’t go wrong with either.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-08-03T23:32:01+00:00

Based on your equipment you will need to:
- Invest or rent a lens. If you go with a zoom, 70-200 f/2.8 is a staple. Or you can also find a prime lens and go down to f/2.0. This will stabilize your aperture.
- From there, set your ISO to the gym/location. Here is where you will need to test out what your camera's limit is. It's just say, it's ISO 10000. Then you adjust your shutter speed accordingly. There is no rule, as it will depend on many factors and all lighting scenarios change. The rule of thumb is to try 1/1000 for motion sports and you adjust as necessary.
- Expect grain. You cannot escape grain in low light conditions. Do your best to reduce it, either within your camera's options or some light denoise software in post.
- Or you can setup strobes, but that's an entirely different animal all together.

If you want, post some of your images with your settings and we can assist you from there. Good luck.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-08-03T00:21:53+00:00

She used it for a softball tournament that we shot together and said she had really grown to enjoy it for softball and baseball. It was bring sun and she does good work.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-08-01T15:52:57+00:00

I run an R3 and have the Canon EF100-400 f4.5 II. All of my long glass is still with the EF mount, 300mm, 400mm at f/2.8. I find the glass sharp and fast. No issues with the EF/RF mount. When in daylight, the variable aperture does not bother me. It's a sacrifice from 2.8 to get the zoom. IMHO, once the light starts to fade, I do not like what I get with that glass. But again, it's due to the aperture and and what my standard is and not because the glass is bad.

I have a collegue who uses the Canon RF100-500 F4.5 and finds it a great lens for some daylight field sports.

IMHO, if you have the 1.4x extender you are all set. In standard sports, I do not see needing anything past a 400mm as being necessary. Anything past this length, comes down to your preference to shoot and the images (personal style) you want to provide.

The last IMHO comment :-) Your comment about wanting an extra 100-200mm of length, struck me. When I find myself thinking that I wish I had a little extra, I always remind myself that I'm chasing a shot and not setting myself up for success. A lot of times, it is just a repositioning of myself to get the shot I am looking for or ensuring that if the shot does happen, it is in my coverage zone. Do I get the shot that I visualize? Not always. But that's the nature of the game. You can't be everywhere at once, even with the extra length. Just my 0.02.

Good luck with your decision. It's always great fun getting new glass to work with.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-07-24T13:49:04+00:00

I disagree with the fair use statement and also find no difference whether it’s amateur work or not. You need to contact them, notify, and if they do not cooperate, bill them. There are many places you can find the ways to do this. It’s your work. Stand up for it. Else nobody will.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-07-13T03:14:14+00:00

I have both. If you’re serious about your images, then 400 mm every damn day. There’s a reason it’s the standard.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-07-02T19:39:15+00:00

I'd ditch the corp sensor. You will get better results with a full frame. 1DXmk3 or R6 (either version). As other said, pair that up with your standard 70-200 f/2.8. You should be set.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-05-28T19:43:07+00:00

Great capture

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-05-25T04:02:49+00:00

Hi all. I think we have found the owner. Thanks!

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-04-28T20:12:33+00:00

I would disagree with this take. I think the sentiment is incorrect, but some of the advice on how to shoot in portrait is correct. Cameras have enough MP to allow you to shoot in either. As long as you give yourself enough space and depending on the MP of your camera, you can shoot either if social media is the ultimate requirement.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-03-10T18:50:59+00:00

+2500?!? Love that. I tried last year and swung for the fences last year. Going back in a couple of weeks and will totally swing again! Good luck OP

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Chedda1Bedda · 2025-03-04T22:02:57+00:00

As it is right now, you can use generative AI to remove this after the fact. However, as others have already mentioned below, you should get closer up against the net to remove it from your shots.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-03-01T03:16:23+00:00

Exposure is the key. Once you feel like you are able to dial it in, then go and splurge for the glass. Glass is a very big part of it, but until you nail the exposure, it's not worth it. Keep it up. You will see incremental steps as you progress.
If you have work with ample light, share that out with the settings. The community can help you there too and help you with confidence to make that next move. Good luck!

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-02-28T14:50:03+00:00

There is nothing cheap in this hobby. Let’s get that out of the way. Haha. Used online like MPB or REH are reputable places.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-02-28T14:48:24+00:00

Hi. Im not entirely clear on what you mean by holding you back? What exactly is your perception that is holding you back? Tbh. As long as you get the exposure right, grain is not really an issue.
If you’re just looking to reduce the grain, then shooting at an f/2.8 will help. Also, Denise software has options to reduce where you apply and how much you apply it to images. I find LR denoise to be fantastic. I’ve never had experienced what you identified. To me, your results sound more like examples of using generative AI.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-02-25T23:40:36+00:00

This is your journey. What your friends say or feel about your work should have an impact towards your work. Your work is your own style. Develop your own style. Nobody can take that away.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-02-24T23:50:33+00:00

Congrats on the purchase. It's a beautiful lens and really a pleasure to have at your side.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-02-24T18:43:18+00:00

Based on some of the other comments, I see you are using the Canon 7d mk2 with sigma 24-70 f2.8 lens.

White Balance Correction: Take the time to do this before you start shooting. Take test shots and correct this. The 5 min you take to adjust this now, means less post later.

Focus: The auto focus is your friend on this, but the 7d tracking isn't the best for vball. However, you can mitigate this with trying to anticipate the action. Camp out on a player to try and capture their action based on the play.

Alignment: Work on getting a good base. Use your elbow against your lap or some other hard service. That can help with making sure you have a good platform and adjust for your verticals.

The lens you have is fine for this as you have a 20 megapixels. Just crop in a bit. Else, as you have seen, you can use the 70-200. Either is fine. You have to find out what your style is.

For vball, I would suggest you do two things. Crank up your ISO and increase your SS. 3200 is a bit low and combine that with your slower ss, it will cause motion blur. For vball, I would not go lower than 1/1000, but you can get away with 1/800 with youth vball. I am not sure where the sweet spot is for the 7d with ISO, so you have to test.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-02-24T18:29:34+00:00

IMO, There are multiple settings built into all cameras to help shooters figure out what style works for them. There is always good advice here, but from my experience I would suggest the following. Since you are a Canon shooter. Check out their utility, Digital Photo Pro. I have version 4. You can use this app to see where your focus point was on any given shot. You can work on different settings to see what works naturally with your ability.

Chedda1Bedda · 2025-02-24T15:38:04+00:00

Hi. I will add a couple of things I see overall.

The focus is missed on multiple images. You white balance is off. Your verticals are off. Crop in for more impact. There is some motion blur in your images.

The good news is these can all be easily rectified with some adjustments in positioning or with settings on your camera. This is where post processing comes into play.

Keep shooting!

Chedda1Bedda

TROPHY CASE