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Category: New Answers

Photography Question 

Gracie Fairfield 		 

Night Stadium Marching Band


 
  drummajor
drummajor
100-300mm lens
1600 ISO
photoshop level correction
exposure time 1/6 sec
F-stop 5.6
shutter 1/6
apiture 5.0
my flash didn't fire and it was better than the ones that did because the silver reflected the flah so much.

Gracie Fairfield

  
 
Hi A friend has ask me to take photos of his son the drum major. He is on a riser and is wearing black with a silver sequin stripe that reflects light a lot! The sky (black, of course) and the stadium lights as background. I have used both ISO 800 and 1600. I got pretty grainy shots, but the hands had "artistic" blur, but I would love to stop the action if possible. I can use a tripod if I need too. Can you help me with setting for the lights? I have a tried manually, but they were really awful shots when I do this.


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October 08, 2004

 

Jon Close 		  The picture attached is a bit overexposed, with the subject's head and white (gloved?) hands blown out. The suit is also being rendered gray instead of black. The meter is being fooled into giving too much exposure (and too slow a shutter speed) by the large expanse of black sky and black suit. A better exposure and faster shutter speed can be had by one of the following:
(a) Dial in -1 to -2 exposure compensation in such situations, or (b) Partial meter on the subject's face, or (c) Take a reading from the grass field - which approximates an 18-percent gray card - and set that exposure manually.
Otherwise, the only way to get faster action-stopping shutter speeds is to use a lens with larger maximum aperture, like 50 f/1.8, or 200 f/2.8.


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October 08, 2004

 

Jon Close 		  P.S. Assuming the yellow head is not intentional, you need to override the white balance and set it for Tungsten, or manually adjust it for the stadium lights.


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October 08, 2004

 

Gracie Fairfield 		  thank you I will try all of this in the next couple hours at the game and then see what I get.


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October 08, 2004

 

David Morris 		  One thing to think about. . . this is a shot of a Drum Major and nothing else. Why not "stage" the shot. This will give you time to set up lighting the way you like it and you can still get the "artistic blur" of the hands by useing a slow shutter speed and having him move his hands slowly while exposing. Something to think about.


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October 12, 2004

 
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