Lens Extender

Taking Advantage of Weather

2013-05-31T22:35:14-04:00

There are times that Mother Nature creates a really good photographic environment. The soccer photo below was shot during a humid spring evening after a torrential rain storm at a high school soccer game under the lights.

There's No Substitute for Big Glass

2013-04-29T22:42:16-04:00

It's outdoor high school soccer time for the girls again in Michigan. Although I can capture perfectly good soccer shots with my 70-200 f/2.8 lens, there's no substitute for the reach of big glass like the 300mm f/2.8 that captured this shot. My 300mm lens is a Nikon circa 2000. Yes, this lens is abourt 13 years old. I purchased it on eBay from a camera store several years ago. It's AF-S (meaning fast auto focus). And it works perfectly well with both my newer Nikon D700 and D800 camera bodies.

Shoot Volleyball from an Elevated Perspective

2013-02-11T15:30:43-05:00

Try taking volleyball photos from a perspective above the court. This photo of an outside hitter was actually taken from a seat in the opposite stands in a high school gym. This is a cropped photo that was also taken at the 200mm end of my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Happy New Year and My New Western European Photo iBook - IT'S FREE

2013-01-07T14:43:53-05:00

Over the holiday period I tried my hand at creating an interactive ebook based on a European vacation my family and I experienced last summer. Ultimately I'm using the knowledge gained from this ebook endeavor to develop a unique ebook for sports photography parents. Check out my interactive Western Europe Photo Book. It's a free download available in Apple's iBook Store. You must have an iPad with the latest iBook app installed. From the Western Europe Photo Book link, you can download the iBook to iTunes on your computer to upload to your iPad later. Or, you can go to...

Nikon D800 and Image Resolution

2012-11-12T11:45:47-05:00

This photo was shot using a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens attached to a Nikon D800. It's another good example of the ability of the 70-200mm lens to capture action close to a photographer's position on a field or court. And it's provides more confirmation that the D800 us a very useful camera for sports in general. This photo began as a 36MP image that was cropped to 12MP to produce the image shown. The high resolution capability of the D800 becomes very useful for getting to actual composition you need while retaining image quality.

Using the D800 for Sports - YES YOU CAN ! !

2012-11-08T11:16:03-05:00

Photographers who believe the Nikon D800 cannot be used for sports photography, are wrong. The most common reason given by those who believe the D800 isn't useful for sports is the slower frame rate of the D800 versus other cameras that shoot higher frame rates (4-6 fps for the D800 versus 8-12 fps for other cameras). If all other variables were equal, then higher fps is better for sports. But as usual, the D800 has a few variables that are superior to some other camera bodies. For example, I also own a Nikon D700 as well. With the vertical grip...

Letter from a Loyal Reader about Camera Choices

2012-10-14T22:44:05-04:00

Question I bought my first D-SLR a year and a half ago. Got mysef a Nikon D7000. Just like you, I love sports photography. I had the chance to shoot soccer games, boxing matches, basketball and even few weddings. I consider myself a intermediate photographer still. But without advertising my services I've been getting few contracts here and there. I love learning about photography, but I need to get into the habit of shooting more. Instead of studying about it so much. And as I experienced more shooting opportunities, I've been feeling the limitations of my gear more and more....

Explore Multiple Sports Photography Vantage Points

2012-08-27T18:16:26-04:00

I recently shot a volleyball tournament at a high school where I had an opportunity to shoot above the courts as well as at the court level. When shooting above the volleyball courts, I had an opportunity to shoot from the three different elevated vantage points: From the perspective of the ball coming toward the camera From the perspective of the ball moving away from the camera From the perspective of ball moving parallel to the camera The first 3 photos below are from each of the abovew vantage points. The 4th photo is from a sitting position perspective shooting...

Shoot in Manual Mode

2012-08-21T23:41:33-04:00

Don't be afraid to set your own shutter speed and aperture for sports. You'll have much more control over the appearance of you photos. My strategy is to set an appropriate aperture to capture in-focus action with nicely blurred backgrounds with enough shutter speed to reasonably stop motion. My Nikon D800 has an Auto ISO setting that I engage to insure proper exposure particularly when outdoors shooting sports partially in sun and shade. Auto ISO allows me to get proper exposure. Nikon D800, Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens, Aperture setting f/4, Shutter speed setting 1/1600s, ISO 500 (Auto ISO)

First Soccer Photos with Nikon D800

2012-08-20T23:24:08-04:00

I ordered the D800 in February from B&H and it arrived in late July. After a weekend shooting soccer, I must say it seems like it was worth the wait. First, I must admit I have to grow accustomed to a 4 frames per second frame rate in FX mode (highest resolution mode). With the vertical grip attached to my old D700, 8 frames per second is a nice added feature. I ordered the vertical grip with the D800 for the added battery capacity. However, unlike the D700, the D800 still only shoots 4 FPS in FX mode with the...