L’Observateur / September 27, 1999

As I walk the sidelines on Friday nights I see a quite a few individuals carrying cameras around their neck, and I wonder if any of them have a clue as to what their doing, in relationship to taking photos, of course. Theindividuals I am speaking of are mostly comprised of yearbook staffers and a few other unknowns. I know that many of them are just as confusedabout it as I was when I first started shooting by asking them a few simple questions, such as “what type of film are you using?” Using the correct film, flash settings, shutter speeds, camera supports and focus points can greatly improve your football photos.

If your using anything less than 800 ASA film, your probably have either under-exposed negatives or photos with super bright subjects and extremely dark backgrounds. With the exception of Destrehan High School,most of the football fields are improperly lit. Eight hundred ASA filmallows you to use flash for the foreground, while still allowing you to record some of the natural light that’s present in the background. OtherASA films, such as 1600 and 3200, are probably even better but are not always available in our area.

Flash settings can get a little tricky at times, so testing your flash maybe the only solution. Beginning guidelines for Vivitar 283-385 flashes orequivalent, should be half power for mid-field and one-fourth power for anything up to the hash mark closest to you. TTL and thirister (auto-range)may not always work, so try setting aperture at 5.6 f-stop and place theflash in manual mode.

The shutter should be set to the camera’s highest flash-sync speed available. For example, Nikon cameras flash-sync at 250/s. Check yourcamera’s operating manual for that information. Higher shutter speedshelp to freeze the action and reduce subject blurring or ghosting (double image).

Don’t leave home without a monopod! A monopod looks like a single legged tripod and greatly reduces camera blur. If not for sharper photos, get amonopod for protection, as it serves as an inexpensive Billy-club.

Focus points are exactly that, a point or direction in which you believe the play will move to. For example, focus on a linebacker or defensive end andfire the shutter when the play moves into that area. Keep in mind thatwhen your 30 to 40 feet away from your focus point, with the f-stop set at 5.6, your depth of field (area that will visually be in focus) can be aswide as 5 to 10 feet.

Shooting outdoor sports is sort of like making a good bowl of soup, it takes the right ingredients, careful technique and lots of practice to produce something taste or at least looks good.

Tommy Williams is a regular columnist for L’Observateur.Back to Top

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