How to deal with mesh netting in arenas: Hi all, I was taking pictures of my granddaughters at their skating lesson the other day. The arena has black mesh hanging from the glass above...

happy sailor Loc: Ontario, Canada

Hi all, I was taking pictures of my granddaughters at their skating lesson the other day. The arena has black mesh hanging from the glass above the boards right to the ceiling. There is no spot in the arena to shoot without the mesh. Some of the shots look like there is no mesh where others it is prominent. I did change to manual focusing because the AF was having a terrible time of it.

My question is "what can you do to get around this????"

Thanks for your replys

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

happy sailor wrote:

Hi all, I was taking pictures of my granddaughters at their skating lesson the other day. The arena has black mesh hanging from the glass above the boards right to the ceiling. There is no spot in the arena to shoot without the mesh. Some of the shots look like there is no mesh where others it is prominent. I did change to manual focusing because the AF was having a terrible time of it.

My question is "what can you do to get around this????"

Thanks for your replys

The closer you are to the netting the less the problem will be. you have already solved some of the problem with manual focus. You might solve more of the difficulty with slower f-stop to make the netting less important due to the tighter DOF at the subject

marquis1955 Loc: Lometa, TX

There are times I have been able to use spot metering, it works for me a baseball games.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

This is an issue of focusing, not metering.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

happy sailor wrote:

My question is "what can you do to get around this????"
Thanks for your replys

Happy, as has been mentioned, it has to do with how far you are from the mesh. Next, how big the aperture of the lens is and how long the lens is.
With a fast, long lens I can make the net at baseball games disappear. If you are close, way inside of the minimum focus distance, the AF is not much affected.
So how long and how fast? I can use my 600 f4.5 and a 200 f1.8. I know it's probably not what you use. But it's also minimul with my 70-200 and my 100-400.
I think you get the most success by being close, way inside the minimum focus, with the subject as far away as possible. Manual works fine, if you can predict the action. ;-)
Good luck
SS

happy sailor Loc: Ontario, Canada

Thanks Sharpshooter, I was using a Sig 150-500 and after i shot a number of underexposed ones, I flipped to auto to take some rather than take the time to figure how high I should have gone with the iso setting. The good news is they are only four so action shots are pretty much still subjects, lol.

I have attached a couple of shots one that shows the netting and one that it is pretty much non existent. The one where it shows the subject is closer to the netting and the other the kids are on the other side of the rink. Both times I was about the same distance from the netting but at different angles to it. I would imagine I am at least 20 feet back from the netting.

I also did some video with a Contour Roam and the netting is not in the video (of course a camera i have no control over at all)

Netting shows up

(Download)

No netting

(Download)

happy sailor Loc: Ontario, Canada

Thanks Boberic, Bob and Larry for taking the time to view and comment. It is much appreciated.

amehta Loc: Boston

happy sailor wrote:

Thanks Sharpshooter, I was using a Sig 150-500 and... (show quote)

Shallow depth of field is your friend. With the kids far away from you, the netting is completely out of focus, and just adds a soft darkness to the image, which you compensated for with the higher ISO. Combine that with getting as close to the netting as you can, as has been suggested, and you'll get your best pictures.

If it helps. here are some general ideas for shooting in a rink. Since things are fairly stationary, you can lower the shutter speed a bit and lower the ISO. If camera shake becomes an issue, a monopod will help with that. You could also use manual exposure, use the camera's spot meter to determine the right exposure for a child's face, and set those values. That way you don't have to worry about the meter getting fooled by the ice or the boards.

happy sailor Loc: Ontario, Canada

Thanks for the advice Anand, I will try out your suggestions especially for the exposure hints.

Cheers

amehta Loc: Boston

happy sailor wrote:

Thanks for the advice Anand, I will try out your suggestions especially for the exposure hints.

Cheers

I see you're Canadian, and more importantly, your granddaughters are Canadian. That means you don't get long while they are "stationary". As they get faster, you may want to work on panning with them. This will have the added benefit of making the mesh even less noticeable. The monopod will be especially useful with this. If you do it right, and the background is a nice streak, it will look like they're moving quite fast! :-)

dalematt Loc: Goderich, Ontario, Canada

Would moving to the side work, or is your subject always near the end boards?

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

boberic wrote:

The closer you are to the netting the less the problem will be. you have already solved some of the problem with manual focus. You might solve more of the difficulty with slower f-stop to make the netting less important due to the tighter DOF at the subject

Perhaps you could explain to me, and others,........... what is a 'slower f-stop'.? I can guess what you mean, but others might not, and will be searching their cameras and manual hand-books for an explanation.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

To get the hang of things I suggest you find a chain link fence and shoot through it. Start with your lower f-stop numbers. You will quickly see the difference that different aperature settings make. Find one that works for you and then, using aperature priority, make that your starting point at the next game. You will want to pay attention to depth of field. The lower the f-stop the narrower the depth of field. Depending on your shooting conditions some compromise may be necessary. See how your autofocus reacts and you may be able to determine whether or not you need to worry about manual focus. Manual focus on moving subjects is something I am not at all good at. I would guess that most people aren't a whole lot better at it.

Kuzano

amehta wrote:

I see you're Canadian, and more importantly, your granddaughters are Canadian. That means you don't get long while they are "stationary". As they get faster, you may want to work on panning with them. This will have the added benefit of making the mesh even less noticeable. The monopod will be especially useful with this. If you do it right, and the background is a nice streak, it will look like they're moving quite fast! :-)

Absolutely. There is something about older Canadians shooting pictures of young Canadians that completely changes the way photography works. More true with digital than with film of course....

Now, in the Phillipines...................

???????????

:shock: :?:

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

Good advice all... and the same techniques work when photographing Zoo creatures too..