pskizzy69

The question that I have concerns sports photography.

I take pictures for a local hockey team and the pictures
Have been coming out dark. I have to lighten them either
on my camera or once I get them on my computer.
I usually use the action setting on my Nikon D90. Any advice on
what might cause this? Shutter speed?

MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy

les_stockton does Hockey Photography and he is very good at it.

He gave me some pointers on this thread:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-8410-1.html

les_stockton Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

At our local rink, I've shot exclusively in manual mode. You just have to because the rink lighting, in combination with the reflection of the surface of the ice, is going to confuse the hell out of the camera sensor and software.
I shoot with the lens wide open at 1/160th or so shutter speed. You have to play with that, depending upon the lighting. ISO I use is 1600, but if you have something that will go higher, that's a benefit because it buys you a better shutter speed for stopping the action.

Get there early. Take a reference shot for a custom white balance. I recommend doing this at the lowest ISO you can, so that you can have a slower shutter (if at all possible). This allows a little more recycle time from the lamps, and you get a better reference for white balance. I use an Expocard to shoot into a light source). The Expodiscs are newer but do the same thing (a little less cumbersome).
Once you have the custom white balance, switch to ISO 1600 or higher. The custom white balance gives me much better color than I could ever get with the auto white balance.

I stress that this will vary from rink to rink. And when I shoot hockey in arenas, the lighting is much better and I have the luxury of being able to stop the lens down to f/4 and a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second. Rink photography is a bit more challenging. You learn by doing. Just keep trying things and asking questions after you see your results. You'll get better along the way.

Another tip; I shoot in RAW. This gives me the ability to clean the shots up a little better if I don't like it straight from the camera. Plus, it gives me a lot more to work with if I have to adjust white balance later.

donolea Loc: Nashville, TN

Fast glass (f/2.8 70-200mm) is the best option, especially for hockey. Always shoot in manual as the light falls differently on the ice and you'll want to make adjustments on the fly. I try not to shoot above 800 ISO if I can help, but your typical ice rink's lighting is generally average to poor at best. So 1600 and higher may be your better option. I also try not to shoot with an f-stop no higher than 3.2.

f/2.8, 1/800th shutter speed, ISO 800


f2.8, 1/500th shutter speed, ISO 800


f/3.2, 1/400th shutter speed, ISO 800

Leitz Loc: Solms

The most common cause of dark pictures is underexposure. Raise your ISO, lower the shutter speed, use a wider aperture, or all three. Questions concerning sports photography are better answered in the Sports Photography section.