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High School Baseball
Apr 8, 2017 12:14:24   #
Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada
 
Bishop Gorman vs Tucson (Bishop Gorman Desert Classic)


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Apr 8, 2017 14:26:52   #
Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC
 
They're all amazing Jules... Face & Ball in nearly everyone!
However in my minds eye the first image is certainly approaching Magazine Cover level... albeit the crop could be tighter on camera right and branding does little for the narrative... unless it is published as such by MAXPREPS in print and/or web site then it is indeed a publication "tear" and should be enumerated with a link to the page and noted: MAXPREPS (Date). If it is published as such then Kudos for your stellar efforts!

Jules tear sheet are golden and a rite of passage... they are what open doors to credentials for Press Access...
I have absolute faith you are destine to arrive at that level in the not to distant future...

Again thank you so much for sharing your journey Jules...
You are advancing your skill set at an exponential pace... Good Show!

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Apr 8, 2017 15:20:09   #
Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada
 
Thomas902 wrote:
They're all amazing Jules... Face & Ball in nearly everyone!
However in my minds eye the first image is certainly approaching Magazine Cover level... albeit the crop could be tighter on camera right and branding does little for the narrative... unless it is published as such by MAXPREPS in print and/or web site then it is indeed a publication "tear" and should be enumerated with a link to the page and noted: MAXPREPS (Date). If it is published as such then Kudos for your stellar efforts!

Jules tear sheet are golden and a rite of passage... they are what open doors to credentials for Press Access...
I have absolute faith you are destine to arrive at that level in the not to distant future...

Again thank you so much for sharing your journey Jules...
You are advancing your skill set at an exponential pace... Good Show!
They're all amazing Jules... Face & Ball in ne... (show quote)


Thanks Thomas for your nice words. As always your comments are welcome. I have been trying different settings with the 500. Focusing methods mainly. I have been going from single spot to d25 to see if I capture more shots that are in focus. I still think I have camera motion blur. What do do think? Of course the 80-400 isn't the fastest for focusing. This sequence the ball was hit to the third baseman switched to the play at first. Bright sunlight so the focus was pretty fast.


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Apr 8, 2017 18:02:25   #
Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC
 
Jules the pitcher's right fingers at the point of release are indeed tainted with motion blur which would be a bear to remove in post...
While you can clean it up some, it never reaches an ideal configuration...

Best advice? You were at 1/1000 w/ ISO 720... Also at 400mm (35mm equivalent: 600mm) which is seriously long... I wouldn't shoot action sports at 600mm with anything less than 1/2000 or better yet 1/4000... It is a trade off... how much noise does your sensor produce at ISO 1600? My D3 and D7200 are decent there... My D610 is good up to 3200... So try 1/2000 first at 1600 then 1/4000 at 3200... It appears your camera is locking focus, but the question always is: Does your lens pull the glass into place fast enough... The way to check is to review your highlighted focus cell to see if the lens got the glass to focus on it in a timely manner....

btw, my 200-500mm stubble's here and certainly is no match for the 200-400mm which is lighting fast... never an issue with pulling the elements into focus with that glass...

The base running was locked in perfect focus on the 2nd image but possibly just a hair off in the last... too close to matter...
Thinking you've become one with your kit... Keep pushing it to the limits of it's envelope (shutter speed verse ISO) not much you can do about aperture... Work with what you got... it's an amazing combo... highly popular... I see a lot of 80-400mm glass at the soccer pitch...

Food for thought... I can't freeze a hummingbird's wings at 1/8000 only at 1/20,000 with a speedlight are those wings clear...
There are limits... and it's always going to be a trade off between IQ and motion blur... the longer the focal length the more the challenge as I'm certain you are now keenly aware...

Again super captures... really enjoy reviewing your work... inspirational for sure...

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Apr 8, 2017 20:47:51   #
Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada
 
Thomas902 wrote:
Jules the pitcher's right fingers at the point of release are indeed tainted with motion blur which would be a bear to remove in post...
While you can clean it up some, it never reaches an ideal configuration...

Best advice? You were at 1/1000 w/ ISO 720... Also at 400mm (35mm equivalent: 600mm) which is seriously long... I wouldn't shoot action sports at 600mm with anything less than 1/2000 or better yet 1/4000... It is a trade off... how much noise does your sensor produce at ISO 1600? My D3 and D7200 are decent there... My D610 is good up to 3200... So try 1/2000 first at 1600 then 1/4000 at 3200... It appears your camera is locking focus, but the question always is: Does your lens pull the glass into place fast enough... The way to check is to review your highlighted focus cell to see if the lens got the glass to focus on it in a timely manner....

btw, my 200-500mm stubble's here and certainly is no match for the 200-400mm which is lighting fast... never an issue with pulling the elements into focus with that glass...

The base running was locked in perfect focus on the 2nd image but possibly just a hair off in the last... too close to matter...
Thinking you've become one with your kit... Keep pushing it to the limits of it's envelope (shutter speed verse ISO) not much you can do about aperture... Work with what you got... it's an amazing combo... highly popular... I see a lot of 80-400mm glass at the soccer pitch...

Food for thought... I can't freeze a hummingbird's wings at 1/8000 only at 1/20,000 with a speedlight are those wings clear...
There are limits... and it's always going to be a trade off between IQ and motion blur... the longer the focal length the more the challenge as I'm certain you are now keenly aware...

Again super captures... really enjoy reviewing your work... inspirational for sure...
Jules the pitcher's right fingers at the point of ... (show quote)


I shoot again on Monday. I will try iso higher (which was on auto this day) and shoot 2000 at the least. Just mess around a bit. Here are two more different settings, what do you think Thomas?

1/2000 5.6 iso 2500
1/2000 5.6 iso 2500...
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1/2500 6.3 iso 1100
1/2500 6.3 iso 1100...
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Apr 9, 2017 08:17:51   #
PattyW60 Loc: Northwest Illinois
 
Great shots, Jules!! I LOVE baseball, and love taking baseball pictures even more! I have enjoyed all of your pictures, and really like reading the correspondence between you and Thomas about settings, etc. Thank you for sharing!!

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Apr 9, 2017 08:59:53   #
AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!
 
That last shot is absolutely great! I think you're doing an excellent job. I had an editor tell me once he liked a tad of motion blur - it proved that the shot was real, not made up or posed!

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Apr 9, 2017 10:25:32   #
Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC
 
"Here are two more different settings, what do you think..." Razor sharp and excellent tonal range at ISO 2500....
Believe 1/2000+ works well for you in this scenario... btw, Auto ISO is my goto for sports... provided you set appropriate maximums...

One of my tenured mentors oft mentioned that a little noise is nearly always better than motion blur...
I'm in his camp now (except obviously for panning)...

Enjoy Monday's session... I'm looking forward to your results!

Thanks again for sharing Jules...
You are a master of your craft...

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Apr 9, 2017 10:47:24   #
mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA
 
Jules Karney wrote:
I shoot again on Monday. I will try iso higher (which was on auto this day) and shoot 2000 at the least. Just mess around a bit. Here are two more different settings, what do you think Thomas?


Hey Jules, great shots! Practice is making perfect for you and making me want to get out to a diamond near me! Just a quick question, but wouldn't it be better to open up the aperture to f2.8 to get your shutter speed up? If you are hitting your spot with auto focus (and you sure seem to be), DOF is less of a concern and a lower f stop would mean you wouldn't have to worry about noise introduced from higher ISO. Right?

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Apr 9, 2017 11:32:53   #
Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada
 
PattyW60 wrote:
Great shots, Jules!! I LOVE baseball, and love taking baseball pictures even more! I have enjoyed all of your pictures, and really like reading the correspondence between you and Thomas about settings, etc. Thank you for sharing!!


Thanks Patty for the nice words. Thomas has so much knowledge. He has really helped shed light on this great passion of ours.

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Apr 9, 2017 11:47:06   #
Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada
 
mikeroetex wrote:
Hey Jules, great shots! Practice is making perfect for you and making me want to get out to a diamond near me! Just a quick question, but wouldn't it be better to open up the aperture to f2.8 to get your shutter speed up? If you are hitting your spot with auto focus (and you sure seem to be), DOF is less of a concern and a lower f stop would mean you wouldn't have to worry about noise introduced from higher ISO. Right?


Mike:
Thanks for your comments, always appreciated. To answer your question about using 2.8 your right, but the 80-400 lens that I am using for baseball stops down to 4.5 - 5.6 that's it. If I use my 70-200 2.8 I can't get the reach I need. If I am shooting from first base with the 400 I get shots at third base and some of the outfield.

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Apr 9, 2017 12:40:53   #
cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA
 
IMHO, a bit of motion blur in the pitcher's hand, the bat, or the ball, conveys the fact that these things are indeed in motion. Often, when I shoot baseball, I slow the shutter down just to make this happen. Again, IMHO, it is not critical that everything in a sports action be motionless, quite the contrary. The trick is getting the shutter speed correct to get both. I much prefer dynamic images over static ones. YMMV. Best of luck.

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Apr 9, 2017 12:43:39   #
cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA
 
Jules Karney wrote:
Mike:
Thanks for your comments, always appreciated. To answer your question about using 2.8 your right, but the 80-400 lens that I am using for baseball stops down to 4.5 - 5.6 that's it. If I use my 70-200 2.8 I can't get the reach I need. If I am shooting from first base with the 400 I get shots at third base and some of the outfield.


On a regulation sized field, I shoot with my 400/2.8, usually with a 1.4TC, on my D5. This season I plan to try out my 300/4 PF on my D500. Try verticals on the batter and the pitcher, and back off on the zoom as needed. Best of luck. Your photos are looking good.

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Apr 10, 2017 18:26:20   #
raymondh Loc: Walker, MI
 
Well done action shots!!

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May 2, 2017 16:55:04   #
juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida
 
Outstanding photos! Great capture of expressions!

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