Resqu2 Loc: SW Va

Your doing finish line photos for a 5k race, it’s 9am and your setup behind the finish line and the sun is just up, nice and bright and facing you. How would you set up to shoot each runner? You can’t change positions.

This just happened to me and I wasn’t to happy. Had to heavily dehaze each photo then remove the noise this created. Feel like the photos were not sharp after all the editing.

My settings were pretty consistent at 1/1000 F/4 iSO 100.

Gear was an R6 and my 24-105 f/4 L with a hood.

Any advice would be most helpful for the next time I’m in this position. Thanks guys!

William Loc: Mississippi

use a flash fill light@

Resqu2 Loc: SW Va

I’m not sure if I’d be close enough as I’m several feet from the line they cross to stay out of the way and not get ran over. But it’s an idea I can experiment with for sure. Thank you.

User ID

Flash is a great solution. Even using no flash, you should raise the ISO. Why are you shooting sports in poor light at base ISO ???!?!?

Raising the ISO will move you away from shooting wide open. When the iris masks off the outer edges of the glass you will have less veiling flare. *ANY* aperture is better than full wide open when shooting against the light.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

Hmmm, if the fill flash doesn't work, I would experiment before the runners cross the line by photographing people around the finish line, shooting into the sun. I know I would blow out the highlights by exposing for the runner (whose face and body would be in the shadow). Since I don't know the exact situation, I don't know if you would have to deal with lens flare.

User ID

Since this is sports action, a blown out background might look great (maybe).

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

if you are fairly close to the finish line, consider which side you are on as to reducing the flare. might makes a difference of 45 degrees or more.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

The main thing that will help there is a proper flash that zooms, so that it adjust in accordance to your zoom and balance out the shadows, preventing silhouettes.

This is also one of the times that shooting Jpeg SOOC is not ideal. Better to shoot Raw.

Shoot at a higher ISO (at least 400), shutter speed & f-stop (higher number is smaller aperture)
Unless movement and shallow DOF is your preference because this will stop movement and lessen flare when shooting towards light.

If not shooting directly to the light, a good lens hood is a great idea.

You might want to have the camera in single point metering and focus or metering a small area. This might blow out the background in many shots and if you are not fast enough might limit your composition but it would have your main subject in the correct exposure zone.

I'm not familiar with your camera, but it should have a specific setting for high contrast scenes. In Nikon, it is Active-D lighting, which should be in its highest setting with matrix metering for such scene.

Either or, since you would be waiting, test whichever setting/setup you want to use so you can see which one is the best for the scene before committing to use them on your subjects.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Get low so you use the sunlight as rim lighting and the runner blocks the sun from your lens. That angle might also make the runner more dynamic. If you get far enough back, you won't be in the runner's path.

If worried about a flash's reach, bring an assistant to hold a flash off one side closer ahead of the finish line aimed at the runners, or 2 to cross illuminate, remotely switched to your camera. You'll get consistent lighting and can adjust exposure accordingly, then shoot away.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

I would be very interested to see one of the unedited images to see exactly the situation you were up against.

You have two separate problems here, flare from the sun/light in front of your camera and a heavily backlit subject.

If your positioning is restricted behind the finish line to get the light source more out of frame are you able to consider getting up higher and shooting down? The problem with finish lines is that the runners can come on the left, mid or right side and one shooting position is never ideal. There's always someone else where you need to get and if you do get where you want along comes a camera phone on legs !

Having shot thousands of runners often in harsh sun and shooting into the light I don't recall ever having a problem with glare affecting the runner. A good lens hood and high quality filter (if any) will help and they also say you can add additional shielding from the light with your hand but I have never done that.

As for the backlit subjects I recently trialed the use of TTL fill flash in HSS during a marathon where many shots were into the bright light and with dark skinned subjects you get problems. With mirrorless this is a doddle being able to quickly adjust for ambient light using the histogram and the flash looking after the subject reasonably well.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Resqu2 I highly recommend you review Grahame's recent efforts in a similar scenario...
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-721603-1.html#13384506
Grahame is truly a master of his craft and has been kind enough to add his shooting data/settings for all the captures he posted in this thread.

Also I find that repositioning my shooting angle can (and often) does work wonders here...
I like to capture the action as the runners come out of the gate. Have run many many 10k's myself I feel that the most intense moments are those precious split seconds immediately after the starter's gun. (see Girls 5km Cross Country Race below) Hope this helps Resqu2

Nikon D7200; 1/2000; f/4; ISO: 2800; FL 270mm with an AF 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED Nikkor

(Download)

Rongnongno Loc: FL

shoot raw (because of the DR)
Use a fill flash, preferably not the integrated flash.
Speed depending on your camera, use the fasted available. If Nikon 1/250. That is enough.
ISO? High ISO is not a great idea in my opinion as it does not solve the lighting condition.
Personally, I would select a camera manual hybrid mode: Speed and Aperture are set, ISO in auto*.

Once done, depending on the program you use, you might be able to batch process all the images and reduce them to JPG for sharing.

* Some cameras will allow to set an ISO range min/max

Resqu2 Loc: SW Va

Thank you and everyone here for all the advice. It’s much appreciated. I will look and see if I still have the RAW files in my LR when I get to my computer. If I do I will post a few here.

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

Whether you shoot standard flash or HHS you are most likely dumping full power, allowing you to get just a single shot as the runners cross the finish line. As others have said, try finding the sweet spot of exposure, set your camera for high multiple, shoot raw, and process for the best result. Since you’re shooting with an R6 you might try using eye focus on a particular runner and hold the camera over your head tilting down, possibly reducing flare from the sun. Selecting a prime lens could also help by giving you maximum flare protection. The 24-105 hood is designed for 24mm and therefore provides minimal lens shading.

Canisdirus

I have never shot sports...but I do shoot a lot of close up shots outside in a strong Florida sun.

I find that using an ND filter and a flash helps light the subject area...and reduce the wash out in the background from the sunlight angle. I often shoot into the sun this way.
Sometimes a grad ND works better...depends.