How to Get Sharp Photos for Sports, Action, and Wildlife - Every Time!
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In this video, I discuss all the factors that play into getting the sharpest sports, action, and wildlife photos possible! I'll discuss aperture, shutter speed, autofocus settings, and plenty of techniques you should know to get the most out of your camera and lenses. If you're beginning sports, action, or wildlife photography, or even someone more experienced, you're sure to pick up some tips to improve your photos.
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
0:41 - Subject Motion Blur
3:35 - Camera and Lens Blur
5:48 - Failed Focus
9:53 - Lens imperfections
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Additional, related videos:
- Best Autofocus Settings for Action - • Five essential autofoc...
- Best Camera Settings for Sports - • Best camera settings f...
- Tips for Beginning Sports Photographers - • Sports Photography Tip...
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Contact me:
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Translated titles:
Cómo obtener fotografías nítidas de deportes, acción y vida salvaje, ¡todo el tiempo!
So erhalten Sie scharfe Sport-, Action-und Wildtierfotos-jedes Mal!
Comment obtenir des photos nettes de sports, d'action et d'animaux sauvages-à chaque fois !
Como obter fotos nítidas de esportes, ação e vida selvagem-todas as vezes!
शार्प स्पोर्ट्स, एक्शन और वाइल्डलाइफ
كيفية الحصول على صور رياضية وحركة وحياة برية حادة-في كل
如何获得清晰的运动、动作和野生动物照片-每次！
Come ottenere foto nitide di sport, azione e fauna selvatica-ogni volta!
Как получить четкие фотографии спорта, боевиков и дико
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Most events will not let you set up a tripod on the sidelines to shoot an event, those are considered a safety hazard to the players / officials. A mono pod is acceptable, leave your tripod at home. The monopod can also assist with keeping some smoothness as you are panning while tracking a moving subject.
Very well explained. Thanks for sharing.
*_Thank you so much for this video, good thing I came across this video. Moving on to your next one_*
Jack, thank you for your honesty about shooting.
Awesome video and commentary 👌 Brilliant tutorial 👏
Very helpful because you were clear concise and kept it simple. Thank you.
Thus far best in detail explanation, very impress, i did subscribe, thank you.
I noticed the same focusing performance when I borrowed a D5 and compared it to my D850 and D500. The D5 was night and day "stickier" than the D850 and D500. Once the D5 acquired focus it just kept it on the subject as long as I could keep the focus point on the subject. Especially with the faster moving subjects. I'm totally sold on it, and hope to be getting my hands on a D5/6 soon.
Excellent video, thanks very much
This video is so helpful! I really appreciate you taking the time to post it!
Glad it helped!
Thank you! Quite informative. I'm guilty of being trigger happy because I don't want to miss the moment, even on burst mode. Will try holding back and making sure it's locked focus.
Great video! I shot my first HS cross-country last week with what I think are pretty poor results. A few of your tips will be tried at the next one in early November. Thank you for the tips.
I'm a newbie photographing my daughters high school soccer team. I love the tips! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks for watching!
Only just discovered your channel. Great stuff. Subscribed.
All your information is GOLD, straight to the point and accurate.. You gained a new subscriber for sure.. Keep up the great work.
Thank you!
Jack - another 5 star video. You organization, research references and overall presentation screams preparation that unquestionably helps the viewer. Awesome!
Wow, thanks!
🙏 thank you!!!
Honestly after year or more watching videos and Playing with my Cheap Rebel T100 walmart Special. You Have made more sense then anyone. Sports, landscape, nature, and anything else. This helps. THANK YOU.
Thanks for watching!
Jack. Your sports photography videos have excellent information.
Thanks!
Thank you, very useful advices...
I appreciate it!
A great video with excellant tips
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video - thank you!
Glad you liked it!
Excellent advice!!👍
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you I am learning so much from your videos!
Glad to hear it!
great video - love it!!
Glad you liked it!
Brilliant video mate! Definitely have a clearer idea on how to improve my action photography. I've been using a Canon M50 MK ii with surf and skateboard photography and I'm probably going to upgrade to a Canon M6 MK ii very soon cause it has more FPS when shooting action and better autofocus. I've been shooting some of my skateboarding shots close up with my Sigma 30mm F 1.4. It's a great lense and I really like the shots I've been taking. However, there are a number of occasions when I can't get to focus on the face and maybe it's because I've been shooting at F1.4. I know that the lense is at its sharpest around F4, but would you recommend stopping down between F2 or F2.8 to get a balance between overall sharpness while maintaining a shallow depth of field? Thanks 👍
Great video. Fellow photographer who is 90/10 focused on sports and wildlife and nature/portraits. Great to see these basics laid out so well. Props on the video friend. Earned a subscribe.
Much appreciated!
great video! thanks
Glad you liked it!
Thank you, You are Amazing!
I appreciate it!
I think you just helped me resolve the issue I have (especially with hockey shoots) where my images are sharp in the wrong area. Your basketball player example was great. It didn't occur to me that a player leaning over could throw off the image because of the shallow depth of field at 2.8. I have several images where the jersey is tack sharp but the face is slightly blurred.
Yep, I’ve been there. Thanks for watching!
Play around with a Depth of Field calculator! You will definitely be impressed by the results.
Awesome video. I've only recently started shooting sports and I never would have thought to adjust where my focusing points are. Any opinions on using some of the more AI based autofocus methods? For example, my R6 MkII will let me choose between prioritizing eyes or people, so I'm assuming that choice would come down to if the sport involves helmets/eyegear.
Excellent tutorial video
Thank you!
I am new in sports photography this help me a lot, great explanations.😊
Thanks for watching!
You offer such helpful information. Have you ever considered doing a video on your workflow from start to finish? I know you’ve shared your process (culling using photo mechanic, Topaz DeNoise, and editing in Lightroom) I would just appreciate seeing you work through these steps. I’m using photo mechanic for culling then editing in LR but for whatever reason, using DeNoise is making me nervous. Plug-In or stand alone software, before or after editing LR, etc. it’s more than I feel comfortable figuring out through trial and error. Thanks again for you thorough and thoughtful content.
Thanks! Since I post large galleries, I use Topaz as a standalone and batch process using the same settings for all photos. Usually, they come out fine.
I just watched two of Beasley's videos and I think that he is a good communicator and he kept my attention as he doesn't waste time or words; He packs in the information with every sentence.
Thank you!
Your tip on players leaning in could be a game changer for me. I shoot basketball and very keen to try focus points higher than the chest (though chest gives me the best contrast)
Yep, give it a try.
I had really bad issues with needing micro-adjustments on the D810 and D850, but the D5 was always spot on.
Sorry to hear that. I've done micro adjustments with all my cameras, but none of them were particularly bad.
Where to focus has been an issue for me in the past. So many times I hear, "focus on the chest", but when shooting cycling or rugby, the head is further forward than the chest, so the face is not going to be in focus. Also in rugby you have more chance that way of focusing on the ball. I tend to aim for the face in both of these sports, although in cycling you do have to time your shutter to when they look up, as often they are looking down. I also realised recently that I was firing away before focus had locked on. I changed this by just slowing myself down a little, wait for focus to lock, then shoot. My in focus photo count rose quite dramatically after this. Now I just have to concentrate on keeping my focus point on the face. Something to work on. 😄Great video. Thank you. 👍
Good points and thanks for watching!
Very useful tips, especially on shutter speed settings. Thanks for sharing! Quick questions on custom settings and VR: when setting the minimum shutter speed (in the menu where you select the min/max Iso). Say you are shooting a 100mm lens, would set min shutter speed at 1/50 or 1/25 (VR on)? Does the camera strive to shoot slower when this is setup or is only when the upper limit of the ISO setting has been reached? Thanks
I don’t know that I’d ever set that low a shutter speed for anything. What are you trying to photograph? If it’s sports, 1/500 is the rock bottom, no matter if you have VR on or not. If it’s still life, landscape, or architecture, yes, you can set it that low with VR because your subjects aren’t moving.
Hi Jack! Could you explain what you did to get good photos at the night street race? Or, do you have a video on the subject? Thanks!
I'm not sure what night street race you are referring to. I've never talked about one here. If it's a 131 Events race, then I think you are talking about how I used off-camera flash, set up on stands, on either side of the finish line. They have a wireless trigger I put on my camera.
I also have the 300mm lens you showed us in this video. I shot my kids high school and college sports and this lens is my work horse lens. I live on long Island and took the lens to Nikon HQ for maintenance. The techs at Nikon said because the lens is so old they couldn't help me. Can you recommend a maintenance professional, please.
Very good tips. Another sharpening adjustment within the Nikon cameras may be found in the "Set Picture control" / Vivid / Sharpening adjustment. I like to have mine set in the highest 9 setting. Your thoughts?
I'm a reluctant to set high adjustment levels for JPEGs in camera, as you can't back them off when you edit the image. At best I add a point or two. But, if it works, I might have to give it a try.
very good advice on focus . what is exact model of your 25 year old 300mm 2.8 ?
I've since sold that lens and upgraded to a 400/2.8. I believe it was the AF-S version from the 1996-2001 era.
D5 is 20MP while the D850 is 45.7 which explains why its a GO TO camera for i guess non sports... sheesh Focus is a Hefty price to pay for 20MP less. I never knew this until this video and its good to know. Thank you for your break down.
I own a D600. Trying to take pictures of football at Rio de Janeiro (yes, we do "american football" over here). Now Chasing good lenses to be sharper. Thanks for your tips and experience!!! 😊😊
You’re welcome
Just turned the bell on.
Nice!
Jack shooting football where do you have the focus point? Good video by the way.
D9 on the Nikon
@@JackBeasleyMedia Does the focus point go in the middle or upper middle. Night football 1/1250 at 2.8 using 300 2.8?
I usually go up a tick or two to improve my chances at getting the face sharp
Since i'm not a profesional nor do i intend to be one in the future, i use automatic for all my futbol pictures with a monopod. No problems for me.
Hi Jack. I have a Nikon D500, which is considered to be a rather good camera, and a Tamron 100-400 DI VC USD lense. I am struggling getting sharp images, even on a tripod/monopod. Usually where its worse is wildlife/bird photography and often birds in flight. I am in manual mode, s set my shutter speed to 1/2500+, auto ISO and have tried several aperatures from 6.3 and upwards. The problem is mostly on 400 mm and from about 30+ feet. If i get close to my subject, its usually ok sharp. Any ideas ?
Hmm, do you have a similar problem with any other telephoto lenses? I’m wondering it is a micro adjustment issue between the camera and lens.
@@JackBeasleyMedia Hi Jack. My kit lenses 18-55, 55-200 and 70-300 are sharp, so it could be micro adjustment. I have the tap in console , but not sure which settings i should use.
On your video around 9 minutes, you mentioned that you used single focus point in basketball? It is all the time or just when they come at you?
All the time. In basketball, it's usually only one or two people in the frame at one time and it's easier to get that single point on an individual.
Much better but still a couple glitches. I understood the info you shared. The baseballs popped up in the wrong spot and then at 12:28, the voice got off again. Take care and stay safe
Hey Angelo, I'm not sure what's going on. I just watched it all the way through on YT and it ran fine. But, thanks for the feedback. I'll keep an eye on it.
Does a longer lens makes a difference for outside sports for closer up actions.
Yes, very much so. Most sports photographers are using lenses in the 300mm to 500mm range.
What’s you opinion on lens 4.5-5.6 canon 70-300 for sports like track or football
It will be OK for daylight sports, but you'll struggle with very high ISOs at night or indoors.
@@JackBeasleyMedia Thank you so much
Also do you shoot sports(both indoor and outdoor)in auto ISO ?
It depends on the venue. Outdoors, the lighting almost always varies widely from one spot on the field to the next. Indoors, if your light is pretty constant throughout a court, I'll figure out what the correct ISO should be and leave it there. On the other hand, I've seen basketball courts where it was nice and bright in the center, and a couple stops darker right under the basket.
I was thinking to upgrade from my Nikon D5600 to a D850, i started photography last year and the 5600 has been great....you have gave me an hour of doubt now as to what to upgrade to. I like taking pictures of wildlife, sports and scenery, any suggestions on an upgrade??
Right now, the world is moving to mirrorless. The current mirrorless equivalent to the D850 is the Z7ii. I also hear rumors of a Z8 which will be a "Z9-lite" and also have a similar high resolution sensor. Any of these models would serve you well for the scenarios you suggested. Having said all that, the D850 will likely be discontinued sooner rather than later - but you can probably get them used relatively cheap. If you're going to move up to full-frame, I suggest you go mirrorless - just because everything is going that way.
@@JackBeasleyMedia thank you for the info, will look at the z7ii
Football day games. Would you ever shot stopped down to 5.6 or 8 given the right lightening conditions on a 2.8 300 or 400 or even 70-200 2.8.
Nope. I want those backgrounds nice and soft so the subject stands out. Day games often have very busy backgrounds.
that is what i thought, tks. @@JackBeasleyMedia
Thinking of buying a used 300 2.8 to use with my Z6ii. 400 2.8 is out of my budget. Any recommendations as to what version to look for? Tks
Can you use vibration reduction while using a monopod?
I do all the time. I haven’t noticed any issues. I’ve been told it has issues with tripods, but since I almost never use a tripod, I can’t confirm.
@@JackBeasleyMedia Thank you for replying!
i just attempted yesterday at night do i autofocus for a soccer game (using AF-C) or what ? its impossible to manually focus while shooting
Yes, I'd do AF-C.
I have subbed but.... i have a poor 480mm 1" bridge camera and i am strugglign to make it capture low light soccer match 1/200 SS wasn't always great, but it got me a few decent photos, but now i am forced to increase to 1/500 or just get away with a few decent images at 1/200 SS, my concern here however is that NOISE is so damn high, and hence i get less detailed images, so coming to think about it again, i may have to shoot at 1/200, because Noise is a BIGGER problem to me and picture detail from blurry images due to slower shutter i got two options now to mitigate or reduce the damn noise 1) I can set shadows to -5 and +5 for highlights 2) I can set noise reduction to +5 (maximum) and sharpness to +5 so can i set those two simultaneously to get lowest noise levels possible or should i stick to only one of them ? and which one ? thank you,
@@dronetheworld4k67 I am unfamiliar with your camera, so I am reluctant to make settings suggestions. I also don't know what you're using for a photo editor, but Lightroom and Photoshop have very good noise reduction if you shoot in RAW. That might be the solution to your problem.
@@JackBeasleyMedia thank u for ur reply :)
Hello jack! I shoot sports photography with a Nikon 5100 with a 75-300 zoom lens. My problem is grain shows whenever I take the pics. The games are always outside with a dark field. How can I fix this n fix my settings?
Both your camera and the lens are not well suited for nighttime sports photography. The camera doesn’t handle high ISOs well and the lens is too “slow” - meaning it’s maximum aperture doesn’t get down to at least f2.8. As a result, you’re going to get a lot of sensor noise or grain. In your case, I’d try to get the aperture as wide as possible all the time, shoot at about 1/500 sec, and shoot at the highest ISO your camera can handle. You also will probably want to learn how to use a noise reduction software like Topaz Denoise.
@@JackBeasleyMedia noted! Should I shoot with manual or continue using sports mode?
Manual
Can anyone please suggest chip zoom lenses for sports photography for sony and canon camera's and give me some guidance related to this...
Two suggestions- Tamron and Sigma make good lenses at lower prices than OEM. Also, buy used.
@@JackBeasleyMedia Yeahh rightt!! nd thnxx a lot for your response🙏🏻
Can you make a video on how you edit your nighttime football pictures and how to get clear quality
Yep, sure thing
@@JackBeasleyMedia thank you so much
Can someone explain to me how flash helps capture motion? It is that flash allows you to use a faster shutter speed and it's the faster shutter speed that freezes motion?
The flash pulse is 1/1000 of second or faster. It’s that short pulse that stops the action, not that shutter speed.
@@JackBeasleyMedia Is that because, with the light from the flash, the sensor in the camera is able to capture enough contrast to process more information into a sharper/less motion-blurred image?
As long is the flash output is bright enough, and significantly overpowers the ambient light, you’ll freeze the action. But, you have to have a low enough ISO or a high enough aperture to reduce the ambient light to the point where it’s not a factor.
This video was good except for the comments about stopping down a lens for sharper photos. That was true with many older or third party lenses, but not so with the more modern and higher end lenses. I wish you would clarify the point in an upcoming video.
There are several videos on KZhead that fully demonstrate that it is still a valid phenomenon.
@@JackBeasleyMedia And there are plenty more of sports togs shooting exclusively wide open for shutter speed and subject separation...
@@funkymoped537 Yes, I agree, I do it all the time.
What is the best settings on Canon 60d, -Outdoor -Night -Lights On -Basketball
Shoot at the lowest shutter speed you can get away with (1/640), wide open aperture (hopefully your lens can go to f2.8), and the ISO your camera can handle.
When I am shooting basketball and I turn up the shutter speed. The photo comes out almost black . I can’t figure out why
Because you’re not getting enough light to the sensor. You either have to increase ISO or open up your aperture- probably both.
When I increase my shutter speed it gets really dark how do I fix that
Two choices, really three. Open up your aperture, increase your ISO, or a combination of both.
is it important to have eyes in focus in sports photography?
YES! Failing that, the numbers on their jerseys. But it's always preferable that faces are in focus.
@@JackBeasleyMedia Most mirrorless Cameras have Face and eye detection AF, Should I turn on the eye detection or the face detection one? while taking a picture of athelete. thnx
It depends. No AF system today is perfect and they tend to get confused when they are multiple faces very close to one another. If you can isolate a particular player, yes, it works great - especially in the high end mirrorless cameras.
@@JackBeasleyMedia thanks
High dollar "pro lenses" are made to be sharp wide open (200 f/2, 300 f/2.8, 400 f/2.8, 600 f/4), I shoot all these lenses wide open they are designed to be used that way.
I agree and I shoot all my lenses wide open at nearly every game or event I shoot. The point is, no lens is at its sharpest wide open. Every lens has its "sweet spot" - and I'd love to see a lens that's at its best at f2.8.
jerardo sent me lol
3:27 you also caught a demon in the background ;)
Good info for most level photographers, but the title is click-baity. You talk about what goes into a sharp sports photos, but don’t actually teach us how to get sharp photos every time. I actually thought there was one thing I wasn’t doing that will get sharp sports photos every time. Okay, I don’t really, but I still clicked hoping to find out what the “secret” is. My favorite part was about setting the fo us point differently for different sports, especially baseball, but with modern cameras (I have Canon R6), I think most would just use face tracking with or without eye tracking. Do you have that mode available on your Nikon and do you find your method more accurate? Thanks for the video!
At the time I made that video, I didn’t have a camera capable of good face tracking. But remember - a lot of people who watch that video have consumer grade cameras that also don’t have good face tracking. I have to include them.
I enjoy your videos, however, as someone who uses closed captioning anytime I'm watching other than live TV, it's really annoying that most of your videos are CC in German or Arabic rather than English. Is there anything you can do about this on your end? For instance this video is closed captioned in German...
For awhile I was adding foreign languages to my videos, but stopped some time ago. This is one those I probably did that. I’ll see what I can do make sure there are English captions. To be honest, I thought it already had them.
Hey thanks for the quick response Jack. Yeah look through some of these because I'd say there's probably more in German or Arabic than there are in English
Hey maybe it's this. I just checked this video on my phone and it's cc English. Probably 98% of the time I watch KZhead on TV and that's where I'm getting these other languages
Set Picture Control for sport: Portrait, Landscape, Natural, Vivid ....
Standard or natural
I cannot agree to all. When I shoot with my Z9 with 100m f2.8 on a focus point which is 20m away from me. I have a dof of around 6,6m which is not just "some inches". Anyway great video. Thank you.
I understand what you're saying, but I was referring to longer lenses like 300mm or 400mm which have very limited DOF at f2.8.
@@JackBeasleyMedia ok. Still love your videos. 👍👍🍺
I know: best speedcamera and best lenses supertelephoto.
Жалко что без русских субтитров (
Я не получаю много русскоговорящих. Я бы попытался добавить их в большее количество видео.