[RonHendriks1966]

I went to a friendly game in the preparing for the upcoming seizon starting on august 24th to our new womens soccerteam PSV/FCE that will start in the new BeNe League (Belgium and The Netherlands). Our team in red is far better then Tienen, paying one league below in Belgium. Endscore was 8-1.

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Last edited by RonHendriks1966; 08-05-2012 at 02:10 PM.

[jppp]

Inspired by the influx of football shots, here's an update for my season-long quest of documenting every match of our U17 team.


2-0 goal in the making. The goalie won't catch the ball as it flies through between his hands.


The red team plays every bit as hard as before. Lots of bruises after the match but 2-0 victory eases the pain.


The yellow team is at the bottom of the championship table, but we're in trouble - again.


The second defeat this year with 2-1 final score won't make the 7 hour bus trip home any shorter.


Back on home turf again and this time against the championship leader (by one point) from the neighbouring town. This guy is actually our Estonian striker and about to score the 1-1 equalizer. The guy in the background with a laptop is making live twitter updates about the match.


It was the last game of our coach who's next coaching job is already waiting in Scotland. A nice way to end his (too) short stint as our coach with 2-1 victory and a 2-point lead in the championship, having coached 6 matches (4 wins, 2 defeats). Here he's being interviewed by the news team of our elite team, which was actually his last team as an active player a couple of years ago.

There are still 8 games left before the season ends. It's going to be very interesting and exiting to see how everything turns out. I will probably give you an update again at some point.

All the pictures were taken with K-5 + Tamron 70-200 f2.8, mostly wide open.

[john5100]

Wonderful images

Anything from the Olympics?

[VisualDarkness]

Amazing shots here as usual! I would love to be photographing the Olympics, so much happening and so strong feelings.

[dosdan]

Pentax AF.C is tough with soccer.

Use Auto section and quite often it will pick a intervening nearby player rather than the intended subject.

Use Centre-Point focus and you'll may have problems with focus on non-centred subjects like two player or a player and a ball.

I think I'll try Auto with rear AF-button triggered initiation, but I don't know if the AF.C system will continue to track the subject correctly.

Anyway here's two posts of U10 soccer action. Our team won 5-0 so it was good attacking and scoring practice.

First post: First half. Unfortunately, their goal end this half was near a stand of trees that shaded it, so a lot of the goal attack shots were done under difficult conditions. All DA* 60-250 @ f/5.6

A 5-shot sequence. While I like all 5 shots, the first is my favourite. It's nice when the players are running towards the camera.

1a.


1b.


1c.


1d.


1e:



2. The camera WB temp was 5080K which I think is the sunlit background. The players faces were too pale and slightly bluish. The red level was down and blue was up. I've set the WB temp to 7000K (Shade) and reduced the yellow-green & green colour segments in SilkyPix's Fine Colour Controller. This has fixed the red-blue imbalance, but it's now too yellowish for my taste. Perhaps 6000K (Cloudy) would have been better. Otherwise, it would be best to develop the raw file twice, once at 6500-7000K for the subjects and again at 5000K for the background, and combine these two images with masking. Flying "Action Man" coming in to land.



A 2-shot kicking sequence:

3a.


3b.


4.


Dan.

[dosdan]

More U10 soccer action. 2nd half. All Sigma 70-200/F2.8 @ f/5.6

1. One of our goal scores.


2. A tough little cookie.


3. Quite often you see players flinching as a ball comes near them, even if the kick was some distance away.


4. Getting down low.


5. This looks like a missed kick, but "Action Man" has been doing a lot of leaping blocks recently.


6. Tough little guy in action defending his goal. Just look at those clenched fists!



A 3-shot sequence. "Action Man" is quite wild and dynamic, but he comes a gutsa here. From halfway, he raced down the left side of the field and leaped over the outstretched leg of an intercepting player who tried to either kick the ball or trip him (or both). Then he changed direction and came across the face of the goal. There was no intervening players and it looked like he would score for sure (this was the last 15s of the match). Unfortunately 2 watching players blocked my photo angle and I couldn't see what happened. I believe he tried a wild right leg swing to kick the ball as he ran and tripped himself. Centrepoint focus caught on one of the observing players (mostly cropped out of the final shots) so the shot was OOF. I've tried to tighten focus in the first 2 shots with Focus Magic. By the third shot, focus was getting closer to the subject, so I've just used more sharpening in SilkyPix.

7a.


7b.


7c.


Dan.

[The Kellyboy]

Just a few more pics from Olympic football. This time (and the last time) it's S Korea v Japan in the Bronze medal match.

RawPhotography | Facebook

[jake14mw]

I want to thank all those who post photos to this thread. Pentax is not known as a sports camera, so it's very difficult to find any discussions of Pentax sports pictures on the web. I think it's important to have all levels of photographers post their results as it helps to learn from what others report. Thanks to all of you. This reminded me that i have not posted a picture in here in a long time, so I need to get on it!

[VisualDarkness]

A couple of shots of the local soccer team that won 5-0. But wow, a soccer field is huge! My 70-200 pretty much limited me to close action only but I'm pretty happy with the result from my first real soccer game. Feedback would be nice but remember that I had some real limitations equipment-wise.
















A couple of more shots here: 2012-08-12 Surahammars FK - Norrby - a set on Flickr

Just a few more pics from Olympic football. This time (and the last time) it's S Korea v Japan in the Bronze medal match.

RawPhotography | Facebook

I'm not jealous, no no. I've probably asked it a 100 times but what equipment did you bring? And how tough was it to get in the good areas?

I want to thank all those who post photos to this thread. Pentax is not known as a sports camera, so it's very difficult to find any discussions of Pentax sports pictures on the web. I think it's important to have all levels of photographers post their results as it helps to learn from what others report. Thanks to all of you. This reminded me that i have not posted a picture in here in a long time, so I need to get on it!

I think so too! It's easy to get inspired and find info for Canikon stuff when it comes to sports so this is a great thread that shows what and how you can do things with Pentax.

[dosdan]

VisualDarkness, nice shots.

Did you shoot sitting down or kneeling? These shots look like they've been taken from a low perspective. I sat down on the ground behind a low tripod for a number of matches a couple of years ago, but I found it made it difficult to quickly switch from one end of the field to the other. (I shoot from midpoint sideline.)

Dan.

[dosdan]

U10 soccer action. We won 2-0, so the Sunnybank Saints Vortex team are into the finals rounds (top 4 out of 11 teams). The team my son played in last year, the U9 Sunnybank Saints Cyclones were the Queensland Christian Soccer Association U9 South Zone Grand Final runner-ups to the winners, the Sunnybank Saints Tornadoes, so Sunnybank Saints is a great soccer club. (The U10 Sunnybank Saints Tornadoes are also into this year's finals.)

First half. All DA* 60-250/F4.

1.



A 4-shot sequence of a great save from the Beaudesert team. I love the looks on the players' faces in this sequence:

2a.


2b:


2c:



2d:



3.



A 3-shot interception sequence. I was close-tracking, so I missed the top of the centre player's head when he unexpectedly leapt over the legs of the other two players.

4a.


4b:


4c:



The sequence above reminds me of a sequence with a different outcome, from 2 years ago, but on small-sized fields so it was much easier to capture:

Demo of Squeeze Tackle (with leg assist)


5. This kick resulted in the first of our two goals.

[dosdan]

U10 soccer action. Second half. All Sigma 70-200/F2.8 II.

1. A complicated dance step?



2. I like getting players in positions that look unusual or unstable.



3. Another unstable shot. 100% crop.



Dan.

[jppp]

A couple of shots of the local soccer team that won 5-0. But wow, a soccer field is huge! My 70-200 pretty much limited me to close action only but I'm pretty happy with the result from my first real soccer game. Feedback would be nice but remember that I had some real limitations equipment-wise.

Nice and sharp pictures! I especially like the BW shirt of the other team ;D (see my pics and you'll find out why...)

I've pretty much ditched my Sigma 150-500, even though it would give me so much more reach. The IQ just isn't there compared to my Tamron 70-200 f2.8. A massive difference.

Here's how I approach shooting a football match:
1) Shoot sitting down on the ground. This is a new one for me, but the impact is huge. No more chopped off heads on the background, less grass in the frame and much more drama. If the ground is wet, a small stool or chair does the thing, or something to keep your butt dry.
2) shoot from the end of the pitch, or the far end of the sidelines. The best action is always close to the goals and you also get more faces and expressions in the shots, not only the numbers in the players' backs.
3) This is what I usually forget: shoot not only the action but also the reactions. Frustration, celebration, anything. Facial expressions. My job in our team is also to keep the statistics, so I tend to switch my camera to a pen, then realizing that there could have been some nice facial expressions to capture. And there are reactions also in the audience, how big or small it may be.
4) Shoot a lot, and then some. While editing and selecting takes a lot of time afterwards, at least you have a lot to choose from. Having the max focal length of 200 mm is a restriction in this regard because I can only shoot what happens on the closer half of the pitch.
5) Shoot RAW. I know many say that even pro sports shooters mainly use jpegs, but I tried RAW once and never looked back. Who cares, I'm an amateur!
6) Plan your session beforehand. Where to shoot from at which ever part of the match.
7) This one's both easy and difficult for me: know the players. At the moment I shoot for one team, the operation of which I'm heavily involved in. Knowing each one of the players for several years helps to anticipate their action on the pitch. And because my mission at the moment is to document their "heroics and achievements", I really don't have to know much about the other teams. This will change when our team dissolves, maybe already after this season. The difficult thing is that I'm too emotionally involved in the team. I see loads of poorly framed action shots close to the goal, because I get exited about the chance of the team scoring a goal. And having my own son on the pitch doesn't make it any easier, either.
8) Monopod is a distraction and an obstruction. Never use it.
9) Turn the SR off, because shooting wide open and using shutter speeds from 800 and up takes usually care of motion blur. If it's left on, it may actually add blur to the images when shooting fast action and panning. However, the Sigma OS is helpful because it stabilizes the view in the view finder as well. When I used to shoot with the Sigma 150-500 I always had that switched on.
10) Keep the ball in your shots. If it's not there, it's hard to tell why the players are twisted into difficult positions and having funny faces. The ball is the center and motivation of the action.

There you have it. Most of this is self evident to the experienced shooters, but there's a lot that I myself keep forgetting. It's hard to focus into all these things during a shoot (and there are lots of other details as well) because there's so much going on.


The latest game against the guys from the Capital (blue and white) was great to watch. Total dominance and yet only 0-1 win. A two point lead in the championship with 8 games to go.

[VisualDarkness]

VisualDarkness, nice shots.

Did you shoot sitting down or kneeling? These shots look like they've been taken from a low perspective. I sat down on the ground behind a low tripod for a number of matches a couple of years ago, but I found it made it difficult to quickly switch from one end of the field to the other. (I shoot from midpoint sideline.)

Dan.

Thanks! Sitting or kneeing on most shots to get a bit more action into the shots.

Nice and sharp pictures! I especially like the BW shirt of the other team ;D (see my pics and you'll find out why...)

I've pretty much ditched my Sigma 150-500, even though it would give me so much more reach. The IQ just isn't there compared to my Tamron 70-200 f2.8. A massive difference.

Here's how I approach shooting a football match:
1) Shoot sitting down on the ground. This is a new one for me, but the impact is huge. No more chopped off heads on the background, less grass in the frame and much more drama. If the ground is wet, a small stool or chair does the thing, or something to keep your butt dry.
2) shoot from the end of the pitch, or the far end of the sidelines. The best action is always close to the goals and you also get more faces and expressions in the shots, not only the numbers in the players' backs.
3) This is what I usually forget: shoot not only the action but also the reactions. Frustration, celebration, anything. Facial expressions. My job in our team is also to keep the statistics, so I tend to switch my camera to a pen, then realizing that there could have been some nice facial expressions to capture. And there are reactions also in the audience, how big or small it may be.
4) Shoot a lot, and then some. While editing and selecting takes a lot of time afterwards, at least you have a lot to choose from. Having the max focal length of 200 mm is a restriction in this regard because I can only shoot what happens on the closer half of the pitch.
5) Shoot RAW. I know many say that even pro sports shooters mainly use jpegs, but I tried RAW once and never looked back. Who cares, I'm an amateur!
6) Plan your session beforehand. Where to shoot from at which ever part of the match.
7) This one's both easy and difficult for me: know the players. At the moment I shoot for one team, the operation of which I'm heavily involved in. Knowing each one of the players for several years helps to anticipate their action on the pitch. And because my mission at the moment is to document their "heroics and achievements", I really don't have to know much about the other teams. This will change when our team dissolves, maybe already after this season. The difficult thing is that I'm too emotionally involved in the team. I see loads of poorly framed action shots close to the goal, because I get exited about the chance of the team scoring a goal. And having my own son on the pitch doesn't make it any easier, either.
8) Monopod is a distraction and an obstruction. Never use it.
9) Turn the SR off, because shooting wide open and using shutter speeds from 800 and up takes usually care of motion blur. If it's left on, it may actually add blur to the images when shooting fast action and panning. However, the Sigma OS is helpful because it stabilizes the view in the view finder as well. When I used to shoot with the Sigma 150-500 I always had that switched on.
10) Keep the ball in your shots. If it's not there, it's hard to tell why the players are twisted into difficult positions and having funny faces. The ball is the center and motivation of the action.

There you have it. Most of this is self evident to the experienced shooters, but there's a lot that I myself keep forgetting. It's hard to focus into all these things during a shoot (and there are lots of other details as well) because there's so much going on.


The latest game against the guys from the Capital (blue and white) was great to watch. Total dominance and yet only 0-1 win. A two point lead in the championship with 8 games to go.

Yeah, nice shirts ey? All I can say is that the autofocus loves those shirts!
1) Mostly down low unless I don't have the time. It can make the difference between a regular "snapshot" and a "photography".
2) I tried to be cover the field from behind one goal to around the middle of one sideline. It was a low sun but pretty bad lighting from time to time so I tried to keep my back against the sun to get better conditions.
3) I got a couple of shots of reactions in my Flickr album but I didn't want to post more stuff here and fill the thread. You can check them out.
4) Oh that editing...
5) I shoot RAWer than sushi!
6) That is the main challenge when you're not used to the sport, finding the angles.
7) The second main challenge yeah. That's the good thing about following one team, you "know" where the action will take place.
8) I use it some times when shooting hockey when I'm shooting through the glass.
9) I always turn SR off, when I remeber it.

[jppp]

5) I shoot RAWer than sushi!

It gives so much more possibilities. Right now I'm trying to find good shots to convert to BW images. Having shot at f2.8 at relatively close range, can give the relation between the subject and the background somehow antique-like, dreamy feel. With RAW files I have the whole range for adjustments available.

9) I always turn SR off, when I remeber it

I know. I tend to forget that ever too often...