Beginner Football help please.

[scott199]

Hi All.

I would say im a beginner at best, I've been asked by a local non-league team to be their personal picture taker (not using the other term as I'm not worthy yet ) they are well aware of my novice abilities but the fact its voluntary and also they prefer someone like me being an ex-player and coach and manager of senior football, they feel I will have slightly more advantage on action/players and such. ( or the fact im free)

Anyway the above is not the question, I've done a little sport (football and motocross) but they want me to do team photos as well (I've expressed the need to get a pro/semi-pro in for this but no money available) this is the bit I'm stuck with, I'm not keen and they know it but being the softy i am, ill do what i can.

Just need to ask advice about what the best lens to use, during a game I can flip and change but team pics have a little less time (i mean kinder garden attitude of players and boredom after 13 seconds )

So if you could, best lens and idea of aperture? (mainly for facebook/twitter/local paper and small prints for dressing room/hallway (10x12 ish maybe bigger)

list of equipment available: Nikon D5100
Lens #1: Nikon 35mm F1.8g af-S
Lens #2: Tamron 17-50 non vc
Lens #3: Nikon 18-200 afs vr
Lens #4: Sigma 70-200 2.8 osm
Lens #5: Sigma 105 os macro (probably my favourite lens for everything ) I want to use this but would prob need to be on the halfway line

I do have a tripod, will use and i do have a sb600 flash but not using this as it complicates lift to much. i also have a TC if that makes any difference.

thanks for any help

 

[redhed17]

Are these team pics before a game, or at the start of a season?

Before a game with just the 11 or so players you can just practice looking at a wall or fence to see which lens is most suitable. You know roughly how much space they will take up, just see which lens gets you a reasonable distance from them/wall/fence. I would probably use the 17-50mm, but you will know better be practising the situation beforehand.

A start of the season pic with more players and staff is a similar thing, you just may have to stand a bit further back.

As for the Aperture, I think it would be f8-f1, which is the sharper aperture range of most lenses. You may just have to keep an eye on the shutter speed on a dull day. With so may people I would do a few bursts of shots to try and get one with everyone's eye open.

You don't really need a tripod or flash imho.

The output from your camera will print images much larger than the 10x12 ish mentioned. As long as you fill the frame.

 

[KIPAX]

I would say im a beginner at best, I've been asked by a local non-league team to be their personal picture taker

Well done.. great opportunity and will open lots of doors for you and give you good experience.. you should get more out of this than the club will even though both will benefit..

Just need to ask advice about what the best lens to use, during a game

OK out of the lens you listed I would say this one and stay around 18 yd box on the goal line..you will get the team your doing attacking scoring and celerating.. however you wont get any of the defenders or goalkeeper so you may want to give that some thought..

Lens #4: Sigma 70-200 2.8 osm

.

I do have a tripod, will use and i do have a sb600 flash but not using this as it complicates lift to much. i also have a TC if that makes any difference.

Do NOT use a tripod or flash even under floodlights.. search this forum for more info..

 

[scott199]

Are these team pics before a game, or at the start of a season?

Before a game with just the 11 or so players you can just practice looking at a wall or fence to see which lens is most suitable. You know roughly how much space they will take up, just see which lens gets you a reasonable distance from them/wall/fence. I would probably use the 17-50mm, but you will know better be practising the situation beforehand.

A start of the season pic with more players and staff is a similar thing, you just may have to stand a bit further back.

As for the Aperture, I think it would be f8-f1, which is the sharper aperture range of most lenses. You may just have to keep an eye on the shutter speed on a dull day. With so may people I would do a few bursts of shots to try and get one with everyone's eye open.

You don't really need a tripod or flash imho.

The output from your camera will print images much larger than the 10x12 ish mentioned. As long as you fill the frame.

Thank you, really appreciate the help

 

[scott199]

Well done.. great opportunity and will open lots of doors for you and give you good experience.. you should get more out of this than the club will even though both will benefit..



OK out of the lens you listed I would say this one and stay around 18 yd box on the goal line..you will get the team your doing attacking scoring and celerating.. however you wont get any of the defenders or goalkeeper so you may want to give that some thought..


Do NOT use a tripod or flash even under floodlights.. search this forum for more info..

Hi KIPAX.
Thank you for the advise, I’m much more confident about the action shots, game points and positions I can relate to, it’s the team photo that’s concerning me, more so which lens to use, tripod or not and knowing how players are I’d like to hit this first time and I probably won’t really get to see how it comes out till I’m home.

action shots I have some leeway with not being perfect as I’m a beginner and they know that. but static team pics I will only get one chance (plenty of pics but short timescale to get it right) and I want to do team/sponsors proud and get them a reasonable pic to hang up.

 

[scott199]

Hi all, well done the team pics, only had 20/25 mins which made it hard, no choice on location as it had to be in front of stand.

Sun very low and strong directly over my right shoulder (7pm), so most were wasted with squinting but still, I’m 50% happy, not overly chuffed but would appreciate feedback.

I also know I messed up, didn’t notice the dude in the background for player profile pics, took 5/6 of each but he seemed to drop in and out, had my first attemp at photoshop but nothing’s seemed to work, think the blur was way above YouTube tutorials. Would of preferred more control and time to edit but they were needed for program on Tuesday nights game.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/94737641@N02/Kj2LA3

 

[cargo]

Hi Scott. I am most deffianatly an hobbiest but in my opinion you did great with those. The guy would have been easy enough to remove for me but I a faffed about with photoshop more than I have with the camera to date.

I'm sure people with proper working experiance will be along to give you some feedback on them.

Gaz

 

[scott199]

Hi Scott. I am most deffianatly an hobbiest but in my opinion you did great with those. The guy would have been easy enough to remove for me but I a faffed about with photoshop more than I have with the camera to date.

I'm sure people with proper working experiance will be along to give you some feedback on them.

Gaz

How would you do that ? I tried heal tool, clone, the lasso thing, the heal just kept smuggling and bringing up odd shapes/colours, the lasso couldn’t recognise and object (assuming because of how blurred it all is) spent hours and just couldn’t get anything I was happy with. (If you so feel like showing me how, I’d be owing you a pint or cup of coffe, even a doughnut )

 

[cargo]

Well I said easy but maybe I should have said I could do it of sorts Anyways I would just copy an area from the opposite side and flip it over then maybe scale it to cover the bloke and mask it in. As you know there would be more ways eg cloning areas but that would be a quicker way for me to sort it. I think it would look ok ?
I will delete this for you when you have viewed it.

Any better ? Or worse ?

Gaz

 

[scott199]

Well I said easy but maybe I should have said I could do it of sorts Anyways I would just copy an area from the opposite side and flip it over then maybe scale it to cover the bloke and mask it in. As you know there would be more ways eg cloning areas but that would be a quicker way for me to sort it. I think it would look ok ?
I will delete this for you when you have viewed it.

Any better ? Or worse ?

Gaz

Yep I would of taken that, everyone makes it look so simple, I’m not even going to bother asking you to explain, think that’s my issue with PS just bucket loads of ways to do the same thing pending small details that I don’t know.

 

[cargo]

Hey don't knock it you took great photos thats the hard part !!!!

Gaz


Well have a practice.
I used the lasso tool but for starters.

Select the rectangle tool, 2nd tool down on the left.
Drag a selection out from the left hand side going into the player maybe covering his arm and down to the bottom of the frame.
Then.
Go to edit at the top of the screen select copy then edit paste. the image will look the same but at the bottom right in the layers panel you will have a new layer containing the pasted section.
That layer should be selected if so it is coloured blue. If not click on it.

Then go to edit at top then select free transform.
Place curser in the bounding box right click and select flip horiozontal.
Then place curser in the box again click and hold down you can then move the section over to the other side where you want it. At this point you can right click in the box and choose scale or any other command to enlarge it/manipulate it.
When happy press enter.

You can free transform at any time to fine tune.

On the very bottom of the screen under the layers panel after the letters fx is the layer mask button, press that you will see a white box next to your layer it will be selected as there will be a white border around it.
With a black soft edge paint brush paint over the areas you dont want visable working in from the hard edges caused from your rectangle selection.If you go wrong which you will do as everybody does paint it back with white.

Seems a faff and it is at first but the above will get you started. This method of pinching sections and masking in is well worth learning as you'll use it often.

Hope it helps.

Gaz

 

[GordonM]

My advice for future team photos which I used with professional players was that I would use the worst photo of them if they messed about, given the sponsors had a photo with the squad and the individual photos went to all the clubs for away programmes it seemed to do the trick. Although having a manager of the stature of Roy McFarland who took no prisoners possibly helped too!

 

[scott199]

Any critique from any of you ?

 

[Astleygreen]

Hi Scott
I do match action and squad photos for a National League North team.
For the individual squad member photos I usually have them sitting down on a chair at the edge of the pitch with me shooting from a slightly higher viewpoint. This way you get a fairly uniform green background which is less distracting and easier to remove if required, (mine are also used by Sega for Football Manager profiles so they edit out the grass).
Another tip if you are shooting a larger squad photo is to spread over three rows with the back ones standing on a school bench or similar. Makes for a more compact group.

 

[scott199]

Hi Scott
I do match action and squad photos for a National League North team.
For the individual squad member photos I usually have them sitting down on a chair at the edge of the pitch with me shooting from a slightly higher viewpoint. This way you get a fairly uniform green background which is less distracting and easier to remove if required, (mine are also used by Sega for Football Manager profiles so they edit out the grass).
Another tip if you are shooting a larger squad photo is to spread over three rows with the back ones standing on a school bench or similar. Makes for a more compact group.

Thank you, some good advice, certainly didn't think of the higher vantage point