Where do you sit taking photos of football and other other Q'S

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D-pearce92

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Dex
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Went and watched some sunday league football round the corner at my local park and really fancy attempting it.
Things ive parked up from looking on here is: watch horizons, faces towards you, highish shutter speed,get a lower perspective by sitting Is there anything ive missed?
Will be shooting with a 20d and 70-200 F4. The one thing i couldnt find is where to sit, so my question is where do you sit when taking pictures of football.

Many thanks for your help Dex
 
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cant say i've ever done a footy match, but i'd prob go for one end next to the 2-3metres from the goal of the team i was trying to catch scoring..... i'd expect the scorer to at least be goal ward facing so should get the 'action' and probably with a relatively quick shutter speed (tv mode/manual depending on weather) to freeze action, or maybe even try for an effective depth of field shot on the hope theres no distracting elements behind etc- i think the side of the pitch you'd only be getting the rears of people and may take interest away from shots...
 
at games you see togs on the goal line around the 18yd box line or on the side lines again level with the 18yd box. this is the area i would start from going from what i have seen at matches. brian
 
Go AV mode and use ISO to govern shutter speed, look for 1000sec.

With 70-200 f4, approach the club and see if you can get pitchside, this enables you to zone the field of play according to the reach and f stop of your lens.
 
Thanks for the help guys, it's in the local park so I assume I don't need permission to take photos there.
 
You haven't looked on here too hard on here if you haven't picked up that you really have to sit down (or at least shoot from a lower perspective)!;)
 
Aperture87 said:
You haven't looked on here too hard on here if you haven't picked up that you really have to sit down (or at least shoot from a lower perspective)!;)
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I know that you have to sit down,just forgot to put it in the above post, will be taking my dads small stall to sit on, my question for the people who have shot football is where abouts do you sit.
 
D-pearce92 said:
Thanks for the help guys, it's in the local park so I assume I don't need permission to take photos there.
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Dex, yes you can take photos as its a public place but always approach the manager/coach before sitting down and shooting let them know what your doing.

Get as low as possible so a small camping stool is great. helps make the player look bigger and the background can look cleaner.

Good photos that you are trying to sell to the players usually have ball, body and bonce (head face on) in shot the easiest way to get that is to have them running towards you so sitting behind the goal line bettween the goal and corner flag is best for those types of shot.
 
Yes shoot from lower down but why is everyone suggesting sitting down?

With a 70-200 I thing you'd be better to prowl the side line. This way you are not restricted to just shooting forwards trying to score.

Get a pair of decent knee pads, then knee down.
 
John has good advice on the shots to take.. everyone else has bad advice on where to sit (written before robin postrd oops.. however prowl? rule one.. never chase the game)

Football seen on TV in terms of where to sit.. The photogrpahers at TV games shoot with two bodies/lens so they can get goaline action AND the rest of the pitch.. Football on TV will have a crowd behind the photogrpaher and when a goal is scored theres a good chance the player will celebrate in front of you (if you picked the right side of goal)

Park Football is different.. you only have 200mm max and the "crowd" is down one side behind a lenght of rope.. players scoring a goal turn and run either towards the center or towards the crowd/manager... this depends on if its a real important cup or top of league match.. or boring nothing game (so find out first).. goals are just a man kicking ball.. unless its a close to line goal your not going to get the whole scene..

Best place to sit for park football IMHO is part way along the side line.. walk up from the corner flag with your lens at 200mm until you can frame the goal (ie both posts visible) the only time you will get backs of players is if the player comes in from your side to score.. but there are blind spots wherever you sit with a 200mm... at this position you will get goals.. celebrations as they turn.. you will also have anough reach to get good action headers as the goalkeeper kicks out to center of field.. lots of midfield battles/tackles you wont gte from behind the goals....far more field can be covered from this position..

choose the side opposite the linesman...however this depends on.. position of sun.. where the inevitable car park full of white vans and red cars is and all manner of things... so choose your background.. if that means same side as linesman then no problem so long as theres enough room for both of you... he wont get in the way for too many shots :)

dont just take pictures of the action.. break it up with manager shots and fans..

so there isnt a set place to sit and we all have different opinions.. but given the lens and the type of football then thats my best advice :)
 
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spelling fixed and bit added to make more sense :)
 
Tony

Prowl may have been the wrong word. I'm thinking of my 'stalking days' :puke:

What I meant was not to stick in one place.

As it will be the OPs first game, maybe he could concentrate for 15 mins looking to get shots of the goal keeper & defenders, then defenders and midfield, the midfield and strikers. Then crowd shots etc etc
 
bigrob said:
As it will be the OPs first game, maybe he could concentrate for 15 mins looking to get shots of the goal keeper & defenders, then defenders and midfield, the midfield and strikers. Then crowd shots etc etc
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eh? sorry mate unless i am missing somehting that makes no sense... your sat at pitchside and the action is just to your left.. in midefield.. you take pics... a minute later the action is just to your right goal mouth.. you take pics.... a minute later the action is too far away.. take pics of manager fans...

you cant pick periods of time to shoot stuff... or did I missread? :)

Game lasts for one and a half hrs.. your going to get pics of everything once you pick your spot and stay there :) change positions at half time if appropriate.. if following one team for example.. But dont go to same position on other side or you will be taking pics of exact same players both halves.. stay in same position and you get different players both halves :)
 
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bigrob said:
Yes shoot from lower down but why is everyone suggesting sitting down?

With a 70-200 I thing you'd be better to prowl the side line. This way you are not restricted to just shooting forwards trying to score.

Get a pair of decent knee pads, then knee down.
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The lower you get the less of the floor is in the background, which means the background is further away so more out of focus which makes the player stand out better. Kneeling down for 45 minutes at a time will kill your knees and back and make you slightly unstable.

Afew examples for you
This one I was actually sat with my butt on the grass but the boundry is a banking so I am pretty much at the height you would shoot if I was shooting standing.
222264_10150163460768387_673418386_6833463_1074073_n.jpg

the ground is up high at about waist height.

This one I am sat on my stool camera is probably 30" above the ground
246905_10150198543193387_673418386_7149567_4104467_n.jpg

The ground is below his knees and he stands out a lot better against the distant background of a dark green fence which is not idea really but its a built up area.

Its all about learning, each time you go out and do somthing you will make mistakes like screwing up the white ballence, shooting from a high position and watch for the distracitions in the background (white fence posts) like in the first shot. The 2nd shot is better I was lower, the background wasn't the carpark yes I have those shots, white ballence is better and so on ok a slight distraction of the white bench leg but not like the fence posts.

You will probably never get it right first time out, my first football shots were pants and speaking to Tony (kipax) my next shots were miles better it is all about looking at what you produce and learning from the mistakes. Having someone like Tony who passes on his advice from his experiance is why this forum is great.

I know they are cricket shots and not football but I don't have any football I can link to from work but they show what is being said. When I am shooting football I will shoot one half from the goal line and the other half from the sideline. Goal line can help reduce motion blur if you can't quite get the shutter speeds as there is less sideways movement.
 
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KIPAX said:
you cant pick periods of time to shoot stuff... or did I missread? :)

Game lasts for one and a half hrs.. your going to get pics of everything once you pick your spot and stay there :) change positions at half time if appropriate.. if following one team for example.. But dont go to same position on other side or you will be taking pics of exact same players both halves.. stay in same position and you get different players both halves :)
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Surely with his 70-200 if he just chooses the half way line he'll be too far away for decent goal mouth action. He could be at the half way line for some of the time, then nearer the corner flag etc.

As you say the game is 90 mins. If he is prepared to move then he will get different angles as well (i.e. different from just from the half way line or from just sticking behind a goal line).

I didn't get the impression he had a particular team to follow.
 
bigrob said:
Surely with his 70-200 if he just chooses the half way line he'll be too far away for decent goal mouth action.
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correct which is why I never advised the half way line..

bigrob said:
He could be at the half way line for some of the time, then nearer the corner flag etc.
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thats called chasing the game and its been said a hundred times on these forums alone.. never chase the game..

bigrob said:
I didn't get the impression he had a particular team to follow.
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neither did i which is why i said stay same place for both halves..then you get both teams.. both keepers both attacks and both defence..

have a walk round by all means for some different angles.. but if you keep changing positions through the match as you suggest then you could end up with nothing.. your suggesting doing the opposite of what all sports photogrpahers will tell you....
 
Ok what about 30 mins behind a goal line, 30 mins near a corner flag and 30 mins near the half way line?

Surely that wouldn't be chasing the game.
 
Aperture87 said:
You haven't looked on here too hard on here if you haven't picked up that you really have to sit down (or at least shoot from a lower perspective)!;)
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Thought that was covered in the OP where Dex says where do I sit? It's not always easy however. At low level rugby, I have no chance of sitting down as everyone stands in front of me and no amount of can you please move out of my way, gets them to move. If I go behind the posts (oops, got told off before for saying that) if I go about halfway between the posts amd the flag just off the dead ball line, I can guarantee that all the play will be down the other end and a 70-200 just doesn't cut it :LOL:

I agree with Kipax though. There is a difference between my League 1 stuff and my Sunday League. Again, I sometimes follow (they're very pedantic on terminology in this forum) move a couple of times during the match depending on the type of game being played but Sunday League, I do find it easier to shoot from the side. I get far more shots than I do if I sat behind the goal. Sorry, not behind but in between the goal and corner flag.
 
Tony is the voice of experience. I agree that you sit in your place and don't move.
Tony, correct me if I am wrong but in line with the edge of the 18yrd line?

If, as Tony has stated, you sit in the same place for the whole game, you will get the action at both ends (Unless the game is REALLY one sided)
 
MJ Stebbings said:
Tony, correct me if I am wrong but in line with the edge of the 18yrd line?
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funnily enough :)

I rarely need just the 70-200 as i ahve 2 bodies and 2 lens.. however at poorly lit night games i sometimes cant get enough shutter speed to use the 400 and rely more on the 70-200... so part way up side with 70-200 is perfect.. yes around the 18yrd line seems best... at night matches its also about under a floodlight hehe :)


just to reiterate... advice given is for park football not old trafford :)
 
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kelack said:
Thought that was covered in the OP where Dex says where do I sit?
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pretty sure reading through the thread that the OP said he want back and added sit?
 
Some really good advice from Tony,looking at his shots you can see the results,still waiting for weather to turn for our local team,postponed a few times.:)(y)
 
KIPAX said:
funnily enough :)

I rarely need just the 70-200 as i ahve 2 bodies and 2 lens.. however at poorly lit night games i sometimes cant get enough shutter speed to use the 400 and rely more on the 70-200... so part way up side with 70-200 is perfect.. yes around the 18yrd line seems best... at night matches its also about under a floodlight hehe :)


just to reiterate... advice given is for park football not old trafford :)
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I take what you say as Gospel :)
 
I have ony ever followed specific teams and always go behind the goal level with the 18 yard line

side wise I pick the side with most fans as thats usually the place players run if they score, not always but "most"

The only other thing I take into consideration on bright days is the sun, making sure its behind me, there is only once i have had to move to nearer the corner flag because of the angle of the sun but that doesn't happen to often
 
Thanks for the help guys particulary Kipax, Litle John and others, when i was there there was a crowd of about 5 people last Sunday.I'm quite lucky with the park as it is surrounded by a train depot, back of houses and a basketball court so i wont have no hassle with any parked cars.
 
I finally managed to get a decent seat for football yesterday. One that doesn't sink into the mud. I got it from Decathlon for £15.
 
I have a few of these in the boot of the car, £2.50 if it breaks its not really an issue and in 2 years I have managed to tear the seat on one as someone else shall we say sat heavily on it most would say fell down to sit on it. I also lost a foot in some mud but I had 3 spares from the busted seat. I just tape the feet on with electrical tape before using them.
 
I used to use those, but ended up trashing a few.

Decathlon used to stock there for £9.00 ish:

fishing-stool.jpg


but I can't see them on the site now.

Much more robust & it doesn't sink in. Mine's lasted over a year now.

Were you replying to another thread perchance? :D
 
I find those chairs a bit too high.. I sit on my peli case for most things.. but when i cant use the case (such as at tournaments walking around to diff pitches) I have one of these but with the cup holder taken off.. the zip bag is a lined cool bag for drinks and has zip pockets for other stuff.. its a bit lower than those others and as strong as anyhting :)

http://www.gelert.com/products/neptune_chair
 
I think one of those will be my next one, had looked for something with back support

Thanks for the links
 
I shoot my sons football team and usually sit roughly inline with the 18 yard line using a 70-300 lens on a crop body give decent range but sometimes not wide enough for action close to you
 
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