Football Club Team Photos

[donoreo]

Moderator Tone - Stop it now everyone or I will lock and delete this thread.

TBA, you do have a lot of professional gear but you are asking very basic questions. Most users here that have that sort of gear are professionals, so the question is odd compared to what we normally would see and assumptions were made. Hopefully that helps to see why your question was questioned in the first place.

To give some answers we may need more info. Are these the classic team lined up in two or three rows?

I would suggest a tripod, then no worry about camera shake.

I would use which ever lens will get the whole team in. Your 17-40 would do. As to aperture, think about doing a landscape, you use a small f number to get it all sharp, but you will not be far away for this, so use something in the middle, like f/8. Take a few tests and zoom in and see if they are sharp.

[tba20042003]

Thank you for your help - yes, I think the line up will be the classic 2 or 3 rows, hence the question about aperture

[donoreo]

Originally Posted by tba20042003

Thank you for your help - yes, I think the line up will be the classic 2 or 3 rows, hence the question about aperture

The real answer is to see what you need, f/8 will work I am sure, but take a photo and then zoom in and pan around and see.

[tba20042003]

Ok, thank you

[GeoffWessex]

I would try to avoid the wide-angle which, as has been said, would tend to give distortions towards the corners. It's worth sticking with a minimum of a standard view (50mm for your camera), but the 70-300mm lens, used at 70mm, would be my choice.... and a tripod, of course. You'll have to open up the distance from camera to team and use around an f/5.6 or f/8 aperture to get a decent depth of field to get all the smiling faces sharp - but still possibly throwing the background out of focus a little. Also worth trying to keep a fast shutter speed and a speed setting of ISO200 to 400 would allow this. Be prepared to take a few shots - burst mode perhaps - in the hope of having everybody's eyes open at least once. Don't photograph them tight against a wall - it will spoil the shot. A professional might use a powerful flash off-camera to brighten up the players and allow the background to darken.

Summary, then...... 70mm, f/5.6 to f/8, try ISO200 to give a slightly faster shutter speed, tripod - and see if you can leave some distance behind the players to let it blur out a bit.

Still, I must say...... for the owner of a few thousands quids' worth of gear to ask your questions it does equate with the owner of a Rolls-Royce asking the garage how to change gear.

[tba20042003]

Geoff,
Thanks for your detailed reply - much appreciated and I will let you know how it all goes.
As for your last point, I'm very used to doing a lot of fairly close up work doing portraits mainly, and mostly of only one person at a time. So, two or three rows of footballers, at different distances from the lens presented something new to me and I just wanted to ask some advice. I love the kit I have, and it produces superb results, but I don't know it all, hence the question. Little did I know the storm it would create! We live and learn.
Thanks again for your help.
Cheers.
Tom

[silversnapper1]

Originally Posted by tba20042003

Unhelpful - cheers both

Hey fella, can't you take a joke. Notice the smiley. Lighten up a bit.

[tba20042003]

Steve - apologies! Yes I can take a joke, even from an 'N' man!
Cheers.
Tom
PS Where do you get the smilies from?

[silversnapper1]

Originally Posted by tba20042003

Steve - apologies! Yes I can take a joke, even from an 'N' man!
Cheers.
Tom
PS Where do you get the smilies from?

No probs. If you are using the reply box below, click on 'Advanced' and they will appear to the right of the reply box.

[karenoliver]

I don't think he is a troll at all. Lots of people own great kit but are still learning. Lots of people I know own the 1d mk IV but still shoot in auto or aperture priority. Just because a Sunday league player owns a pair of £150 boots doesn't mean he has to play like kaka. Lots of amateurs own the 5d mk2 and canon L lenses, me being one of them too.

Karen