Soccer Photos of the Week
This was a great weekend for soccer! Not so great for photographing soccer though! It was a typical dry, cool and clear New England autumn weekend. The light was extremely bright, making early morning and late afternoon games difficult to shoot – especially when you can’t pick the best spot around the field because those pesky coaches are in the way! But, I was able to get some interesting shots.
Pick #1
Description
Header crunch! This action happened just in front of me and I could see the 2 players converging on the ball. I wondered what would come out! This was a morning game with bright warm light. Made for interesting shadows.
Shooting Conditions
Camera model: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal length: 150 mm
Exposure: 1/1250 at f/5.6
Exposure mode: Manual
ISO speed: ISO 200
Metering mode: Spot
Pick #2
Description
This was a tough game to photograph because of the lighting. But, when the sun peeked out, there were a few moments to capture plays like this! I normally bump the ISO way up (800-1600) on dark cloudy days in order to keep the shutter speed above 1/800th, but the light was changing so fast that I got caught at ISO 400 and 1/640th shutter. It was fast enough to stop the action though.
Shooting Conditions
Camera model: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal length: 100 mm
Exposure: 1/640 at f/5.6
Exposure mode: Manual
ISO speed: ISO 400
Metering mode: Spot
Pick #3
Description
This was an incredible save by our keeper. He had already deflected the ball going down and was able to get his foot up to prevent a goal. The defender was able to clear the ball. The lighting at this game was really, really difficult late afternoon with a field that was splotched with shadows and harsh light.
Shooting Conditions
Camera model: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal length: 275 mm
Exposure: 1/2000 at f/5.6
Exposure mode: Manual
ISO speed: ISO 400
Metering mode: Spot
Pick #4
Description
“First Date” – Not a lot of 14 y/o girls play on boys club teams! She was definitely not afraid to mix it up with the guys.
Shooting Conditions
Camera model: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal length: 275 mm
Exposure: 1/1250 at f/5.6
Exposure mode: Manual
ISO speed: ISO 320
Metering mode: Spot