Whatcha think?

[Swanyriver]

just a few from the past soccer games of my girls. Wanted an honest opinion and or helpful tips/ constructive criticism from the GS.

I shoot a 20D and most of these would have been shot with my 70-200 2.8 IS and just a Hoya UV on it. No post processing except for a cropping.

[pigstikr]

Love the pics, she really has some intense facial expressions!

[Swanyriver]

She is the tame one, I will see about getting "Boomer's" pics on here.

[WyoBull]

I really like the composition of these shots, nice and tight. You really catch the expressions on the girl's faces and that adds to the story the photo tells.
If I was to give any constructive criticism it would be that the photos are slight soft, or out of focus. Without knowing any of the EXIF data, it is hard to tell why they are this way but they are consistent throughout the series.
There are several possibilities that could have been the culprit:
Shutter speed too low
Shutter speed to high with IS in the on position (I am a Nikon shooter so I cannot speak to how Canon works but with Nikon, you can get out of focus pictures when leaving IS on if shooting at higher shutter speeds. For me, anything above 1/250th of a second I shut IS (VR in Nikon speak) off.)
Camera movement
Your lens might be out of calibration

Other than the focus issue, these are really neat shots, good job!

[Swanyriver]

Thanks for that, really appreciate it.
I have at least 4 games on Saturday at a tournament for the girls in McKinney so I will be wearing out the CF cards while i'm there. I will experiment with the IS off because I usually shoot at 500 min all the way to 2k depending on the lighting. Really appreciate the feedback.

[Swanyriver]

Just ordered a Hoya HSC cir pol and a Hoya HSC nd to try and see if I can make a difference in my pics overall, I have a whole weekend of getting pictures of my girls and their teams at a soccer tournament this weekend.....

[scotty]

When shooting sports, the most critical setting is your shutter speed. I try to always shoot at 1/500. FASTER IS BETTER THOUGH! I always shoot wide open at f2.8. When the event is during the day, you can get away with a slow ISO and still have a fast enough shutter speed. But at night, or in a gym, don't be afraid to bump up the ISO, even to 3200 or more. With the software programs available today, you can fix the noise easily, but you can't fix a blurry shot. I also never shoot sports with VR (or IS) turned on. It creates a delay from when you press the shutter, and when the camera actually fires. (The camera is waiting for the lens to stabilize, and it throws my timing off). I also shoot off a mono pod, which helps too. Be aware that the polarizer is going to cut down on your available light, which will slow your shutter speed down. It shouldn't matter outside though. Personally though, I want all the light that I can get. I'll enhance my photos on the computer. Good luck! Shooting sports is a blast!

Number four is a GREAT shot!

[Swanyriver]

I'm having fun and now I want to do it more, I just want to make sure that I get the subtle changes that are needed quality wise to make it perfect. I learned a ton about positioning while shooting surfers in Florida, most were my friends but I did shoot some pros and had a blast, that is a you make the capture because it will never be the same on the second wave. Thanks for all the info I am keeping it close in mind.