With a burst rate of 126 shots with a UDMA card and the all-new autofocus system that's fast and accurate, the EOS 7D helps you keep up with event and action subjects without a hiccup.
The category of event and action photography covers everything from festivals, corporate gatherings, and weddings to sports and other competitive events such as car and motocross racing. Opportunities abound for one-of-a-kind images that capture the emotion and thrill of the event.
Central to capturing the decisive moments is having a camera that not only responds with quick focusing and a snappy shutter but also that can record a succession of images during critical moments in the event or peak moments of competitive action.
With a generous burst rate and reasonable performance at higher ISO settings, the 7D is especially well-suited for shooting events and action whether that means sports events and races, or concerts, carnivals, festivals, receptions, and parties. And whether you're a seasoned professional, or you're just starting with event photography, the opportunities for both earning income and making great images make these areas of photography attractive.
Figure 10.1. Twilight is an excellent time to capture a sapphire blue in the sky. In this image, the twilight sky contrasts beautifully with the glow of the hot-air balloons as they set up for a show. Exposure: ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/80 second using an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.
Regardless of the subject, the objective is to show the energy and emotion of the event as well as capturing the decisive moments, and at 8 fps with up to 126 Large/JPEG shots per burst with an Ultra DMA card, the 7D will keep up with the action.
One of the characteristics of event and action shooting is that you have only one opportunity to capture the images. Whether the event is a wedding or athletic competition, if you don't get the shot, there are no do-overs. With that in mind, it is important to have what you need in the gear bag, including backup gear should you need it.
The gear that you pack in the camera bag is directly related to the scene and subjects that you're going to shoot as well as other factors including your distance from the action, the lighting, weather, length of the event, how much you're willing to carry, and other factors.
Figure 10.2. I like to get clean backgrounds for action shots, but in this scene, it wasn't possible. The boys watching the skater are distracting, but, on the other hand, they add the element of an audience. Exposure: ISO 200, f/5, 1/3200 second using an EF 70-200m f/2.8L IS USM lens.
As you look at these suggestions, consider them a starting point for your planning:
The 7D and a backup camera body. Many events are once in a lifetime situations, so if anything goes wrong with the 7D, you need a backup 7D or other EOS camera body so that you can continue shooting without a hiccup.
With two 7D bodies, you can also have a camera mounted with a wide-angle lens and the other camera mounted with a telephoto lens — or whatever lenses make sense for the subject you're shooting.
One or more wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses. I've found the 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens and the 70–200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens to be a versatile combination depending, of course, on the shooting proximity to the players or participants. In good light, you can make good use of the Extender EF 1.4× II or Extender EF 2× II to get more reach with compatible telephoto lenses. (See Chapter 9 for details on which lenses work with extenders.)
Other good telephoto lens choices are the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, or the EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lens. For low-light events such as concerts, fast lenses including the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM and the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM will practically shoot in the dark. For outdoor events such as motocross or events where dirt and wind collide, be sure to have lens-cleaning cloths handy as well.
Monopod or tripod. If the event continues through sunset and evening hours, then you'll be glad to have the solid support of a tripod. To almost all events, I carry the TrekPodGO that includes fold-out legs.
Laptop computer or portable storage device, spare CF cards, and charged batteries. Any event that features action means that you'll take a lot of images. If you have multiple CF cards, be sure that you have a system for keeping used cards separate from empty cards. And depending on how many cards you have, consider offloading images to a laptop or handheld storage unit during lulls in the action. Certainly you want a minimum of one spare charged battery and maybe two, depending on the duration of the event.
Weatherproof sleeves and camera cover. If it rains or if you're shooting in fog or mist, having a weatherproof camera jacket and lens sleeve is good insurance against camera damage and malfunctions.
I'm a big fan of the 7D's C shooting mode customization. If you routinely shoot events in a specific venue such as an arena, then you can set up and register settings for one of the C modes specifically for that venue. Then you have little if any camera adjustments to make before you begin shooting.
Here are some suggestions for camera and Custom Function settings for action and event photography. Modify them as appropriate for your needs.
RAW+JPEG image quality. Many photographers shoot events and sell the images to players and family. They post the event images to a Web site where players can order prints. If you do this or are considering doing it, then the RAW+JPEG or Medium or Small RAW+JPEG image quality options come in handy. The JPEG images enable you to immediately post images to the Web site while the RAW or Medium and Small RAW images give you the option to process exceptional shots for maximum potential or tweak shots that need more attention.
Tv shooting mode. This mode gives you control over the shutter speed so that you can freeze action of the players or participants and get tack-sharp focus given the lens that you're using. Just remember that for non-IS lenses, the hand-holding guideline is 1/[focal length]. So for a 300mm lens, you need at least a 1/300 second shutter speed to be able to handhold the camera and lens and get a sharp image.
AI Servo AF mode and manual or automatic AF-point selection. AI Servo AF mode is designed for action shooting by tracking subject motion. This is where zone focusing can come in handy. If you set up the AF area zones detailed in Chapter 3, switching to the zone that the subject is in is as easy as pressing the AF point selection and M-Fn buttons. Then you can choose the starting AF point for subject focus tracking or let the camera choose it.
Figure 10.3. Bright mid-day sun made this exposure problematic. To prevent the bright facial highlights from blowing out, I set Exposure Compensation to −1. Exposure: ISO 100, f/4, 1/1600 second with −1 Exposure Compensation using an EF 70-200m f/2.8L IS USM lens.
The 7D offers an array of Custom Functions to refine AI Servo AF performance. You can use AI Focus AF that starts out in One-shot AF and automatically switches to AI Servo AF if the subject starts moving, or One-shot AF where you choose the focus with no focus tracking from the camera. If you use One-shot AF mode, then consider using AF point expansion mode to allow the 7D to use adjacent AF points to help achieve focus.
High-speed Continuous drive mode. High-speed continuous shooting (8 fps) allows a succession of shots up to 126 Large Fine JPEGs if you are using an Ultra DMA card or 94 with a non-UDMA card per burst. When the internal camera buffer is full, you will be able to continue shooting as images are offloaded to the CF card. Also, if you see FuLL CF in the viewfinder, wait until the red access lamp goes out to replace the card. The camera displays a warning if you open the CF card door while images are being recorded.
Note
If the 7D is not shooting the burst rate that you expect, check to see if you have enabled C.Fn II-2, High ISO speed noise reduction, which can reduce the burst rate depending on the option chosen.
Evaluative metering mode. With the 7D's improved metering linked to the AF points, Evaluative metering performs well in a variety of different lighting situations.
Picture Style. The Standard Picture Style is a good choice, particularly if you've previously tested it and examined the prints.
Custom Functions. For action and events, consider using C.Fn I-2, ISO speed setting increments, and choosing Option 1: 1 stop. This enables larger ISO changes instead of the default 1/3 stop increment. You can consider enabling ISO expansion, C.Fn I-3, but you should test the H (12800) setting for digital noise level before using it.
Exposure Safety Shift, C.Fn I-7, automatically adjusts the exposure if the light suddenly changes enough to make the current exposure settings inaccurate. This can be helpful for outdoor events as well as indoor events where the lighting varies across the venue. Consider also using C.Fn IV-1 reassign the functions of camera buttons to suit your shooting needs.
The 7D offers versatility in shooting a broad range of events and games with a seriously fast shutter action and excellent burst depth. Couple that with shutter speeds ranging from 1/8000 to 30 seconds and Bulb, and you have ample opportunity to freeze or show motion, and to create interesting panned images. Action photography and the techniques used for it are by no means limited to sports. Any event — from a football game to a carnival or concert — is an opportunity to use action-shooting techniques.
A classic action approach is to show the motion of the athlete or participant in mid-whatever — midjump, midrun, middrop — with tack-sharp focus and no motion blur. Stopping action requires fast shutter speeds and fast shutter speeds require ample light, or an increased ISO sensitivity setting. The shutter speed that you need to stop motion depends on the subject's direction in relation to the camera. Table 10.1 provides some common action situations and the shutter speeds needed to stop motion and to pan with the motion of the subject.
Depending on the light and the speed of the lens that you're using, getting a fast shutter speed often means increasing the ISO sensitivity setting. In previous chapters, I recommended shooting test shots at the higher ISO settings, and then evaluating the images for digital noise at 100 percent enlargement on the computer.
You also should print the images and view them at a standard 1-foot viewing distance to evaluate digital noise and at what ISO setting it becomes objectionable. I shoot at the lowest ISO possible to get the shutter speed that I need to stop subject motion. I do not shoot at sensitivity settings higher than ISO 1600, and I use ISO 1600 when the light is too low to allow shooting at ISO 800 or 400.
Figure 10.4. For action shooting, timing the shutter release is everything. Here I shot a tad too slow to capture the ball coming off the bat. Exposure: ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/4000 second with −2/3′s stop Exposure Compensation using an EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.
Getting accurate and visually pleasing color is important as well. For outdoor events and games, the preset White Balance settings such as Daylight, Cloudy, and so on are excellent, and you will always get better color by using one of these settings versus setting Auto White Balance.
Add a Sense of Motion with Panning
If you've wondered how photographers capture images where the subject is in focus but the background details appear as colorful streaks, wonder no more. The technique they use is called panning, and it involves focusing on the subject, and then moving the camera with the motion of the subject while using a slow shutter speed. Here is how the technique works:
Find a shooting location where the background will be attractive when it is rendered as long streaks of color.
Set the 7D to Tv mode, and set a shutter speed that is slow enough to allow you to record movement with the camera. I typically use shutter speeds slower than 1/30 sec. I've found that 1/30 sec. is not long enough to get good follow through motion with the camera while the shutter is open. I usually set 1/25 to 1/8 sec. In addition, it is great if you can also get a fairly narrow aperture to give better acceptable sharpness throughout the subject.
Prefocus on a spot where the subject will eventually be in the scene and keep the Shutter button half-pressed. In this example, I focused on a spot in the bike trail. Then I watch for the subject to come into the scene.
When the subject enters the frame, move the camera to start following the subject's motion and when the subject hits the spot where you prefocused, press the Shutter button completely to make the picture and continue moving the camera with the subject as the subject leaves the scene.
This technique is much easier to accomplish if you are using a tripod. The tripod keeps the scene level and frees you to concentrate on a smooth panning motion. But it's also possible to pan while you are handholding the camera.
Since I shoot RAW, I carry a small gray card and take a picture of it in the event light. If the light changes, I shoot a new picture of the gray card. Then I open the images taken under the same light as a group with the picture of the gray card in a RAW conversion program. I can select all the images, click the gray card, and color balance the entire image series. Other photographers prefer using the ExpoDisc, a calibrated 18 percent gray lens filter.
Note
Find your own gray card attached in the back of this book.
While stopping subject motion is what we often most see in event and action images, there are also countless scenes where a slow shutter speed creates a rich display of motion whether it's the blurred lights of a Ferris wheel or the crash of a waterfall where the water is transformed to a silky blur. And the range of subjects is almost limitless. Even everyday occurrences such as a dog coming out of a lake after a swim present opportunities to explore the effect of motion against motion or motion against a still backdrop. The same is true for music concerts, athletic events, and some events during weddings.
Combine a flash with a slow shutter, and you open new doors for creative renderings that add the dynamic aspect of motion to event and action images. One technique that is popular with wedding photography is called dragging the shutter, and while it can be used with or without a flash, it's very often used in combination with flash. This technique has several components. First, the flash suspends subject motion for a sharply focused subject; second, a slow shutter speed allows the existing light to fully register during the exposure; and, third, panning the camera creates blur that adds the dynamic sense of motion to the image.
Figure 10.5. This image of a Ferris wheel in motion was shot with a monopod that I stabilized by wedging it between the back and seat sections of a bench, and then pushing the monopod forward with one hand to stabilize it. Exposure: ISO 400, f/18, 2.5 seconds using an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.
You can set the Speedlite to second-curtain sync so that the flash fires at the end of the exposure rather than at the beginning so that the motion is recorded and the subject motion is frozen at the end of the exposure with the pop of flash. During the long exposure, you can pan the camera with or against the direction of the subject motion. Or you can turn the camera to create a circular background blur, or you can zoom the lens during the exposure.
Figure 10.6. A slow 1/25-second shutter speed captures the circular motion of the dog's coat as he shakes off water after a swim in Lake Washington. Exposure: ISO 100, f/8, 1/25 second using an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.
Of course, the subject should be sharply focused, so the usual lens handholding guidelines apply.
Beyond the point of selecting the correct shutter speed to capture the action, the biggest challenges of action shooting are timing shots and composing images. The first challenge is to anticipate the moments of high emotion and the decisive moment. And when the mirror flips up, you hold your breath during the blackout hoping that you captured the critical moment. Because the subject is in constant motion, there is limited time to compose the image as you react to the subject's motion.
In many scenarios, action shooting often means getting a handful of keepers from 50 to 100 exposures. You can use a few approaches to increase your ability to get good action images.
In a venue with spotty lighting, find an area with good light. Prefocus on the area, and then wait for the action to come to that spot. If your lens allows prefocusing, then you can prefocus on an important area such as the goal line. Then continue shooting other areas until the action moves to the goal line, and press the preset button to have the lens automatically return focus to that area.
Keep exposure changes to a minimum for as long as the light allows so that you can concentrate on capturing the important moments and composing images.
Anticipate the action. Whether the event is a football game or a wedding recessional, knowing what is likely to happen next means that you can set up for the next action sequence before the subject gets to the area.
You can switch between using a telephoto lens to photograph action, and a wide-angle lens to capture establishing shots of the overall venue, the audience, and crowd reactions. These are the shots that help create the full story and spirit of the event.
