Getting good pictures

[ShortBridge]

I'd do it for you for free if I was near you. (and it would be worth every penny!)

I'm sure that you wouldn't want to and couldn't impose on a professional photographer for pro bono work, but there are tons of enthusiasts like me who could get good shots for you and would enjoy the challenge. Ask around.

 

[ShortBridge]

I'd do it for you for free if I was near you. (and it would be worth every penny!)

I'm sure that you wouldn't want to and couldn't impose on a professional photographer for pro bono work, but there are tons of enthusiasts like me who could get good shots for you and would enjoy the challenge. Ask around.

 

[Steve]

Why don't you just do a quick photo shoot after class. E.g get your guys to do a techique and freeze in a certain cool looking position and take the photo

For some reason, I think of this:

 

[King Kobra]

A similar but different angle -- look into local photography classes or clubs, both school and general. You might find someone willing to take the photos if they can use them for portfolio purposes or a class project...

At a minimum -- have someone "sit out" class and focus on taking the pictures. That way, you won't be hoping the camera is in the right place, snapping at the right time, to get a good picture.

Most definitely this. Any aspiring photographer will jump at the chance. Just go down to the front desk of the college and ask for the teachers contact information or look up the teacher on their site and shoot off an email. Or maybe a high school photography class, they also have access to good quality cameras and heck you might even get another student out of it lol.

 

[JR 137]

You seem like a reasonably friendly guy. Surely you know someone who will come down and take pictures for you for free (or maybe a beer or a pizza or something like that).

As I understand it, you're looking for decent shots for your website. All you need is a buddy with one working eyeball and one working hand and any point and shoot camera sold within the last 10 years will have some kind of "sport" mode, which will reduce the shutter speed and allow you to take a picture of something that is moving without it looking like a picture of the Flash.

I know, this is an old post, but...

You need a fast shutter speed. Slow shutter speed gives the blur (intentionally or unintentionally).

The problem with poor lighting is you need to get creative with the settings. Lower amount of light would need things that you'd have to trade off to get the right balance...

Slower shutter speed = more light coming in. But it can get blurry easily, especially in stuff at MA pace. I'd go with 1/125 sec shutter speed and bump up and down as needed.

Aperature - how much the lens iris opens. The wider it opens (the lower the f/ number), the more light comes in. The trade off is shallower depth of field. Meaning less stuff will be in focus.

ISO - light sensitivity. Higher ISO will be brighter. Trade off is higher ISO = more noise (grain) in the picture.

You can use flash. But it should be diffused and/or bounced. Direct flash from a camera gives that bleached skin tone and/or deer in headlights look. If you sit for portraits at a studio, they usually us soft lights with umbrellas over them in multiple directions as flash to avoid this.

Sorry, it's just a stupid hobby of mine. And shooting events indoors in poor lighting is usually the bane of every photographer's existence.

Just thought of this now - how about shooting an outdoor workout? Not sure if you're near the beach for a beach workout. Our dojo (and organization) does an annual beach workout. It's followed by a BBQ with family and friends invited. Ask a few people to take pics. Even if you don't get any good pics, you'll still have a great time.

 

[JowGaWolf]

For some reason, I think of this:

That's what they look like when people pose for photos showing techniques.

 

[ShortBridge]

That's what they look like when people pose for photos showing techniques.

They look like Lucy Liu? Well, okay then!

 

[drop bear]

That is a common problem. If I were buying a camera for taking pictures like this, I'd get one with a fast "burst" mode. That's a much easier way to get decent shots, since you can start a bit early and let it cover the entire sequence. With that approach, you can sometimes even get more than one good shot for a single sequence.

Yeah the paparazzi setting is pretty much what I use.

Otherwise set some drills. Then take twenty seconds or so to take photos or video.

I don't think they really have to be glamour shots anyway.

This is how ours turn out.
https://m.facebook.com/WhitsundayMartialArts/?tsid=0.5776412433709646&source=typeahead

 

[Steve]

Yeah the paparazzi setting is pretty much what I use.

Otherwise set some drills. Then take twenty seconds or so to take photos or video.

I don't think they really have to be glamour shots anyway.

This is how ours turn out.
https://m.facebook.com/WhitsundayMartialArts/?tsid=0.5776412433709646&source=typeahead

I can see why you guys like the blurry shots. Yeesh.