Taking pictures at Horse Event

[nkeevers]

All you experts out there - I need some advice on this one. I'm going to a Grand Prix show jumping event tonight that's being held at a football stadium at night. So all the lights will be bright on the field. Since I'm still new to using my camera what would be the best way to take these pictures. Would auto using day/night work or would a manual mode be better.

I'm using a Canon Rebel XT with a 70-300mm.

[CarolLHB]

Norma-I am so NOT an expert, but I got some great advice from Ray when shooting at an indoor drum corps event last weekend. Here it is, he's a great teacher, I don't think he'll mind my sharing this:

"P is the way to go. However, set your ISO to 800 prior to shooting (and 1600 if you don't mind the noise). P also lets you decide to go Flash or no Flash. If you have an external flash, when you turn it on the camera senses it. If you have the built-in flash only, you press the button to use it.

Let's do a little theory (nothing too complicated, I assure you).

If you shoot under very dim condition (13 EV and below, EV being a unit of light measurement) with the P mode engaged and that you turn on either flash, the camera will go to f/4 at 1/60, no matter how dark or bright the surrounding you think is. That's the E-TTL (Evaluative - Through The Lens system) reasoning. Usually, with such an aperture, action is frozen to a certain point. Running horses and moving cars won't. But slow dancers will, people clapping their hands, etc.

Now, to know the range of your flash, look in the manual for your Flash guide number. Should be something like 13 meters (47 feet I think) at ISO 100. In ideal condition (on the dark side on the moon, for example), if you were to shoot at ISO 200, that number would double. So your flash range would be 26 meters, and so forth. Theory is fine. Until faced with reality. Shooting at ISO 800 will in effect increase your flash range, but not a direct multiplication factor of the base number.

If you have an external flash (430ex or 580ex, which I totally recommend if you're serious about your photog gear), things are slightly different. Because the flash light moves in and out in the housing to accommodate for the zoom of your lens. If you move your zoom all the way to 105mm, then the light will be move inward of the housing, effectively narrowing the beam to make more concentrated, and perceived as stronger (greater range).
Go to P, it's e-x-a-c-t-l-y like Auto, except you control the ISO and the flash. If you have an external flash, use it (bring 4 fresh extra batteries with you for the flash). If you feel brave enough, use ISO 1600 or, at the very least, ISO 800 (grain is to be expected at ISO 1600 but you could get lucky and be able to remove it with Neat Image or PSE itself) Grain is more visible in dark colours (brown, green, black, grey, etc.). Get a seat in the front row. Hold the camera as close to you as you can. If you're sitting, have your elbows lying on your legs or something sturdy on your legs to elevate your elbows. Shoot when you exhale (this relaxes the veins and cardio-vascular system and makes your arm less trembling). Avoid caffeine if it makes you all jumpy (this will make you do mistakes).

Other settings to check : Evaluative Metering (for light) and AI focus (Auto Intelligence) to predict and choose between fast moving subject or static focus."

Is he brilliant, or what???:)

BTW, I was very happy with the pictures. They required very little post processing, some sharpening and a teeny bit of noise reduction. I was astonished at how little noise there was considering. It was wonderful advice!

Hope this helps!:)

[nkeevers]

Boy, for not being an expert you definitely remembered everything exactly as you did. Thanks for the great help! I'll have to bring these notes with me tonight. I don't have an external flash yet so will have to work with the camera's. I'll try the different ISOs to see how each looks. I'm sitting fairly close but not in the front so we'll see. Don't know yet if I can even get out of my seat. I have IS lenses so that should help camera shake. Thank good ness I don't drink caffeine so that's a plus.

Wish me luck! And thank Carbone too!

[CarolLHB]

Norma:D:DLMAO!

While I appreciate your thinking so highly of my memory skills...that was cut and pasted directly from Ray (hence the quotation marks)! I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday...:D