Teach you to shoot sports movies with flash.

Lead: There are many ways to express sports, but the most classic is the combination of reality and reality. A photo with clear subject and blurred background can often become a successful sports photography. When your subject is moving in a straight line or vertically, you can use a slow shutter and simple focus to take an ideal photo.

Teach you to shoot sports movies with flash. When shooting such a fast and complicated sport as cycling road race, try to ensure that the subject is clear and the background is blurred. At this time, you need to use a flash, which can lock the moment of action and achieve the dynamic effect of combining reality with reality with simple settings. Flash is a sharp weapon to shoot this irregular sports theme!

To illustrate the specific operation, we selected a reader Russell, who used Nikon D300s and SB9 10 flash. Matt on a bicycle was our model when shooting. Let's shoot!

1 Slow down the shutter speed, and the flash will blur.

First of all, we use the built-in flash of Nikon D300s to shoot, and at the same time, we combine the simple shaking technique. I asked Russell to set the flash exposure to TTL automatic, the camera to manual exposure mode, and the shutter speed to 1/60 seconds. Then, he set the aperture to f/8, so that the trees will be slightly underexposed and the characters will be exposed normally.

After setting up the camera, it's our model Matt's turn to start working. Because Russell has shot other sports photography before, it is easier to shoot directly after focusing. So I suggested that he use a slower shutter to make the background more blurred. The parameters he used were 1/30 seconds, f/ 1 1. I explained to him that combining flash, slow door and exercise requires superb skills. However, with more practice, Russell can take different photos.

2 Off-board flash takes static electricity

I put the flash on the tripod, out of the imaging range of the lens. I asked Russell to set it to manual exposure, and the parameters deliberately made the background slightly underexposed. I asked him to adjust the shutter speed to 1/200 seconds and the aperture to f/2.8 to make the background darker, so that most of the light comes from the flash, and natural light only serves as a foil.

Next, I told Russell how to use the off-board flash. Let's start with a static model, which is easier to shoot than a moving object. I asked Russell to set his flash to remote mode, and then set the built-in flash as the main flash in the custom settings menu. Russell also set the flash mode in the camera to TTL automatic exposure.

3 comprehensive application of off-plane flash lamp

We now combine the off-board flash with the mountain bike. We went into the Woods and found a clearing where Matt could pose for a bicycle. So, we put Russell's flash on the tripod and put it in the left front corner of the character. Russell uses a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. He can stand 6 meters away from the model, so Matt can have enough space to show his driving skills. We communicated with him the action he wanted to do and the expected position, and set the flash at a distance of about 1 m from Matt to achieve better lighting effect. Undoubtedly, we adopted off-board flash technology to make the effect more outstanding.

When shooting a bicycle, Russell needs a little time to focus and release the shutter, because he wants to capture Matt at the right time. After several attempts, Russell has mastered the shooting technique. The next exercise is to compare the photos with reality, which requires a flash with a slow shutter speed. We use shutter speeds of 1/30 seconds and 1/25 seconds, which will add more motion and contrast between reality and reality to the photo.

Final effect

I hope that after reading the article, you can understand the skills of shooting sports with flash.