Shooting a football game at night is especially challenging for an amateur.
One of the biggest challenges an amateur photographer can face is taking sports pictures at night. Professional photographers rely on expensive equipment and years of experience to get the images you see online and in print. However, an amateur with some skill and equipment can take usable sports photographs at night with very little training. The Canon Digital Rebel 8.2MP is a good place to start. When paired with the correct settings and a capable lens, the Digital Rebel can be a versatile tool for the budding night shooter.
Instructions
1. Purchase a lens with an f/number lower than 2.8, as the kit lens that comes included with the Digital Rebel is ineffective for night sports shooting.
2. Switch to "Aperture Priority" mode, indicated by Av on the camera dial. Change the f/number to be as low as possible. This is necessary because the default settings on the Canon Digital Rebel are ill-suited for night photography.
3. Increase the camera's ISO setting to 1600 or higher by clicking the top button on the four-button controller on the back of the camera and selecting the number. The ISO setting sets the digital camera's sensor sensitivity. Because less light is available, you must increase the ISO setting when shooting at night to ensure a usable shutter speed.
4. Position yourself on the field or at the stadium to best take advantage of the available light. Unless you're aiming for a backlit effect, you should find a position that lights your subject directly.
5. Hold down the shutter to take multiple frames. Shooting in this "burst" mode, rather than taking a single image at a time, will give you more options to choose from. Sports photography is unpredictable--the more shots you take, the better.
Tags: Digital Rebel, Canon Digital, Canon Digital Rebel