Amount of Photos taken during Football match.

Spiderdudeuk

Spiderdudeuk

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I'm just interested to know how many photographs others take during a football match?

I'm helping our local non-league side out with photos this season, done 4-5 games so far. Club are pleased with what I've done as they are a vast improvement on previous years. I'm not entirely happy, but its new and I'm learning.

But, I seem to take about 300 a game then vet them when I get home. Now I've seen visiting photographers, with some pretty flashy kit. They seem to spend most of the time chatting on the phone and taking the odd shot here and there.

Now am I just taking too many and is it because I am new to it, or is this the norm?

From the club perspective the more the better, likewise for the players that tend to ask for copies of them after the game.

So just wondering....
 
Take as many as you need to get good coverage of the match. Providing you are thinking about what you are shooting, and therefore not just machine gunning everything then you'll be fine.

As for everyone else. Who cares. You have no idea what pretence they are there under. Although I suspect they are happy amateurs - I haven't seen many pros working league football chatting on the phone, unless they are quickly checking that wired images are in or getting some last minute updates on what the picture desk want.
 
Cheers, I presumed they were more "professional" as they came with big cases & what appeared to be very big & expensive lenses... As they say about assuming things....

I try not to machine gun it as you say, I try to follow the play & try and anticipate what is about to occur... Easier said than done...
 
professionals will spend as much time on the laptop as actual shooting... I was at blackpool tonight and probably spent most of my time sending pics as it happens..

as to how many per game.. first off its the least important bit of info you will ever need... second it depends on the game and why you are doing it... if your shooting team A thats getting tonked 6-0 then you wont take many pics.. if your shooting team b who are winning 6-0 then you will take twice as many... if your sending pics out live you can halve either of the above number.. if your taking pics for sales to parents you can doule the number.. if its start of season taking stock then even more.. if a little team playing a big team in cup then more than two lower end teams in cup.

as for machine gunning.. theres a fine line... the machine gun mode has been put on top end professional cameras for a reason.. so dont worry about using it when needed..

pictures reflect the game.. if its a great game wiht loads of actiuon you will get great pics and take loads.. if its a slow boring game you wont take many... its such an open ended question....

Personally I take loads.. I only shoot bursts of 2 or 3 frames at a time.. but take far more than 300 shots thats for sure...
 
I agree with KIPAX. How long is a piece of string?

I often shoot bursts of 2/3 frames trying to second guess a tackle coming in or a challenge for a header, then it doesn't happen and there's another 3 useless frames. As a general thing I'd say the total amount of frames I shoot has gone down steadily from starting out but only because now I know there is no point in shooting on my 70-200 when the action is at the other end or peoples backs or things like that. Some games I shoot 400 some 800. As KIPAX says though, that's pretty irrelevant, I'm more concerned with whether I got the right shots.

I suppose the difference is if you are 'machine gunning' non stop and hoping to get something or if you are shooting properly looking for shots and end up taking a lot of frames.
 
gibtheo said:
I suppose the difference is if you are 'machine gunning' non stop and hoping to get something or if you are shooting properly looking for shots and end up taking a lot of frames.
Click to expand...

That was my point. Of course you are going to take a burst of images on key pieces of action, machine gunning in my definition would be indiscriminately firing bursts throughout the match - even when there is no action to capture.

Had they had heads in laptops then I would have given a different answer as KIPAX states wiring images does take up a fair proportion of time, but I haven't seen anyone wire images with their mouth through a phone yet so you have to assume that it would have been a phone conversation.
 
gibtheo said:
Yea, sorry I kind of just reiterated your point!
Click to expand...

No thats OK - you supported it. But it was more to clarify that we all shoot bursts. I don't know anyone that only fires one frame off as a corner reaches the 6-yard box. ;)
 
Yeah I agree with Tony, depends on the game and whats happening. I would guess at around 450 per game over the course of a season but some games maybe 300, others 600
 
Thanks I really appreciate the answers you guys have given. You are right to say it is the least important bit of info, but I was just concerned that I was taking to many.

I do tend to take quite a few from distance with the 70-200 & crop in, appreciate the clarity drops, but the club seem to like them.

I also take a lot of with back towards me, again I personally like to view of the number & sponsor with hands on hips, or head in hands type pose when something is going on further up the field.

One thing is for sure, I enjoy it and the club are delighted so I can only get better... Just need to upgrade the camera as floodlight work at Evo-Stick league level is shockingly bad!
 
Totally depends on who youre working for and at what level, local tog i used to work alongside who worked for local/regional paper turned up for ten minutes, shot about 20 frames and left, went onto next game and so on, he could cover anything up to 12 games a weekend, some on ajoining pitches for sunday soccer, his usual Sunday was cricket and footy in the morning and then take in 3 seperate pro Rugby League games in the afternoon, luckily his deadline was Wednesday afternoon some 3 days later
 
I find that this weekend that I was being more selective in what I shot and then far more aggressive in the disposal of photographs once on the computer.

But what I did, despite a schoolboy error of leaving a polarizing filter on the lens, the ones that weren't odd coloured or slightly blurred came out ok.

Westmorland Gazette used them, so I can't complain....
 
I tend now to shoot a load of shots when the action is at my end, then go back through the last sequence while the action is the other end and quickly delete the obvious shots that are no good, ie no ball in frame, it saves quite a bit of time when I'm editing later, and gives me something to do when there's nothing to shoot.
 
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