Closing of the MEs Zoo

Well, the economy has taken its toll on the MEs Zoo in Parker City, Indiana.  A wonderful place with wondeful memories....

Blogging Stats

I use eXTReMe for tracking the hit stats on my CanonPhotoBlog.  It's a simple yet robust tool.  Below is a summary report it provides.  A few interesting facts include:

1. Google is the leading search engine used as the source to finding my blog
2. "Canon" is the word most used when searching 
3. Almost 6000 unique visitors in a little over 2 years

Canon 50D High ISO

I set my Canon 50D to 3200 ISO for the first time this week while shooting the local high school soccer game.  I set the camera in Av mode while using my 300mm f2.8 lens.  At ISO 3200, the shutter speed hit a maximum of 1/320 - 1/400.....just fast enough to make the noise levels are satisfactory.

Canon 18-200mm Lens

I just received my new "walk around" lens.....Canon's 18-200mm f3.5-5.6.  It's not the best lens for capturing sporting events, but if you only want one lens while traveling, this is it.  The 18mm provides a nice wide angle for landscapes, while the 200mm zoom capability provides just enough reach.  It also includes IS (Image Stabilization) capability.

High school soccer at night...in the rain

Well, it starts with protecting your camera and lens.  I use AquaTech's camera rain gear.  It's perfect for the hardest rain.  These are not cheap, but they really work great.  I own one for my 300mm f2.8 and one for my 70-200mm f2.8 lens.  Lens Extender blog highlights a much less expensive option.

I set the camera (Canon 50D) using my normal soccer settings....Av mode, f2.8 (using my 300mm f2.8 lens), ISO 2000 and shutter speed 1/640+.  Here are a few shots from the very wet game.  Canon's 50D produces great shots at ISO 2000.  The noise level is more than acceptable.

High School Volleyball Photography

A tricky sport to photograph.....

I used my Canon 85mm f1.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 lens to capture these shots.  My settings were similar to basketball since the indoor high school gyms are not well lit.....ISO 2000 and shutter speed 1/800+.  Although capturing the players faces is ideal, it's not always possible in volleyball.

Canon Professional Network

A very nice article and some great soccer pics from the Canon Professional Network.

Picasa Trick

Just a little trick in Picasa and many other digital photo lab software packages. Simply retain the focus on a single object and over-blur the rest.

A Good Day

Freezing the soccer ball in mid-air

Capturing the ball in mid-flight is easier than it might look.  The trick is timing the shot when the ball reaches zero velocity.  If you have a high-end SLR, this should be no problem....shooting 4 - 8 frames per second.  I use this simple timing technique for basketball as well.

Ultimate Frisbee Photography

This was my first time shooting ultimate frisbee. These were taken in Ann Arbor, MI where the University of Notre Dame were battling the University of Michigan..........N.D. won :)

This is definitely a sport which requires zoom capability (versus simply a prime lens) since the player movement is fast, and the changes in the depth of field are even faster. I used my Canon 70-200mm for these shots.