Any suggestions for settings in order to nail this shot?

[☠northy]

this is my kid on the neighbour's trampoline... i'm looking for advice on how to go about getting the jumper (and not the net) in focus...

I could focus manually before he jumps and then hope he doesn't wander too far from the focal point (i'm using a low f/stop to max out on speed (also boosted ISO) to freeze the action... will likely retry with my 50 that can go down to f/1.8 - so focus will need to be spot on...

any and all suggestions appreciated!

[Jeff Walker]

there are 2 things you can do that I know of... use a tripod, pre focus, then switch to manual focus so it doesn't switch to the net. The other thing is to put the lens right up to the net and use a an aperture between 1.8 and 5.6. I do that with fences all the time... the fence is so close its blurred to the point that it looks like it doesn't exist (and has no adverse effect on the way the subject looks). I realize a net has much smaller openings, but I've done it with a mesh fence (at a chicken coop) and it worked fine, so I'm thinking as long as there is an opening big enough for one of your focusing sensors, it should work.

[Lisa Pouncy]

Here's the exif for this shot

Exposure: 0.0006 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO Speed: 200
Focal Length: 39 mm



Not sure if it's as sharp as you wanted (and I went a bit OTT on the edit!). Tbh I think your shot is fine and the netting is probably interfering with your focusing too xx

[☠northy]

@psychographer tx Lisa... this is one awesome shot - great action catch and i really love the processing! i take it no netting around that trampoline? that's what's messing me up... good to see that exif info... must see if i can get the shutter speed up without compromising light...

@jsw0109 tx Jeff... yes - i could do the tripod approach... not sure about getting right up to the net, tho... i do know exactly what you mean, but i think the bouncing would throw things off... but i'm thinking maybe just experiment some with manual focussing and see how workable that is with a narrow dof...

[Kelly]

@northy My Jump shot on my Daughters trampoline was taken with me at the opening of the netting using a wide angle lens as I haven't been able to overcome the issue of netting! They are great trampolines though LOL! And I was offered advice that I shouldnt be shooting slower than 1/500 of a second and I was!

[Paul Godfrey]

Apeture priority, about f4, 100mm or more zoom. And tracking auto focus will help. Or just add some focal zoom in PSE or Picasa :-)

[Lisabell]

I'm wondering if an overcast day would help because the net seems to be reflecting the sunlight, making it more visible.

[Stacey]

Hi Northy...don't know if you are able to peek through the opening of that trampoline. If you are it is the easiest way to get a good shot. I guess I can't really help you out at shooting through the screen, but you can get a sharp focus on your subject using a high shutter speed. The ISO doesn't have to be high if you are using the aperature at 1.8 such as in this photo. It was an overcast day too. I have several more of the whole body in mid air...but I liked the curls on this one. :)

[Stacey]

And yes, there is a screen behind her, but DOF blurrs that out at 1.8

[Chris Perley]

Found this... Not sure it will help for this photo with the netting so small, but maybe there's something you can glean from it.
http://www.dpmag.com/how-to/tip-of-the-week/how-to-take-pictures-through-a-fence-09-17-12.html

[Weng]

i think you're quite far away from your kid that even with F1.8, he should still be in focus when he jumps. There's nothing stopping you from shooting a whole bunch of images and just picking the right one?