I'm going to see Disney on ice next week and i'd like some tips on getting a good pic while they are skating around, i'd really like to get some good pics so i can print them off for my niece, any help is greatly appreciated!
Well, depending on what camera you're using .. I'd recommend a high ISO , wide aperature (f/2.8) , and a fast shutter speed. Disney usually uses spotlights, so there should be plenty of natural light..
Depending on the perspective you have, you could also experiment with some 'panning' shots - where you move the camera in synch with the skater as they pass, and as you're taking the photo, so the background is blurred and the figure is (hopefully) caught clearly. Have a search for 'panning photographs' on google images for some examples.
Ideally, you'll need to shoot with a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 to fully freeze the action. Like @sarahhorsfall said, you can slow the shutter speed down for some interesting motion blurring, but you'll want to freeze a lot of the action.
I imagine that in order for you to achieve an exposure of 1/1000 you'll need a very high ISO. A complicating factor will be your lens: do you have a fast lens or the kits lens that came with your camera? The best lens in a situation like this would be an 85mm f/1.4, but I'm guessing you probably have a lens that when using the maximum focal length only gives you an f/5.6. That will be a problem.
You will need to shoot at about 1600 ISO, but of course that is going to affect the quality of the photo. You'll have a lot of noise. You'll probably capture the photos, but I'm not sure about being able to print them.
You may also want to set the AF to constantly refocus on the subject. The AF function on a Cannon for this is called "AI servo AF", not sure what the function is called on other brands. It sets the lens to constantly refocus on a fast moving subject while you hold the button half way down.
And also, the camera's drive to continious shooting, so you can get the 4 frames per second (or maybe 8/sec. depending on your camera) with one push and hold of the button. Allowing a few bursts of shots, rather than just one photo per shot. Shooting in small bursts, 3 or 4 photos per push, will give you a few options in case the 1 shot might not have turned out just right. Keep to small bursts of 3 or 4 so the sensor doesn't heat up too much and cause a lot of "noise".
The shutter speed may vary, you might be able to get away with as low as 1/400, I wouldn't go any lower. The higher you go, the less time the sensor has to collect light, so every step up will be a little darker than the last.
@jasonbarnette is right on with the ISO up at 1600. If the spotlights are nice and bright, maybe the next step down, sometimes the ice allows good reflected light.
The bulk of my photography recently has been sports, very fast action in arenas varying significantly as far as the lighting, so these are settings I play with all the time. If possible, get there early and test out the different settings on skaters warming up, or staff members testing out the ice. Granted, when the house lights go down and the spotlights go up, you will have to adjust accordingly. Don't be afraid to keep tweeking the settings and reviewing the results. And above all, have a blast! Good luck with your shots.
to quote what is painted on USS Massachusetts (BB-59) 20mm guns "Lead, Dammit, Lead" comes to mind. tracking / leading the skaters for a bit before firing off a shot will help get better images, the panning with a slower shutter speed can get some neat shots as well.
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I imagine that in order for you to achieve an exposure of 1/1000 you'll need a very high ISO. A complicating factor will be your lens: do you have a fast lens or the kits lens that came with your camera? The best lens in a situation like this would be an 85mm f/1.4, but I'm guessing you probably have a lens that when using the maximum focal length only gives you an f/5.6. That will be a problem.
You will need to shoot at about 1600 ISO, but of course that is going to affect the quality of the photo. You'll have a lot of noise. You'll probably capture the photos, but I'm not sure about being able to print them.
And also, the camera's drive to continious shooting, so you can get the 4 frames per second (or maybe 8/sec. depending on your camera) with one push and hold of the button. Allowing a few bursts of shots, rather than just one photo per shot. Shooting in small bursts, 3 or 4 photos per push, will give you a few options in case the 1 shot might not have turned out just right. Keep to small bursts of 3 or 4 so the sensor doesn't heat up too much and cause a lot of "noise".
The shutter speed may vary, you might be able to get away with as low as 1/400, I wouldn't go any lower. The higher you go, the less time the sensor has to collect light, so every step up will be a little darker than the last.
@jasonbarnette is right on with the ISO up at 1600. If the spotlights are nice and bright, maybe the next step down, sometimes the ice allows good reflected light.
The bulk of my photography recently has been sports, very fast action in arenas varying significantly as far as the lighting, so these are settings I play with all the time. If possible, get there early and test out the different settings on skaters warming up, or staff members testing out the ice. Granted, when the house lights go down and the spotlights go up, you will have to adjust accordingly. Don't be afraid to keep tweeking the settings and reviewing the results. And above all, have a blast! Good luck with your shots.