Indoor Dog Agility Shots

Sempusa

Senior Member
I am trying very unsuccessfully to take shots inside a well lit dog arena with my D7100 and would like some suggestions on settings. I do not want to use a flash so the dogs will not be scared by the camera. My exposures haven't been too bad but any movement by dog or trainer is nothing but a complete blurry mess. Everything I have tried hasn't worked, and the results are so bad, there is no need to go over my failures. Just a good place to start might help, so I'll try to stay open to most suggestions. I know it will still take weeks, meeting once a week before I might get lucky enough to find a setting that works. The cell phones are looking so much better than anything coming out of my Nikon (embraissing for Nikon, not me) that I will no post online to share a single shot. Times like this I'm really sorry I bother with a camera that has endless settings that if everything is not tweaked just right you end up with complete failure.
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Ok... Don't post pictures... (which includes the data we need to help you) Go ahead and tell us what all the camera settings were for the pictures that came out blurry... although, I don't really need it...

If you're shooting, in-doors, with no flash, and you're getting blurry pictures, that means your shutter speed is too low... I don't know which lens you're using (more of that silly data in the images) but the aperture is probably not fast enough to do low-light shooting without either boosting your ISO or slowing your shutter speed way down...(producing blur)

If you really want a more concise answer...then you'll need to post some representative pics.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I was asked to take some T-Ball photos, but since I don't have any experience photographing moving subjects, I am practicing with birds-in-flight. You should consider working with birds. The only difference will be changing your ISO for indoor photography. AF-C has different AF settings that can track moving subjects. This is the video I watched. I did try out most of the settings to see which one worked best for birds.

You will need to be in AF-C, a high ISO and a fast shutter speed. If the dogs are moving, you may need a shutter speed of 1/1250" or higher especially if they are running around.

 

Moab Man

Senior Member
Your problem is shutter speed. If you have a blurry mess it's because you're not freezing the action. However, the faster your shutter you have to rely on aperture to allow more light in or higher ISO. For right now, put your camera in shutter priority "S" and set it between 1/800 - 1/1000. Whatever speed is the slowest you can go for the fastest action, but still freezing the action. Set your ISO to auto. With these settings the camera will pick the aperture and ISO and you can get an idea of what your settings need to be.

Study the "Exposure Triangle." Plenty of tutorials on Youtube.
 

Sempusa

Senior Member
[MENTION=11881]Moab Man[/MENTION] Thanks, I will give your tips a try. They sound easy and just what I was looking for without going into a treasure hunt for some hidden setting that may be off. I had some pretty good success with the "S" setting over the years but only outside with plenty of sunshine. I also like your hint about using it to get an idea of the aperture & ISO settings needed to shoot in the arena. @hark - Thanks also, I will definitely take another look at that video. I do have lots of experience with birds, one of my favorite subjects, but I am always reviewing settings because things get reset when taking other shots. I think it's mostly the indoor lighting that's killing my feeble attempts - I'm also training my dog in-between so I don't have a lot of time to sit there making adjustments. I would love to have my tripod along but it wouldn't stand a chance with the dogs, leashes and the excitement to get another treat.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I think it's mostly the indoor lighting that's killing my feeble attempts - I'm also training my dog in-between so I don't have a lot of time to sit there making adjustments. I would love to have my tripod along but it wouldn't stand a chance with the dogs, leashes and the excitement to get another treat.

On the Mode Dial, you have M, A, S, U1, U2, and a few others. The U1 and U2 allow you to customize your settings and program them into the body. Then when you switch to U1 or U2, those specific settings are ready for you.

My regular settings are AF-S with single point. Generally I use either Aperture Priority or Manual Mode for most of what I photograph. BUT...for birds, I have the body set for BBF, AF-C, Aperture Priority, and dynamic 9 for the focus points in U1. U2 is the same except it is set for Manual Mode instead of Aperture Priority.

So my point is I have 3 different settings at my fingertips. All I have to do is to switch between my regular setting to either U1 or U2.
 
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