Nikon Setup for Golf Event

[SpyGlass]

Hi all,

I've been tasked to be a photographer for a company golf event. Of course i do not have any experience but this is a budget thing and my company does not want to hire any photographers....

SO i'm in need of some advice.

My setup:

D70
D90
Nikkor 18-200mm
Nikkor 50mm f.18
Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8
Nikkor 18-70mm
Tamron 90mm f2.8
SB600
Velbon sherpa 600R tripod

i do not have a 70-200mm plus since its a non sponsored event, i don't wanna fork out extra cash to do that for free so renting is out.

so i was hoping to get feedback on the type of shots i'm expecting and what can i prepare or should do.

My personal assessment is to use the D90 / 18-200mm / tripod for tee shots. (taken at a distance, golfers aren't fast moving, can take after the follow through)

17-55mm or 50mm f1.8 with SB 600 for up-close posed or group shots.

This will be an all day event from morning till evening so i can expect a variety of light conditions. (yes more batteries)

Your constructive input is greatly appreciated!

 

[Reportage]

If its a daytime event, no problem with the 18-200mm. Its whether the player hearing is so sharp that the shutter noise can distract the play.

a tip is to find out just at what distance the shutter noise would be indiscernible and then stick to it.

whats important is to get photos of as many VIPs as possible in flattering shots.

 

[madmartian]

You have kind of answered your own questions.
Since you have two cam bodies, mount one of it with the 18-200mm for the course. @200mm, you can get the golfers min from 100 mtrs away. That way they won't be disturbed by the shutter sound.
Since the other cam is on the tripod, mount the 17-55mm onto the other cam with the flash. This will be good during reception time, prize giving ceremony & group shots.
This way you don't have to switch lens or unless you just go staight in shooting with the 18-200mm all the way the whole day.
See which set up is not too cumbersome for you

 

[SpyGlass]

yeah thats what i figured but wanted to get more experienced photographers input haha

200mm is probably where ill be most comfortable yet.. (would hate for the golfers to come after me for messing up their shot)

any recommended settings? iso 200 shutter priority mode?

what if dont bring the 17-55mm. can the 18-200mm / 50mm / 18-70mm cover for the indoor reception, prize giving etc?

 

[madmartian]

On the course, I would go min ISO 400. If your shots are well planned, use aperture priority. If not shutter priority is just a nudge away. To be safe, use auto ISO.
Like I mentioned earlier, 18-200mm can cover on course on off course. Unless during prize giving, you can't move to the front, then the 18-200 comes in handy. But if you can, I'd rather use the 17-55mm or 18-70mm. Coz plus the flash & long zoom lens is pretty heavy after a day's shooting

 

[SpyGlass]

alright then thanks so much for the enlightenment!

 

[madmartian]

alright then thanks so much for the enlightenment!

You're welcomed

 

[Reportage]

yeah thats what i figured but wanted to get more experienced photographers input haha

200mm is probably where ill be most comfortable yet.. (would hate for the golfers to come after me for messing up their shot)

any recommended settings? iso 200 shutter priority mode?

what if dont bring the 17-55mm. can the 18-200mm / 50mm / 18-70mm cover for the indoor reception, prize giving etc?

for the golf shots itself, it all depends on weather. I would use Av mode for about the whole event. Do not worry about bumping up the iso.

focus the shots more on the pose before the swing and the pose after the swing especially if the person got smile. attempt to catch during the swing itself only if very bright because may have to exceed 1/1000s to freeze the shot.

during the prize giving itself, do anything just make sure the people are on stage looking at you. Use flash if possible because if its under a tent or indoors or even outdoors.

chances are, you will be the person to get for any future company event for photography. bring the 17-55 just in case the 18-200mm got problem and vice versa.

 

[Jed]

@200mm, you can get the golfers min from 100 mtrs away. That way they won't be disturbed by the shutter sound.

Erm, no. I'd shoot golf from max 20m away with a 400mm on a DX, or whatever other combination of focal length/distance that you have available to you. If you have a 200mm you're going to need to be closer. You can get away with a bit shorter/further shooting full length. A 200mm at 100m is going to be insanely small in the frame.

Just use your 200mm but go closer. Golf photography etiquette basically says, no photos once the players address the ball for their shot, until they strike the ball. In practice this means, once they start the downswing of their actual shot, you can shoot, although depending on your camera's speed you probably need to shoot a little delayed to catch the follow through at its optimum position.

That way, the noise isn't an issue.

 

[SpyGlass]

wow thanks for the tip Jed. i think thats really critical. ill focus on the fore swing and aft swing like what Reportage mentioned

too bad i dont have the range for this one so 200mm is the best i can go...its gonna be awfully close but gotta make do.

i guess have to practise some situational awareness...esp when the VIPs are hitting or thinking

 

[madmartian]

Erm, no. I'd shoot golf from max 20m away with a 400mm on a DX, or whatever other combination of focal length/distance that you have available to you. If you have a 200mm you're going to need to be closer. You can get away with a bit shorter/further shooting full length. A 200mm at 100m is going to be insanely small in the frame.

Just use your 200mm but go closer. Golf photography etiquette basically says, no photos once the players address the ball for their shot, until they strike the ball. In practice this means, once they start the downswing of their actual shot, you can shoot, although depending on your camera's speed you probably need to shoot a little delayed to catch the follow through at its optimum position.

That way, the noise isn't an issue.

You are quite right here too, jed. But TS being new to this, That's why I told him to go further away. Coz being near, any movement by the photographer is distracting to the golfer. So if he's further away, he's more free to fidget with his gears. Maye 200 mtrs is a little too far. TS, you can try going nearer

 

[Dan]

Bro...

I did many golf shoot for our golf event...can I know how many golfer you need to cover?

Basically since this is your company event...it is not much of a problem...

Firstly the most important is group shot before the event...I suppose there will be a banner for this event so that all golfer will group together to take this group shot.

Second important, group shot for each flight...(4 person) at the end of the hole...green.
(Problem: If you have 40 golfer, there will be 10 flight...Ten hole you need to cover.)

Third important: Reserve a buggy for yourself...you need to go around covering all the golfer, you will be dead if by the first 9 holes without a buggy...

Camera to bring, just enough to cover long distance golfer and wide angle for landscape...Golf course has beautiful landscape. Also a normal distance to cover the dinner if you need to.

Things to shot:
Buggy line up...
Buggy move off....
T-off..swing shot
Multi-shot..if you want to let see how golfer handle there club..
Green...most interesting place to shot...Bent down, swat down, aim, action, jump....
Landscape...all green, pond, bunker...
Dinner presentation if any...need flash
.....

so...got to try a few times before you know the problems...

Dan

wow thanks for the tip Jed. i think thats really critical. ill focus on the fore swing and aft swing like what Reportage mentioned

too bad i dont have the range for this one so 200mm is the best i can go...its gonna be awfully close but gotta make do.

i guess have to practise some situational awareness...esp when the VIPs are hitting or thinking

 

[NikF601]

wow thanks for the tip Jed. i think thats really critical. ill focus on the fore swing and aft swing like what Reportage mentioned

too bad i dont have the range for this one so 200mm is the best i can go...its gonna be awfully close but gotta make do.

i guess have to practise some situational awareness...esp when the VIPs are hitting or thinking

Hi bigrockshow,
I am a golfer and i propose four areas which my photographer will focus on :-
1. WholesTeams photo
2. Flight photo
3. VIP tee off
4. Prize presentation

Try to carry min lens because no time to think or change lens. Additional Batteries and sd cards are VERY IMPORTANT compared to other items for photographer for this occasion.
Just my opinion.

 

[SpyGlass]

wow thanks for the details guys, i never played golf and this is really new to me (especially the flight thingy)

ill probably stick with the 18-200mm for all my needs and try to fit in as mentioned above.

Sadly i don't have a wide angle lens like the 11-16mm..but i guess the 17-55mm will do.

buggy?..haha... ill have to walk since i'm at the bottom of the food chain

 

[gymak90]

wow thanks for the details guys, i never played golf and this is really new to me (especially the flight thingy)

ill probably stick with the 18-200mm for all my needs and try to fit in as mentioned above.

Sadly i don't have a wide angle lens like the 11-16mm..but i guess the 17-55mm will do.

buggy?..haha... ill have to walk since i'm at the bottom of the food chain

No...:nono: You're the photographer. Photographer must have special benefits, or else nobody will want to be photographer. So you should insist on the buggy. :bsmilie:

I've never taken pics of a golf event, but I was once a golfer and I read sports news.

Like what bro Dan has suggested, I've seen many group shots together with a banner. And pictures during play, usually show a few things:
-Golfer squatting taking aim
-Golfer's aft swing
-A close-up on the ball being struck (usually done during T-off)
-Some pics show ball in flight, and golfer still in follow-thru state.
So you might want to experiment with these types.

For dinner/prize presentation at night, you'll need your flash and either 17-55 or 18-70. The objective is to get a comfortable fast shutter speed (fast enough to freeze motion and no handshake blur), accurate colours & not-to-harsh flashlight.

The f2.8 of 17-55 will come in handy when you need more light for fast shutter speed. The bokeh will give you good subject isolation - good when you are taking pics of 1 person. E.g. some big shot giving speech. When taking group/table shots, do not use f2.8. Opt for f5.6/f8. So you'll need to experiment on how to get sufficient light when using small apertures.

 

[SpyGlass]

yeah agreed. i guess for bigger group shots im going for f8 for a sharper view.

any recommended settings on the D90 such as :

Metering mode
• 3D Color Matrix II
• Center-weighted
• Spot

Auto-focus mode
• AF-A (Auto select; switches between AF-S and AF-C)
• AF-S (Single-servo AF)
• AF-C (Continuous-servo AF)

Thanks so much for the inputs guys. really appreciate your sounding out!

 

[Jed]

You are quite right here too, jed. But TS being new to this, That's why I told him to go further away. Coz being near, any movement by the photographer is distracting to the golfer. So if he's further away, he's more free to fidget with his gears. Maye 200 mtrs is a little too far. TS, you can try going nearer

200mm is insanely short. Like I said... 400mm on DX gets you the full row of 8 starters at a 100m sprint. Can you imagine how tiny one golfer would be at 200mm?

Common sense on the golf course is key, along with noting when you're "allowed" to shoot, and you'll be fine. Note I said common sense ^.^

 

[qwerty628]

200mm is insanely short. Like I said... 400mm on DX gets you the full row of 8 starters at a 100m sprint. Can you imagine how tiny one golfer would be at 200mm?

Common sense on the golf course is key, along with noting when you're "allowed" to shoot, and you'll be fine. Note I said common sense ^.^

Don't shoot when someone in the middle of swing unless you're sufficiently far away. Someone did that to tiger woods quite some time back and he was quite upset iirc cos he screwed up his shot cos of dat pg

 

[qwerty628]

And when someone shouts 'ball' or 'fore', its best to get your head down. Or at least cover your head ;p

 

[qwerty628]

yeah agreed. i guess for bigger group shots im going for f8 for a sharper view.

any recommended settings on the D90 such as :

Metering mode
• 3D Color Matrix II
• Center-weighted
• Spot

Auto-focus mode
• AF-A (Auto select; switches between AF-S and AF-C)
• AF-S (Single-servo AF)
• AF-C (Continuous-servo AF)

Thanks so much for the inputs guys. really appreciate your sounding out!

Settings up to you one. I woulduse 3D colour matrix and af-s. Golfers dont exactly run around. They stay in one spot when they play. Unless you want to do panning of buggy moving around then use af-c