Help needed.

[dave s]

Hi all,

I took these photos on Saturday.

My camera was in Sports mode and I used a tripod.
On the screen they looked great but once downloaded they
were out of focus, any tips, help would be great.

I changed the exposure on the 3rd + 4th forest shots as it was quite dark.
Should I buy a telephoto lens ?

[TimIngmire]

Hi Dave, what shutter speed did the camera select? With the first one it seems that the hurdle is in focus along its length which suggests to me that the horse and rider should also be in focus. I guess that if the camera selects a slighty slow shutter speed then it would look out of focus without having blur lines that would be obvious from a very slow shutter speed.

[TimIngmire]

Did you manage to get to the bottom of this Dave?

[dave s]

Hi Tim,

My life has been on hold watching the cricket ( sorry Christine ) , I haven`t taken any more above water pics.

Thanks for asking.

[Mike W]

Think the clue is in the use of the tripod - camera stationary, subject moving, so the fences and trees are sharp but the competitors aren't.

For any moving subject forget a tripod, set the shutter speed as high as possible (This is what the Sport mode does for you) and then follow the movement through the viewfinder, releasing the shutter whilst keeping the camera moving. Works for fish as well.

FWIW, photographing jumping horses isn't easy, they go up and down as well as going side to side. Still, easier than sitting ont he beasts whilst they are jumping, just look at the expression on the face of competitor 47!