not getting what im looking for.....
 

so i recently got the nikon d90 and have shot 2 high school football games, ive been getting some alright pictures and have asked for some imput on pic/lenses and i want to know how to get from these...

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...DSC_0720-1.jpg

to this....

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...expman-1pl.jpg

For starters, you need to fix your white balance. I'd try maybe using a custom white balance and setting it before the game starts.

^^^Yeah that, or atleast shoot in RAW so you can adjust the white balance during post processing.

The shot seams slightly out of focus, are you using a monopod or tripod, or just shooting freehand? Aside from that it might help to have a slightly longer lens for sporting events.

could also be a camera shake issue... if your shutter speed is too low then the entire photo wont be sharp due to you not physically being able to hold the camera steady enough to freeze the moment. as your focal length gets longer, your shutter speeds have to get higher as well to avoid this.

general rule of thumb is your shutter speed should be at least 1/x where x = focal length. ex: use 1/60 or faster on a 60mm lens and 1/200 or faster on a 200mm lens.

also looks slightly underexposed which will lower overall quality, and as said above white balance is a big thing. focus is also something to keep an eye on but you'll always get some keepers and some crap.

How cropped is that photo? Looks a little grainy too, what's ure ISO at?

yeah i was also going to ask about the crop... the more you crop the less quality you'll end up with.

Oh a skins game, was that from the other night? I should hit up a game but I'm to cheap to buy a ticket to get in. Really should wonder what my D300 can do at high ISO.