Which hood lens should I get?

[Sjl755]

First of all, I don't know if this is the right place to post this message, if it isn't I'll be happy to post on a different forum. So I've been wanting to do awesome pictures, but lighting always seems to get in the way. I was told that a lens hood would help with it. I've been mainly using 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and 50mm 1.8 STM, and 75-300mm f/4-5.6. I'm trying to do photograph sporting events (high school basketball), night time sky pictures, steel wool, capturing car lights for long exposure. So my question is which lens hood should I get? 

[jrhoffman75]

Each lens has a recommended lens hood. The primary purpose of a lens hood is to shield the lens from extraneous off-axis light from causimh flare in the image.

Basketball photography might be affected by ceiling lights. I wouldn't think that the other photo types would be affected by that issue.

Can you post some images that you feel "lighting got in the way"?

[Sjl755]

[Sjl755]

So these pictures are from the same game, but I didn't do any editing to them. 

[Sjl755]

Also this one as well. 

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

Here is what a lens hood can help prevent:

See the red :blob: at the bottom of the frame?

None of the three images you posted show anything, to me, that a lens hood would prevent/correct. I don't see any problems with the first two images.

The last iamage has a faint flare to the right of the swirl, and maybe a reflection to thge left of the swirl, but the main prblem is a framing issue. Change your shooting location so the light source in the upper right isn't in your frame.

But, I almost always use a lens hood because it acts as bump protection for the front of my lens.

The lens manual that came with your lens should tell you the appropriate hood- ET-62 or something like that depending on the lens. Third party lens hoods from Amazon or other sources are adequate and much less expensive; you don't need a Canon branded lens hood.

Cropping can help a lot: