Think of Sports Photography, (or other action/events) as “One-Time-Only” events. The Harlem Globetrotters might come to your town once in a lifetime, but individual sports events might also offer those same once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to shoot. One never know when a school record might be broken, or the teams star athlete goes down with an injury. Game changing moments can happen at any time of the season, and no photographer wants to miss a short, or worse yet, take a poor quality image. Here are a few general suggestions for photographers get the most out of the opportunity to shoot such events.
1. SHOOT EARLY AND OFTEN
This suggestion pertains especially to fall sports, as the season changes from great light (and weather) in September, to miserable in November. Take full advantage of good lighting when you can. Early in the season, both the players, and photographers are also fresh; which allow you to make the most of excitement and attention. For many teams, early in the season is when they’re still trying to figure out positions, so there are often many substitutions of players that might not see much playing time later in the season.
Late in the sports season is the time for tournaments, and championships. By shooting events early you get a rhythm for the team, and individual players that can help you to be more predictive for those late season “big” games. More important, by shooting early and often you have time to discover all the perfect angles to remove background clutter, and gain intriguing persepctives on the players.
2. SHOOT AT EYE LEVEL
Football and wrestling are two sports that can produce dramatic shots by taking a low angle. You want to be where te action is, and that action takes place in a 3-dimensional zone. Spend some time studying the focal points of the players. The Pitcher is looking down from the mound toward the catcher, but the rebounder in basketball is looking up at the rim. Don’t be afraid to move around the venue for the best angle, and don’tget low to achieve the eye-level shot.
3. AFTER THE ACTION
Player celebrations make up a good portion of the excitement of a sporting event – especially in a sport like girls volleyball. So don’t bee too quick to celebrate yourself for getting athat great shot, or try to get a quick glimpse of it on your camera. Stay focused on the action after the action. Again, paying attention to the rhythm of the game, and studying key players (especially during warm-up) you’ll get a feel for who the expressive individual are, asnd will be able to capture the character of the game as well.
4. COACHES & FANS
The players are not the only subjects worthy of your attention. Excited fans, and coach expressions are all part of the game. These subjects provide a sense of what is going on in the game, and are usually moving much slower than the action – therefore allowing you to shoot at slower shutter speeds.
5. WIDE ANGLES
Much emphasis in sports photography is placed on longer (e.g. 200mm) telephoto lens. However, some would find a shorter length zoom lens (e.g. 17-50mm or 24-70mm) to be just what they need. If you can get close to the action shorter (24-70mm) lenses work very well – both by offering a different perspective, and by capturing a wider angle of available light. The shot at left was taken at 17mm. There is slight distortion (some like this look) but also, this lens – with its wide angle – includes more area of the lighter colored flooring as compared to a 70mm lens. The associated reflectivity on the players uniforms and faces may allow for a faster shutter speed than if using a longer lens that has a narrow field of view.
6. *COLOR* PHOTOGRAPHY
Color photography is about COLOR. There’s nothing you can do to control what colors the teams wear, but you can look for other color (especially in backgrounds) to help your images stand out. remember that viewers like “white space” – meaning areas of the image that are not cluttered with detail. Grass, ice, walls… all make for good white space. Look for ways to add a more uniform (smooth) color to the background (e.g. fan sections wearing school colors), and look for colors that stand out. Also, don’t be afraid to walk around the venue to look for different angles that will provide better backgrounds for your photos.there is no level of instruction that can replace your own experience, so keep shooting!