Sports photography

I said in an earlier blog that I would write about sports photography and the time is now.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to combine my life-long passion for sports with both my profession and my hobbies. I’ve been able to gain access to events that might be otherwise difficult to photograph because I’ve been in and around the sports business for my entire adult life. The beginning sports photog needs to understand that the first order of business is to learn the photographic process, then worry about press passes.

So let’s get to it. You’ll need a single lens reflex (SLR) camera and a telephoto lens. It’s pretty easy to find a 70-200 millimeter or 80-200 mm lens in the used section of your local camera store and that’s a good place to start. You’ll want to find a lens with aperture 2.8 capability, making this a ‘fast’ lens that works better in lower light situations than lenses with bigger aperture numbers (such as 3.5).

You’ll need to match your budget to the equipment you start with and there is no need to rush out and buy every expensive piece of equipment out there. Pick up what you need as you learn how to use what you already have. Then you know better what you need to buy next. For example, you’ll have to buy a monopod sooner or later. But hold off on the expense until you know the time has come.

Because of the size of the field, softball and little league baseball match well with the camera and lens combo I mentioned above. Other outside sports, shot in daytime conditions, are also possible. Youth sports offer excellent opportunities, once you have permission to shoot the event. Indoor sports are a very different matter. There are situations where flash photography is not allowed and they are where the fast lenses mentioned above are important.

I don’t want to delve too deeply into the technical area here because every camera and lens combination requires a slightly different approach. Suffice is to say that there is no substitute for going out and using your camera. Get an understanding of what settings you need to get the best performance from your equipment.

Minor league football is all over the country and the game
offers opportunities for photographers. By the way, I
named this one, 'No holding called.'

There are many, many ways to shoot the various sports. As you assemble more equipment, you’ll look for new ways to use said equipment. Below are a few ideas I think will work for the beginner with the equipment suggested above.

Football: First thing you must do is speak briefly with the referees on your side of the field before the game. Let them know you understand about the three-foot rule along the sideline and that you will not be in their way. The rule establishes that you cannot stand within three feet of the sideline, as that is where the referee runs. It’s a safety thing, both for you and the refs. Usually, you are restricted to be outside the team zone along the sideline, meaning you have to be between the 25 yard line and the goal line. You are usually allowed to circle behind the team area to change positions when the ball moves toward the allowable area on the other end of the field. If you are covering the game itself and not a specific team, I’d recommend positioning yourself 3-4 yards ahead of the line of scrimmage and discipline yourself not to squeeze the trigger on any play moving the far side of the field. Running plays to your side, especially off tackle plays or sweeps, are in your wheel house. Short passes to your side are also within range. For goal line plays, try to get behind the end zone and try to lineup directly in front of the center. Idea: Go on line and try to find a minor league team in your area and contact them about photographing their games. Don’t forget that most high schools have junior varsity teams and might be willing to have you out there.

This shot made the cover of a
municipal recreation department's
magazine.

Softball: Make sure you have the proper permissions before you try to work a softball game. Be aware of foul balls. Understand the game before you think about stepping out there. Having said that, I always spend the first inning, the entire first inning, behind the fence that is behind the plate. I want lots of images of the starting pitchers because you never know when someone might throw a no-hitter or a perfect game. Even if all the starting pitcher does is get credit as the winning pitcher, you’ll have an image you might be able to pedal to a local newspaper or website. After that, your positioning depends upon what the umpire determines that photographer area to be. From the right side of the infield, watch for the third baseman, shortstop or second baseball to field a ground ball. Your 200 mm lens should have enough reach to capture an image of the infielder fielding and throwing the ball. You’ll probably be working slightly down the baseline from third or first base and outfield plays should be reachable as well. Watch the sun! Choose your side of the field according to where the sun is closest to your back. Safety: DO NOT stand directly behind first or third base unless you are behind a fence.

Baseball: Much the same as softball, but if you have the equipment suggested above, you really do not have enough lens to properly shoot baseball, as the field is so much larger than a softball field. Having said that, if the backstop is not too far behind home plate, you might be able to photograph the pitchers and plays at home plate. From up the baseline, you should be able to get runners coming to first or third base.

Junior college basketball, using the
bounce-off-the-floor flash technique.

Basketball: In most cases, you’ll need a flash to shoot basketball. The lighting systems in most high school and junior college gymnasiums do not typically have enough candle power to allow a photog to capture nice images without a flash. As basketball is such a vertical game, I typically turn my camera sideways and then twist my flash to point at a 45-degree angle toward the floor. This creates a bounce flash that illuminates the players in the shot without blasting in their eyes. For this sport, you’ll want to shoot from behind the basket and you might favor one side of the floor slightly. I once spent two seasons shooting a team whose best player typically shot from the corner to my left of the basket or drove along the baseline from that direction. For that reason, I edged a bit to my left during those games. Your 200 mm is fine for this sport, but the 2.8 aperture is very important, even with a flash. Idea: Is the crowd small? Go to the corner of the grandstand near the baseline and climb until your camera is even with the plane of the basket cylinder, then focus on the rim. You should get some nice rebounding images.

Always focus on the middle of the bar in the jumping
events. The jumpers aim for the center because they expect
it to be the lowest spot.

Track and field: The field events are a great deal of fun to shoot. Watch your sun and be aware of where the discus, javelin, shot put and hammer throw landing areas are. Running events are fun to shoot as well, but I really enjoy the high jump and pole vault events.

Gymnastics: Most of the time, these gyms are poorly lit and there are strict rules against the use of a flash. This is a great sport to shoot and the only work arounds I have found are: A) Get yourself a camera and lens that perform well in low light conditions or B) arrange to shoot the athlete during practice, with permission from the coach and the athlete, when everyone knows you’ll be using the flash. The bounce flash technique from the basketball section above might work well here.

Soccer: Tough sport to shoot. Huge playing field. Stand on the sideline, hope they come toward you with the ball. I’ve tried photographing this sport and performed poorly. Good luck.

Boxing: I’ve photographed one boxing match in my life, a world championship fight in an open air arena in Mexicali, Mexico about 25 years ago. Shot it with film. I didn’t realize my settings were all wrong until late in the fight. Luckily, there was a knockdown right after I changed the settings and I got the downed fighter as he tried to get off the mat. The Associated Press paid me $50 for that shot and it went around the world. Thus, I am a world-renowned boxing photographer and you’ll get none of my secrets here.

Good luck and thanks for reading.