Sequence photography is a great tool to use when you need to have a more interesting shot to use, but it’s not always easy to do – to take a flawless sequence shot you’ll need to do as much work on the day as you will in Photoshop. What you’ll need is: A tripod to steady the camera Photoshop (or Continue Reading
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As the title of the article says, this is Part 2. I strongly encourage you to read Part 1 first, where I covered some of the indoor sports photography basics like gear, auto focus, camera settings, and looking for creative angles. While Part 1 centered primarily on basketball, here in Part 2 we’ll take a quick look at some of the other indoor sports you might find yourself shooting.
Whereas flash might be allowed for basketball, it will NEVER be okay for fencing. You’ve got two combatants trying to stab each other with swords. Anything you do that can possibly affect the vision of either fencer–even if just for a moment–can also affect the outcome of the match, and possibly result in injury. Open up your aperture, dial down your shutter speed a bit, crank up your ISO. Rapid-fire mode may not be such a bad idea here, because a certain number of blurry photos are to be expected.
Fencing and volleyball– two very fast, unpredictable sports. FENCING: 100mm, 1/160, f/2.8, ISO 1600. VOLLEYBALL: 80mm, 1/200, f/4, ISO 1250, TTL Flash.
I love the game of volleyball, but I absolutely hate shooting it. The unpredictability of bump, set, and spike can be maddening. Anticipating where the ball is going is perhaps more difficult in volleyball than any other sport. Again, flash may or may not be your friend when photographing this sport. Make sure to talk with the referee before the match begins. In volleyball, there is one referee at the net. Most will allow you to use flash, as long as you are not shooting towards them. That means shooting from the same side as the ref. You’ll most likely have spectators behind you, so try to stay low and be respectful.
Just like fencing, flash will never be allowed when photographing gymnastics or competitive cheerleading. Both are a photographic challenge, requiring you to capture very fast action in very low light. Most professionals like to shoot these events at 1/1000 with very high ISO. Being able to anticipate the action is possibly more important in gymnastics than almost any other sport. Gymnastics moves so fast that if you see it in the viewfinder, chances are you’ve already missed the shot. Watch them warm up. Getting familiar with a routine during practice will help you know what to look for when it’s real.
No flash allowed when safety and balance can be the difference between winning and losing, or injury.
1/250, f/4, 80mm, ISO 3200.
For swimming, flash is generally allowed, but never on the start. When officials need to signal a false start, swimmers see a flashing light at the end of the pool. Hitting them with flash before they even hit the water can confuse them into thinking a false start has been signaled when it hasn’t. There is no do-over if they mistakenly think it’s a false-start and stop swimming. They are out of the race and it’s your fault. Also, get there early. At least one hour. This is absolutely crucial for swimming events. Your camera is going to have to adapt to the humid conditions. Getting there in enough time for your gear to acclimate will keep your lenses from fogging up.
Other than no flash until they’re in the water, swimming doesn’t place too many restrictions on photography. 1/180, f/3.2, 200mm, ISO 800.
I love shooting wrestling. Love it. For starters, I’m off my feet, getting my best shots either sitting or lying down on the mat. Many wrestling meets involve a dozen or more teams, with several matches going on simultaneously. If you’re lucky, you can find a spot on the mats with four matches going on around you at the same time. When one bout slows down or ends, simply rotate around to another. The key here is speed and efficiency. Bouts can go for several minutes, or they can be over in the blink of an eye. Flash is generally allowed at the high school level, but a newer model camera with high ISO, combined with some fast lenses, can mean great captures without the use of flash. Experiment and see what works best for you.
Don’t blink. You might miss it. 1/250, f/3.2, 85mm, ISO 640.
Similar concerns to fencing, but this time it’s much more up close and personal. Flash is definitely not allowed, but the good news is that the lighting at these events is usually really good. Pay attention to where the light falls on the ring and play to those angles for dramatic results. You are going to be fairly restricted in terms of where you can stand, because fighters take up two corners and judges are situated on all four sides of the ring. You’re shooting up, between ropes, at in-your-face action. Stick to a standard zoom like the 24-70mm or a wide-angle 16-35mm. This is one of those rare sporting events where the 70-200mm is not your friend.
Ring-side. 1/500, f/4.5, ISO 6400, 48mm. Leave the 70-200mm at home, but bring a towel.
Shooting indoor sports is tough. If it was up to me, all sports would be played outside under optimal, natural lighting conditions. Hey, a guy can dream, right? Don’t let the challenges or stumbling blocks get you down. With practice, preparation, and the right gear, you’ll see the quality of of your images improve dramatically.
Do you have a good tip for shooting indoor sports? Share it with us in the comments.
For additional reading, one of the best books ever written on the subject of sports photography is “Peter Read Miller On Sports Photography.” Miller has been photographing the NFL, the Olympics, and portraits for “Sports Illustrated” for almost 40 years. He has over 100 S.I. covers to his credit, as well as 35 Super Bowls, 9 Olympic Games, and countless other sporting events around the world. You can check out my review of the book, as well as my conversation with Peter, by clicking here. The book is available on Amazon.com.
The post Tips for Indoor Sports Photography – Part 2 by Jeff Guyer appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Shooting indoor sports isn’t always easy, but you can get professional quality results by following a few tried and true tips. 1/180, f/4, 80mm, ISO 1250, flash.
A few weeks ago, we asked our dPS Facebook followers what topics they’d like to see covered here on the blog, and a few of you were in search of tips for indoor sports photography. For purposes of this article, I’m going to concentrate heavily on high school basketball, because it brings all of the challenges of shooting indoor sports together; bad lighting, fast action, ornery coaches, inconsistent referees, and–of course–the unpredictability of sports.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time here discussing camera bodies. As long as you are photographing with a reliable DSLR, your bigger concern should be the glass. Fast glass. That doesn’t mean I advocate running out and spending all of your money on the most expensive lenses that you either can ,or can’t afford, but a long zoom with a large aperture is going to be a must.
Unfortunately, while many gyms may be well-lit for sports, most are poorly lit for photography. Adding to the challenge, many high school sports have a prohibition against using flash. You have to do your homework. In my experience, I’ve never had a problem using flash for basketball. As long as you are shooting from an off-center angle, you should be fine. You have to be careful, though, because you don’t want to blast a player in the face with flash full, and possibly change the outcome of the game. That’s the best way to make sure they never let you in with your camera again. Flashing action on the floor? Shouldn’t be a problem. Flashing a player on the free throw line before the ball leaves his hands? Not so much. As with any type of shoot, make sure you have all of the necessary backups: batteries, memory cards, etc., as well as a backup body if possible.
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to travel light while shooting sports. Shown: Nikon D90, 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, SB800 speedlight, plus spare batteries, memory cards, etc., that all pack into modular components shown for the Think Tank Pro Speed Belt.
Trust me when I tell you that you are going to want to get there early. Pre-game warm-ups offer some of best opportunities for quality shots of individual players. For starters, players tend to move a little more slowly in warm-ups than in the actual game. You’ll have an easier time capturing motion, and more of an opportunity to isolate individual players in the frame. You can get a little closer to the action during warm-ups, but PLEASE BE CAREFUL! Each half of the court is going to be filled with players, coaches, managers, officials, and other personnel. The players are big, fast, and not paying attention to you. Their job is to play basketball–not give you the best photo op.
The most compelling shots will have offense, defense, and the ball. You can get good shots without the ball, but they will be better with it. LEFT: 1/250, f/5, 80mm, ISO 2000, flash. RIGHT: 1/320, f/2.8, 80mm, ISO 1250, flash.
The biggest key to getting quality photos of any sport is to have a solid understanding of the game and how it is played. Every sport has a rhythm all its own. Are they playing a zone defense or man-to-man? Is it a run-and-gun, or are they burning the clock? Can #33 sink the three with impunity, or is he dishing it off to the open center for a lay-up? Do you need to be on the sidelines or under the bucket? Which side is best: the home side of the stands or the visitors’?
Remember that there is a big difference between shooting as a media photographer and shooting as a parent. As a reporter or school photographer, you are there for “the big picture.” As a parent, you are mostly concerned with getting photos of your son or daughter, and they’ll be easy to track with the number on their back. In either case, the more you understand the subtleties of the game the better prepared you will be.
When I say “focus” I’m not just talking about your photography. I tell this story a lot because I think it’s important. You have to be aware of your surroundings. I once saw a photographer stand his ground on the sidelines at a football game, despite the fact that a player was being pushed out of bounds right at him. I watched as his camera, lens, and monopod all went flying in three different directions–as he flew in a fourth. He was wheeled off the field with cuts to his face, and a leg that had been broken in two places. He was out of commission for six months. No photograph is worth that. Be safe. Focus on where you are and what is going on around you.
Now let’s talk about the other kind of focus. Obviously, it’s an action sport and you want action photos. Some of the best sports photos are those that capture the eyes. Things move fast, though, and your subjects are not always going to be standing still long enough for you to focus on their eyes. Your camera’s auto focus works by looking for contrast. Uniforms usually have a lot of contrast between the color of the jersey and the color of the numbers. If you can get the eyes, great. If not, your best bet is to try locking on either those numbers or the ball once players start moving.
Most professional sports photographers use back-button focus.
Check your manual if you aren’t sure where to find this feature in your camera’s menus.
Another focus option you might wish to try is back button focus. Most DSLRs have an option that allows you to assign auto focus functions to a button on the back of the camera. When AF is linked to the shutter button, the camera continuously maintains focus as long as the shutter button is pressed halfway.
When a player passes between you and the player you’d been focusing on, your focus will be shifted to the new player in the frame. Pressing the shutter button halfway down to regain focus on your original target starts the process over again and probably means missing the intended shot. With back-button focus, however, all you have to do is remove your finger from the button when another player enters the frame. Pressing the back button again when the distracting player leaves the frame resumes your original focus.
Part of the secret to shooting sports is using AI Servo (AF-C on Nikon) auto focus mode. With “one shot” AF (AF-S on Nikon) focus locks on a point and cannot move until you release and reengage the auto focus. In AI Servo (AF-C), however, the camera continuously focuses whenever you are pushing the AF button (or shutter button halfway if you haven’t reassigned it). It not only helps you lock focus, but also keep it when trying to photograph bodies in motion.
As with any type of photography, there is not necessarily a “right” or “wrong” exposure. But this is a sport, after all, and if you come home with 300 blurry photos you aren’t going to be happy–nor will your editor, or your daughter, the MVP. Remember that since shutter speed controls ambient exposure, the faster your shutter speed is the better your chances will be of freezing the action. I generally like to start with a shutter speed of 1/500 and adjust my settings accordingly until I get the look I want. Since this is an indoor sport, your lighting will probably be consistent over the course of the game, unless the gym has windows. Don’t forget, though, that “consistent” can also be “consistently bad.”
If you are using flash, it’s going to be important for you to determine the maximum shutter speed your flash will allow (usually 1/250, check your manual for “flash sync speed”). Start with that and adjust your aperture and ISO accordingly. This is going to take some practice, so be prepared for some trial and error. The good news is that cameras are getting better at capturing action in low light.
Look for interesting or dramatic backgrounds, like the game clock or crowded bleachers. LEFT: 1/180, f/3.5, 135mm, ISO 800, flash. RIGHT: 1/200, f/8, 80mm, ISO 1600, flash.
Obviously, the closer you are to the action the better your photos . Unlike some sports, you’re going to be a bit more confined to certain areas. You really only have access to one sideline in basketball because the player benches and scorer’s table take up one complete side of the court. The end zones are often the domain of the cheerleaders, so your time there might be sporadic at best. As noted earlier, a solid understanding of the game will definitely help you decide where to be and when. This is one reason why veteran sports photographers are hardly ever in one place for very long.
Basketball is a very vertical sport, but don’t forget to get some horizontal shots as well. 50mm, 1/250, f/8, ISO 1600, flash.
The entire length of the court opposite the player benches offers some great angles. It gives you great vantage points not only for the action on the court, but also for coach and player reaction shots on the bench. Be sure to also take advantage of higher angles from the bleachers (timeout huddles) and the track above the court (players jostling under the net), as well as getting down low for those dramatic larger-than-life shots.
It’s sports. They go one direction. Then they go the other direction. Four quarters of back and forth. That doesn’t mean, though, that you can’t be creative with your angles and composition. Look for interesting or dramatic backgrounds. In the set below, including the game clock over the coach’s shoulder as it ran down provided interesting contrast to his calm demeanor.
Keep your head on a swivel. Don’t miss the fans, coaches, and player reactions.
Don’t fall into the trap, though, of assuming that everything worth photographing is right there on the court in front of you. Spend some time in the stands. Shoot the crowd reactions. Photograph the band and the cheerleaders. Capture the traditions. There is so much more going on in that gym than just a basketball game. Turn your back on the action once in a while and take a look around. There are stories everywhere. Use your camera to tell them.
Welcome to photography, where five photographers will give you five different answers for everything, and tell you why the other four are wrong. When I first started shooting high school sports I had a slow camera with an even slower buffer that couldn’t handle me just leaning on the motor drive and hoping for the best. I hated it at the time, but it was probably a good thing. I learned to compose my shots and choose my moments more carefully. I developed a pretty fast shutter finger, and, I think, a better eye for the action. Even now, with better equipment, I still tend to leave my camera set for single clicks. That may put me in the minority, but it’s what works for me.
If you are covering a particular school or team over the course of a season, introduce yourself to the coaches. Your job will be easier if they know who you are and why you are there game-after-game. These kids may be big and strong, but they are still kids and it’s a coach’s job to look out for them. If a coach or official tells you something, listen to them. If they ask you to move, you move. You’re in their house and you have to play by their rules.
If one of those rules is no flash, then it’s no flash. It may sound silly to you, but you have no idea what the consequences might be. There may be college scouts in the stands, and you momentarily blinding the point guard with your flash might have an impact on whether that kid gets a scholarship, or if he’s even recruited at all.
If play stops for an injury, show some respect and PUT YOUR CAMERA DOWN. While it might make for compelling photography, it is entirely possible that you just witnessed the end of a kid’s dream or their only chance of going to college. You don’t want them or their parents seeing you clicking away while everyone else in the gym is holding their breath. This is high school, not the NBA. Be sensitive and keep it in perspective.
Any seasoned photographer will tell you that photographing sports is not easy– particularly indoors. We can debate endlessly on which sport is the hardest to shoot, but with practice, preparation, and the right gear, you’ll see your images start to improve quickly and steadily.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we take a closer look at some of the other indoor sports you may find yourself shooting.
The post Tips for Indoor Sports Photography – Part 1 by Jeff Guyer appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Sports photography is often shot either one of two ways – a 1/1000th shot freezing everything in frame and capturing a single, frenetic moment during a race, or at 1/60th, panning with the subject and creating some motion blur to emphasize the speed of the subject. No matter which method, they’re always taken during the day. Daylight allows photographers to Continue Reading
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Olivier Morin, photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP) managed to capture champion runner Usain ‘lightning’ Bolt crossing the finishing line at the same time as an actual lightning bolt lit up the sky behind him. The image, captured at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, was taken using a remote-controlled camera, one of five that Morin had set up by the side of the track to cover the finishing line. Click through for more details, and a closer look at the ‘double lightning’ shot.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
This video is intended for the beginning photographer to hopefully give you an idea how you might like to shoot sports. I realize this might not be the technically correct way to do sports photography, but its what has been working for me. Thanks, and Enjoy.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Full post at fstoppers.com Fstoppers travels to New Orleans to interview Sports Illustrated photographers Damian Strohmeyer, Al Tielemans, Simon Bruty, and John Biever as they shoot the 2012 BCS National Championship Game featuring LSU and Alabama.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Tommy plays jazz with Frank Vignola, Vinny Raniolo, Bucky Pizzarelli 2-12-2012 at the sold out Crest Theater in Sacramento, CA. Great sound from multiple legends, including Bucky Pizzarelli, who is 86 years old and plays 200 nights per year. Recorded stealthily with a Nikon D7000 with audio from Zoom H4N recorder. Please leave comments and subscribe to my channel!
blog.jaredpolin.com Here in part 2 I go into detail on using Shutter Priority for shooting sports outdoors. What is it, what are the benefits of using it and how it works. Make sure you watch the very end for a sneak peek of shooting better hockey pictures. Shot with the NIKON D3S
Neil Leifer is joining Walter Iooss in an exhibit for the first time, at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. We caught up with these two photogs at the space and had a chance to ask a few questions. Here is Neil revealing some secrets that may surprise you. Visit photoinduced.com for more photo-goodness and weekly giveaways
photographyequipment.yolasite.com (Budget Equipment) razzi.me www.facebook.com twitter.com In this video you’ll learn how to automatically refocus by using AFC Auto Focus Continuous aka AI Servo in Canon DSLRs. This helps you take pictures of kids running around. There are other modes also like AFA Auto focus auto and AFA auto focus single aka One Shot in Canon dslrs. Camera used in this video was Nikon D7000
HDR (high dynamic range) Tutorial with a Canon 60d and Photomatix processing. www.facebook.com like me on FB 🙂 www.tylersphotovideo.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
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