Introduction to Sports Photography
The following is a reader submitted tutorial from Jamie De Pould who is sharing with us what he’s been learning about Sports Photography.
Introduction - Sports Photography
Sports shooting can be one of the most daunting types of photography, even to the advanced shooter. The slightest mistake can ruin a shot. Having said that, it’s also important to remember that with sports, you get a lot of chances to get a shot with great impact. There’s a built-in drama unlike any other subject I’ve come across.
A little bit about myself, before I get too far into it: I am a student in the U.S. and Chief Photographer for The Chimes, Capital University’s student newspaper, where I manage a staff of three photographers (including me). I also do some freelancing for the local Columbus papers.
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Gear, lighting and settings
One of the biggest barriers to entry is equipment. I’ll be very direct here: it is extremely difficult to take good sports photos without an SLR and long lenses. It also helps if those long lenses are fast. Before long, you’re looking at a pretty large investment.
I usually shoot with two bodies: a Nikon D50 and a Nikon D200. Lens choice depends on what exactly I’m shooting, but my three main “weapons” are the Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 and 50mm f/1.8. Generally, the 70-300 goes on the D200 for main action and the D50 gets the 18-70 or 50 for time outs and less active shots-free throws are a good example.
There are no hard and fast rules, but if you don’t have a lens with at least 200mm of reach, you’ll probably be hurting.
There are two main divisions when it comes to sports: good lighting and bad lighting. Examples of sports with good lighting are (daytime) baseball, auto racing, tennis, (American) football and soccer (AKA futbol). Examples of sports with bad lighting are ice hockey, basketball, indoor volleyball and anything at night; artificial light just isn’t as good as our trusty old sun.
Before I start talking about lenses and aperture, I’d like to stress that fast shutter speeds are crucial to getting clear action shots. Experimenting with slower shutter speeds is fine, but when you aren’t experimenting, keep it over 1/250s.
When you have good light, it’s much easier to use a consumer-grade lens and get good results. Stopping down to somewhere in the f/8-11 neighborhood gives you nice sharp images with minimal sensor noise; you can comfortably use shutter speeds around 1/500s and sensitivity in the 200 range. This is usually quick enough to freeze all but the fastest action.
Bad lighting complicates matters because you’ll to bump the ISO, which introduces grain (as you can see in the attached basketball picture). This is where having a fast lens really helps, shooting at f/2.8 or f/4 will give you a lot more leeway as far as shutter speed and ISO, as well as decreasing the amount of post-processing work that you end up doing.
Another thing to consider is using your camera’s “continuous drive” facility. It means that you don’t have to be absolutely precise in your timing, which is good when things are moving quickly. This is also important when you’re making a decision about shooting RAW or JPEG: the camera can fit more JPEG frames in the image buffer than RAW. Generally, 3 images (like my D50) aren’t enough. There’s still one missed shot of a basketball player hanging on the rim that sticks out in my mind.
Personally, I don’t shoot with a monopod because I have VR, but it’s something relatively inexpensive that will make sure you don’t miss any shots to camera shake.
Focus, focus, focus
Auto-focus is a gift from the heavens. There are a few basic AF settings that can yield dramatic improvements. This is where being familiar with your camera and manual come in handy. Most cameras have three AF modes: AF-A, AF-S (not to be confused with Nikon AF-S lenses) and AF-C. The one I use for sports is AF-C (for continuous). That means that the lens will always be adjusting focus, keeping moving objects sharp.
The other focus setting to deal with is the focus area selection. My D200 has an absurd number of focus points-okay, so it’s only 11, which isn’t much compared to the new D3’s 51, but they’re both more than I’ll ever need-I usually use the “dynamic group” setting, put it in the middle, and lock the thumb pad so my nose doesn’t select a new area for me. If you’re using a camera with a more reasonable number of AF points, then just pick the middle one and leave it alone; I’ve missed more shots messing with it than I’ve gotten.
Don’t just shoot the action!
Sometimes the most dramatic photo is found after the big play. Simply shooting the play doesn’t necessarily give you an idea of how epic that 97-yard punt return really was. Watch out for players’ (and coaches’) reactions immediately after something big. The soccer picture here is a result of sticking with it past the end of a big play. I shot about 30 frames from a scoring corner kick; the guy jumping up in the air headed it in. I have pictures of him doing it, but they aren’t nearly as exciting. Athletes are people too, they show emotion, capture it!
Access is important
One of the other things to consider is how close you’ll be to the action. Because I’m a journalist, I usually get better access than the general public, which means that I can (generally) get better shots. That doesn’t mean, however, that sitting in the stands will ruin any chances you have of getting that magic frame. If you can get down on the floor, then go for it, but don’t sweat it if you can’t. I recently shot an American Le Mans Series motor race as a “civilian” and still got some great pictures (”Thunder Valley” here).
Sitting in the stands sometimes means that you aren’t sitting in the stands at all. Motor races generally permit spectators to move pretty freely around the venue, so walk around, get up against the fence, down in the pit, wherever. Look and see where the guys in photo vests are shooting and get as close to them as you can. Sometimes you’ll be surprised at what you get (see the photo of McNish and Franchitti).
If you are sitting in the stands, spend the few extra bucks and go for the good seats, I recently sat front row, right field at a Cleveland Indians game and got some pretty darn good shots with my CamPod (which I won here at DPS, thanks) on the rail.
A caveat, however, is that some venues have an aversion to fans with big cameras. I’ve been hearing a lot about the so-called “six inch rule,” where fans are not permitted to bring in any camera with a lens longer than six inches. Some venues put restrictions on cameras with interchangeable lenses. Do your research beforehand! There’s nothing worse than getting there and having security inform you that you need to leave your (expensive) gear back in the car. Most professional sports teams and venues post the rules somewhere on their website.
Finally, don’t forget to have fun. The funny thing is that I don’t enjoy watching sports at all, but I love to shoot them. There’s just something about getting that picture of a player flying through the air, kicking an opponent in the head and scoring the point. I can’t help but grin whenever I see a picture like that, especially if it’s my own. Apparently, other people even like sports photos too, who knew?
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Awesome - I was looking for something like this! Great tips. Thanks a lot :)
Great article.
One thing though, whilst i agree a good zoom lens is probably the most important investment a sports shooter can make, vip/media access to sporting events allows you to use cheaper shorter lens and still get better pictures than most spectators…
for anyone serious about sports photography check out http://www.sportshooter.com
I’m quite like you too, I dont enjoy watching the game much but enjoy shooting it more.
As much as I’d rather have the sun and the light that it gives, I still liked shooting indoor volleyball over a 7 pm soccer game where the lighting went from great to relying on the field lights. Most of the time I’ll take consistent lighting over a relatively small period of great followed by poor lighting.
I think this article isn’t bad, but I don’t think it’s enough. I’ve been working on photographing volleyball over the last few years (at both the high school and college levels). The article talks about volleyball being a poor light sport, and that’s definitely true. What the article doesn’t mention, though, it the extreme benefit that can be gained by shooting these sports with a very fast prime lens, like Canon’s 85mm F/1.2L. Such lenses allow for a much lower ISO than even a F/2.8.
Great artical! Just curious if you think the 70-300 would be a better lenz than the 80-200 2.8? The 2.8 has dropped in price to the point where they are close (ish) in cost. the 300 is a little longer but not as fast as the 200. Or does the VR make the f stop differance a non issue? Also, any thoughts on overall image quality between the two?
Thanks! Adam
Any thoughts on the use of a flash with sports? I wouldn’t be sure if if was bad practice in certain situations.
Fraser, that link should be:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/
You lost an ’s’.
good article.. thanks for the write up! I love reader submitted stuff
Some interesting tips about lenses, thanks.
Great article, Jamie… Thanks! I’m about to try shoot some sports with my longer lens (400mm) and this has provided some great tips…
Great article, but as someone who has shot a fair amount of hockey games, I find the lighting quite good in these arena’s. You spend the time to get the right white balance and you’re off to the races. It’s consistent, bright and I never have to use flash.
Great article! Well written, with some fantastic tips that I’ll have to try. Nice to find an Indians fan too.
I did mention that using fast lenses indoors makes things a lot easier, it was in the next paragraph.
As far as the 70-300 v. 80-200 . . . it depends on what you’re shooting. I love VR, but the smaller aperture just kills me indoors. VR doesn’t replace a fast lens, it just reduces/eliminates the need for a monopod.
I’m new to DSLR and this tips really gives me important information. I’m using an entry-level Nikon D40 and i love how it works so far. Your tips can help a lot. thanks.
I always keep on at least 1/500.
Great article! Makes me wanna pick up and just get the DSLR that I’ve been putting off since last month. It’s actually inspiring me to take on photography already!
I too, don’t really enjoy watching sports, but your article provided great inspiraton to go shoot them. I’ll bet that’ll add a whole level of enjoyment for me… It’s also great to know that I can get some good shots with my f/3.5 and f/4.5 VR lenses. I know they’re not fast primes, but they’re what I have.
One question - since you mentioned you shoot JPEG for the AF-C speed, so do you simply set your white balance at fluorescent? Or do you use a filter?
Also, love the input about seeking shots before, after, and outside the central action. That’s just a really helpful idea. Thanks for an inspiring article.
Awesome article. Personally I’m only shooting family and friends doing sports, but still some good advice in there. Thanks again!
I don’t shoot jpeg, I shoot raw.
25 yrs ago I was a newspaper photographer, shot only B&W film. For indoor sports I “pushed” my film. Never use flash where it could distract players. Alway position yourself in-front of your “home” team. An excellent rule to shoot “action”. I used a 35mm lens for basketball, 50mm for volleyball and 70-200 for football.I’m not a sports fan, this allowed me to concentrate on the job. Am now getting back into photography and learn much from this sight.
Keep up the good work.
Jamie nasked if a 70-200 might be better in my case I prefer it as mine is a 2.8. I can add an extender to get longer lengths if needed. The reason I prefer the 2.8 is I shoot sports wide open. I do this for two reasons. First is it allows me the fastest shutter speed but more important it allows me to keep the usually cluttered background out of focus, forcing the viewer to the action.
I had asked as I am trying to pick between the 70-300vr and the 80-200 2.8. I like the DOF controll in the 2.8 but there is a sizeable price diff.
If you’re shooting indoors, absolutely get the 80-200, the larger aperture is essential, just make sure you get a monopod too.
Good article. I do quite a bit of Soccer and do not have image stabilazation with my lens. When I am using over a 200mm I generally pump up the ISO to give me a faster shutter speed to correct for “hand wabble”. It gives me a little more grain but better focus
One of the fastest indoor and most difficult sports to shoot is badminton. Lighting is generally poor, racquet and shuttle speeds can hit over 100 miles/hr and you are not allowed to use a flash. This sport requires F2.8 or better and ISO of 400 or over.
I use a Nikon D80 shooting in jpg in manual mode with a 1.8 50mm lens and set it to manual focus. I’ve lost too many good shoots in AF that now I pick a spot to which I adjust my focus and use rapid shots. White Balance is the only adjustment I need to play with depending on the facility.
Very well put together site. For indoor sports, strobes are a must in most if not all poorly lit high school venues.
Cool! I thought a 4.5 lens was a bit slow for sports but these pics are great!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience in action photography. My attempts, so far, are no where close to the photos you have shown here.
Every once in a while there are some good deals to be had on used big glass. The non-VR versions of the Nikkor 300mm f2.8 and other similar models are great lenses for night games and wildlife, where shooting at 1/30 handheld with an 80-200 VR lens won’t cut it. Many photojournalists have dumped their old ones for the VR versions.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity make my living with a camera, and though it is not my most frequently used lens, and it’s a pain in the butt to carry around, there are times when nothing else will take the place of a big, fast telephoto. Make sure to set aside some money for a carbon fiber monopod. These suckers are HEAVY.
The eternal quest.
I started shooting indoor volleyball a few years ago and discovered the need-for-speed ever since.
It began with a f3.5 80-200 VR lens and the convenience of shooting from the stands - but could not stop the ball in flight.
It has evolved into a f1.4 50mm lens and sitting on the floor right under the net judge to freeze the action!
…dibs on that spot next match!
You can see some of the pics at http://www.superstarvolleyball.com/
What you said about going to a sports event and finding out you can’t use your camera sort of happened to me. I was sitting on the middle tier of Telstra Dome (an AFL stadium here, but at the time I was watching a football/soccer match) and I’d been taking photos`
What you said about going to a sports event and finding out you can’t use your camera sort of happened to me. I was sitting on the middle tier of Telstra Dome (an AFL stadium here, but at the time I was watching a football/soccer match) and I’d been taking photos with my Canon EOS 400D for the first half and just as I was putting it away at the end of that first half, a security guard came up to me and told me to put it away and not bring it out again. I was using a 75-300mm lens and because it’s a DSLR I was using the viewfinder, so that probably made him think I was a professional in the stands or something, even though I’m only 16!
Thanks so much for the great information. I’m sure it will help a lot of newcomers get REeeeeeALLY interested in Sports Action!
I use most of these tips with my youth sports action photography!
Kyle L.
Shooting sports is new to me and I just wanted to get some good tips. I have read the above and that is awesome.
I start this fall shooting soccer and don’t know much about the sport. Any suggestions on how to learn where to be? Do I just follow the ball?
Thanks,
Linda
Hi I’m very interested in sports photography, but im not a photographter. where and what is good starting place for me to get some really good training.Im currently living in miami.
for my last reply please notify me via e-mail i did not check the box below before i submitted it. thanks
Hi, I am new to photography and honestly haven’t had any experience in it, but what should I do to get a good start on sports photography