How to Photograph Sports Action

My favorite type of photography is sports. Even while growing up, I wanted to be the photographer on the sidelines capturing all the action. While in high school, I tried out my photography skills during summer football practice and was approached by one of the coaches fearful I was scouting for an opposing team. (I never tried that again.) I continued taking pictures of our son during his T-ball, baseball, and football seasons, but really got the hang of it in 2007 when I switched from film to digital. I love the instant gratification that comes with digital--knowing that you captured "the shot."

I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of sports photos. While I’m not the best, I’ve learned from some of the best, including pros who shoot college and professional sports, one of whom shoots for AP and covers the Olympics. They’ve all helped to hone my skills, so I think I’m ready for Sports Illustrated.

When I first started writing this article, I figured it would easy to explain, but it really isn’t. There are a lot of things that need to be considered when shooting sports. In order to make it a little more manageable, I’ve broken it down into two parts:

Part One - Preparation: Before the Action

Part Two - Execution: During the Game

Also check out this excellent reference:
Sports Photography Tips and Techniques by Jerry Lodriguss

Part One - Preparation: Before the Action

 EQUIPMENT

Camera. If you’re new to photography and have little knowledge about manual settings, use your "sports" setting (usually an icon showing a runner) or shutter priority. The sports button makes it easy to capture your daughter’s first wack at the ball on a tee or your son’s first kick of the soccer ball. My first digital was a Nikon D50. Early on, I found that I got just as many good shots using "sports" mode as I did on manual. Sports mode tells the camera that it’s looking at action and works to stop that action. For the more seasoned and adventurous photographer, I’ll address manual settings further down.

Lenses.  Choosing the correct lens to be used during a sporting event is determined by two things: the lighting and the sport. Different sports require different lenses. Different lighting situations require different lenses.

Outside/Daytime. Field sports require reach. You need a lens that reaches at least 200mm. My absolute favorite lens for daytime sports is the Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6. I use it for well-lit baseball, softball, football, and soccer games.

Indoor/Nighttime. Regardless of how good a photographer you think you are or how good you are at "tweeking" images in Photoshop, the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 will not work in low light situations. For this you’ll have to use a faster lens. My biggest lens investment for low light photography was a Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8. I use it for nighttime baseball and football. It’s a pretty heavy lens, so it is married to my monopod during night games. For basketball, I use the lighter prime Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 (this is a perfect portrait lens too).

Memory/Compact Flash Cards.  The size of your memory card is a matter of taste. Some photographers prefer to use several 1GB or 2GB cards, switching them out throughout a game. Using multiple cards has its advantages, the biggest of which is the chance of losing more images should the card become defective. My personal preference is an 8GB ScanDisk Extreme IV Compact Flash which gives good speed and performance and generally enough memory to cover more than one game. Tip: Instead of deleting images, always format your card each time you use it. But make sure you format it using the camera and not your computer. This will help correct any disk errors that may have occurred during its last use.

CAMERA SETTINGS

Image Quality. I shoot everything in RAW, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SPORTS. RAW tells the camera to collect a lot of data that can be manipulated more readily during post-processing, but RAW also clutters the camera’s processor. It slows it down. Shooting in JPG helps avoid processor or shutter lag, which can cause you to miss the shot.

Exposure Settings - ISO. ISO is the camera’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO, the higher the light, which is a good thing; but the higher the ISO, the grainer (more pixilation) the image quality too. It’s always a battle to get the right settings. My objective during any game is to keep the ISO as low as possible. If I’m shooting a day game, I try to begin with an ISO of 200 or 400. As the light fades or skies become cloudy, it’s necessary to increase the ISO. A nighttime or indoor game usually requires an ISO of 3200 (or higher). Tip: One wonderful secret I’ve learned is Auto ISO. Games are never static, they are constantly moving and changing, as is daylight. I’ve gotten into the habit of using Auto ISO during daytime sports especially because it allows automatic lighting adjustments as players run from shadows into sunshine. No photographer can make those adjustments when shooting a burst, but the camera can. Auto ISO allows the camera to adjust the ISO based on lighting conditions while maintaining a constant shutter speed/aperture combination. It’s great for sports photography.

Exposure Settings - Shutter Speed. The main concern in shooting sports is shutter speed. Your shutter has to be fast enough to stop the action. Shutter Speed is how long the camera shutter remains open to allow light onto the sensor. Rule to Remember: If your shutter speed is slower than the reciprocal of the focal length of your lens, you must use a tripod. For example, if you’re using a 300mm lens to photograph a landscape, your shutter speed must exceed 1/300 per second (it should be 1/320 or faster), if not, you should use a tripod. If your subject is moving (sports), you should double the shutter speed (1/600 or faster). If your subject is fast moving (boat or plane), you should triple the shutter speed (1/1000 or faster). You also need faster shutter speed to compensate for any camera shake. I generally triple my shutter speed to at least 1/1000 because we have some pretty fast players at Leroy and I move a lot.

Exposure Settings - Aperture.  Aperture refers to the size of the opening of the lens that the light must go through to reach the sensor. It is measured in f-stops. The numbers represent the ratio of the focal length of the lens to the diameter of the lens diaphragm opening. That's why it's called an focal number. The designation "f/2" means that the diameter of the aperture is 1/2 the focal length of the lens. The designation f/32 means that the diameter of the aperture is 1/32 the focal length of the lens. The aperture controls the depth of the image (f/2 will soften everything around the subject and f/32 will sharpen everything around the subject). Increasing aperture (lower f/stop) will decrease depth of field. Decreasing aperture (higher f/stop) will increase depth of field. I generally like using the lower f-stops (f/4 is a good) because it decreases the depth of field and gives that creamy background, isolating the subject, but a shallow depth of field is not always practical in sports. There’s a balance. For example, if I’m shooting a baseball game and focusing on the batter or pitcher, I want a smaller f-stop in order to keep the background unfocused and uncluttered, BUT, if the ball is hit to the outfield and I want to capture the rightfielder diving for it, I’m going to have to increase the f-stop (to at least f/6.3 or f/7.1) in order to have a deeper depth of field. That happens in an instant, so you better be ready to increase the f-stop by knowing your camera well enough to make a quick adjustment. This takes a lot of practice, but is well worth it when mastered.

Spot Metering. While I generally use Matrix Metering, there are times that I have to change to Spot Metering, especially if the players are dark skinned, wearing white jerseys. Spot metering the face will generally pull out the facial features from shadows, especially if the player is backlit.

White Balance. White balance is always tricky, but I’ve found that Auto works best 90 percent of the time. If you find your photos are too orange or blue, they are probably being influenced by the lighting. Try playing around with the Kelvin Scale. Sometimes it’s easy just to ask the videographer standing next to you what settings he/she is using.

Focus Adjustment - Release Mode.  Make sure your camera is set to continuous shutter. My Nikon has two continuous settings, CL (continuous low speed) and CH (continuous high speed). CH allows me to take up to 6 frames per second (fps), which number can be increased to 8 fps using a multi-power battery grip.

Focus Adjustment - Focus Mode. Make sure your focus mode is set to C (continuous servo AF), which focuses continuously while the shutter-release button is pressed halfway. If the subject moves, the camera will engage predictive focus tracking to predict the final distance to subject and adjust focus as necessary.

Focus Adjustment - Area Mode. When using Continuous Servo AF, I generally select 21 focus points and use Dynamic Area AF. If my subject briefly leaves one of the selected focus points, the camera will focus based on information from surrounding points.

See Also Part Two - Execution:  Action During the Game

Part Two - Execution: During the Game

ANTICIPATION AND REACTION

Know Your Sport. Covering any sport requires anticipation and reaction. If you don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know how to react. If you don’t understand the game, then it’s hard to do either. Using baseball as an example: If there is a runner at first, you know that he will probably steal to second. You can either anticipate that the pitcher is going to try to throw the runner out at first or the runner is going to steal to second.

Know the Rules, Including Those Governing the Photographer. There are designated areas for photographers on the field and on the court. These areas are set aside to protect you and the players, but be mindful that these areas aren’t necessarily "safe." The longer you cover sports, the more likely you are to get hit, smacked, run over, and stepped on. I’ve been beaned with a baseball while in the photographer’s box and I’ve been plowed over by football players while in the "safety zone." Always be aware when the ball is in play and anticipate the action. There are some rules that come into play if the ball is hit into the box with the photographer. You can affect a softball game if you touch the ball or step out of the box, so always be aware. You don’t need a bunch of angry parents chasing you down after the game.

Be in the Right Location. Even the Sports Illustrated pros will tell you that they miss the action because they’re not in the right location. That is why you have to do everything you can to be at the right place and the right time and to have the right amount of luck. This isn’t always easy because players, coaches, referees/umpires, equipment, fences, and fans can block your view. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to tackle the referee ("zebra") or umpire because he/she stepped into and blocked that "perfect" shot. This calls for some creativity. If you’re blocked by a fence, get a small ladder or step stool to look over it or ask the coach if you can shoot from the dugout. If you don’t block anyone’s view, shoot from the backstop. Unless you have a very powerful lens, football can be the most challenging. With a 400mm or 600mm lens, you can station yourself in the endzone and never move, but, if you’re someone like me with a 200mm or 300mm, you’ll be trekking from one side of the team box to the other, trying to stay ahead of the action, so make sure you have your tennis shoes on.

Anticipate and React. Players can sometimes give away their next move. A pitcher’s or quarterback’s eyes can reveal a lot, as can their body language. A subtle step from one side to anther by one of the infield players can tell where they anticipate the next play to be. If a runner is on third, the coach is going to do everything he/she can to get the player in to home. Watch for reaction too: the facial tics of the pitcher or the batter, the emotion of the coach or players after a good or bad play. With enough practice, you can learn to keep both eyes open, one to ensure you’re ready to take the shot and the other to watch other aspects the game.

EXECUTION

The Shot: The ideal sports photo shows action and includes the players eyes and the ball. Of course, you won’t always get the "ideal" photo, but that’s what you’re striving for. Don’t forget to get some wide-angle shots to capture your surroundings, including fans, cheerleaders, band members, players on the sidelines, or even sunsets or moonlight over the field.

Keep it Tight. It’s always good to shoot a balance of loose and tight shots. When in doubt, go loose because you can always crop. But the tight shots pull you in closer and capture details often missed with a looser shot.

Composition. Sometimes it is helpful to change your focus point in the viewfinder in anticipation of the action. For example, if the pitcher is throwing from right to left, move your focus point a few places to the right of center in order to capture his full follow-through. If football action is moving from left to right, move your focus point a few places to the left of center in order to more fully capture movement of the action. Tip: Since so many of us use medium format (DX) cameras, we need to optimize our shot. Instead of keeping the focus point in the center and having to crop out the empty space above a players head, move the focus point a spot above the center and keep it focused on the player’s face, not his/her chest.

Pre-Focus. If you know where the next play will be, pre-focus and wait. For example, if you know the next play will probably be a runner stealing to second, then pre-focus on second base and wait for the action. Tip: Instead of using the shutter release button to focus and shutter, use back button (AF-ON) to focus and the shutter release shoot a general area without having to refocus. This takes some practice, but makes a big different in tracking a moving object.

Check Your Settings. It’s always good to periodically check your settings to make sure they’re still good. The sun doesn’t stay in one place in the sky, so constant adjustments must be made. But don’t "chimp" by checking after every shot, especially when the ball is in play. You can always review them later. Be aware of the action and get out of the way.

Panning

Freezing (faster shutter, freezing the action) or Panning (slower shutter, following the action). To freeze the action, set your camera to sports mode or set your shutter speed priority to a high setting. Panning is a way to capture movement and have it expressed in your photos. To pan, slow down the shutter speed and follow the subject with your camera. That will isolate the subject, but give the feel of movement to the photo.

Backlighting

Backlighting. Let lighting conditions work to your advantage. While shooting with the sun against your back is great, it’s not an etched-in-stone rule that the sun must stay there. Some of my favorite photos were taken against a dark backdrop as the sun was setting, showing a wonderful outline of the player’s face or dust being kick up in the sunlight as a slide is made into second base. Good front light is also good backlight. They both give different perspectives.

Keep Shooting, Rain or Shine. Keep shooting even if it’s raining or snowing, but always make sure your equipment is protected. Camera storm jackets are inexpensive and easy to carry.

Be on the Lookout for "Moments".  Watch for the shots that tell a story outside the game.  Sometimes it's the simple comradery between players or fans, discussions between coaches and umpires, or just miscellaneous fun.

Avoid Using Flash. Flash is often strictly prohibited in college and professional sports because it can distract the players and make the coaches go crazy--and I don’t like crazy coaches. But there are some exceptions. In our area, flash is often used during indoor sports and football games. I don’t know how to use a flash, so that is never an issue with me. To be safe, check with the coaches or the school’s athletic director to ensure no one gets upset when the flashes start popping.

See Also Part One - Preparation:  Before the Action

How to Make a Camera Strap Cover

My hubby, Dave, did his first year of refereeing high school football this fall.  He loved it!  It made me happy to see him happy, but I missed having him on the sideline.  We went in different directions on most Fridays and I didn't like that.  Now he has decided to try umpiring girls softball, which means going in separate directions again.  I usually cover baseball for some of the local newspapers, not softball.  That's made me think about streamlining what I carry to the ballpark since my sweet "pack mule" won't be there to help.  Most of the time I have pockets for business cards and lens caps, but sometimes I don't.  So, why not add pockets to my camera strap?

This is what I used to make my fabulous camera strap cover:

2 strips (23" long x 3-1/2" wide) of heavy fabric (for strap)

2 strips (4" long x 3-1/2" wide) of matching heavy fabric (for pockets)

2 strips (2" long) Velcro

My camera strap is the basic one that comes with Nikon cameras.  It measures 22-1/2" from edge to edge and is 1-1/2" wide.  I needed a pocket to accommodate my telephoto lens cap and business cards, so I decided the width should be 3".  First, I cut two strips of heavy fabric to 23" long and  3-1/2" wide and then I cut another two strips to 4" long by 3-1/2" wide.

Next I had to cut the corner on a diagonal, keeping a 1" open end.  Since I quilt, all my quilting supplies came in handy.  If you don't quilt, you can make a pattern from plain paper.

This is what you'll have.

Next, you'll need to turn the end edge 1/4" and hem.

Also put a 1/4" hem in one edge of the pocket and then sew the other end to the strap material.

I wanted the strap cover to be easy to remove, so I added Velcro to the center edge of one side.  I ran a 1/4" hem 5" along the center edge of each side.  If you don't want to add Velcro, you can hand-stitch the opening closed or add a snap of some sort.

Pin the two strap pieces together and sew one side from edge opening to edge opening.  On the opposite side, sew from the edge opening to midway to the already-hemmed Velcro opening.

Now trim the edges close to the seam.

Lastly, turn the material right-side out and press.  I used an interior fabric used for pillows or slip-covers, so I couldn't iron the fabric directly without melting it, so I covered it with a pillowcase and pressed with a steam iron.

So, there you have it, a camera strap cover with pockets for my business card and lens cap.  Nothing is ever perfect the first time, though.  I don't wear my strap around my neck.  It's too cumbersome and awkward.  I wrap it around my arm,which means the pockets hang in the wrong direction. :(

Which means I won't use it, BUT ... If anyone out there wants a nice camera strap cover--FREE!  Leave a comment and I'll have my FIRST (and probably ONLY) give-away.  It's in a wonderful tan/black suede-like material, making it ideal for both men and women.  I'll do a "drawing" next Saturday, February 11, 2012.

Come on now, leave me a comment.  You know you want this unique camera strap cover.  You'll be the envy of all your photog friends!