| Sports
Photography — Using pro techniques when your kids are on
the field
by Steve Johnson
tell
a friend about this Sports Photography Nikonians Guide
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Tips
and Pointers
1.
If you're outdoors try to position yourself so that you're between
the sun (or brightest stadium lights) and your subject. This will
illuminate them better. You can get some interesting rim light
early and late in the day if the sun is behind them, especially
around their hair (if they're not wearing some sort of helmet
or mask), but their faces will be in shadow. We humans tend to
identify people by their faces, and sports photography is no exception.
When the sun is behind them beware of flare.
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2. Also for outdoor sports, if you're shooting near sunset note
which parts of the field are sunlit the longest. You'll get higher
shutter speeds, and generally better shots in these areas. Once
the sun goes down and you're under stadium lights all bets are
off.
3.
Avoid overexposing light areas. This often happens when one of
the teams has white jerseys, especially during the day. Even worse,
some are made from fabrics which are not only white, but shiny
as well. In order to avoid this you can dial in some negative
exposure value (EV) compensation. Any more than about -1.0 can
often result in dark areas that are too dark. Use what you need,
but no more.
4.
Dialing in negative EV is also a way to keep your shutter speed
sufficiently high when shooting at night or in insufficiently
lit arenas. But this has a downside – the dark area may
be severely underexposed, and you'll get more grain/noise. You
can try to add back some light by various means regardless of
whether you're shooting film or digital, but you can never really
regain lost light. There are lots of tricks to overcome this,
but that's an article in itself.
| 5.
If it's a sport you're unfamiliar with, practice before the
big day. Where are the good places to stand? How does the
game ebb and flow? Where does a lot of the action take place?
What unique shots can you try to get? How can you anticipate
when something interesting or spectacular is about to happen?
If there's a long break in the action like halftime think
about what you saw in the first half so you can try to do
better in the second half. What did you see that you didn't
anticipate? What key events kept recurring? Where did they
occur? |
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6.
If it's a venue you're unfamiliar with, again, try to practice
there beforehand. If it's outdoors what is the light like at that
time of day? Where are the shadows? Does the field slope up or
downhill? If it's indoors what is the lighting like? Can you use
a flash (ask the athletic director, event coordinator, coaches,
league officials, etc.). Strobes may be allowed, but again, check
in advance with the appropriate people. If you use flash or strobes
and they're not allowed, they may not allow you back. Is there
a glare from the floor or the water?
7.
If you can, get down on the field (or court, or poolside, or whatever),
on the sideline. At many events you may not be allowed to do this,
but if you can it will help you get better shots. On the other
hand I've been to events where special passes were supposedly
mandatory, but all sorts of people were wandering the sidelines.
Again, plan ahead. If not a week before or a day before, at least
check with the appropriate personnel when you arrive. Most coaches
administrators and officials are relatively easy to get along
with if you talk to them before the event starts, but there are
exceptions.
8.
If you have to stay in the stands try to get a seat down low.
Aerial shots aren't usually very attractive, but like all rules
in photography, there are exceptions.
9.
If the athletes are small, get down low. Down on your knees. Kneepads
can help. The ones with the hard plastic are better than the ones
that are entirely soft. You can often find them in hardware stores.
Vinyl, tile, and carpet installers often wear them, as well as
masons. Or just sit on the ground.
10.
Consider a monopod. It will be better than handholding and will
allow a lot more mobility than a tripod. I hated it when I first
tried it, but now I can't do without it. If you have a lightweight
tripod, don't forget you can turn it into a monopod by merely
shortening two of its legs. As with everything, practice is the
key.
11.
You will soon find the best action shots often come when the subjects
are moving towards you, instead of from side to side, but, beware
of large bodies moving toward you in a rapid fashion. Looking
through a camera and lens you don't always realize how close or
far someone really is from you, or how fast they're moving. Don't
get hurt.
12.
Don't disrupt the game. Be courteous and polite to the players,
coaches, referees, athletic directors, and security personnel.
Stay out of their way. Some are control freaks determined to prove
how much power they have over four year old kids and photographers,
while others are happy-go-lucky and a joy to work with. Either
way, they set the parameters, and you're privileged if they allow
you on the sideline. It only takes a second to get a bad reputation,
and they'll remember you for a long time. If you act like a courteous
professional you may be treated like one. In the course of a long
season, you will make major points with these officials if you
show up at subsequent games bearing a few free shots of them in
action.
| 13.
Don't be afraid to take a tight shot. Sometimes it's nice
to have a rather wide view to put everything in context, but
tight shots can really concentrate on the action, not to mention
show their facial expression more clearly. I've taken some
shots that contain nothing but the head. Of course you can't
tell exactly what they're doing, but you can see the intensity,
concentration, and effort. |
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14.
Pay attention to the background. Especially at outdoor events
you may have a large wooded area on one side of the field and
the stands on the other. The trees will generally provide a much
more pleasant and uniform background. Stands, especially metal
ones, can be very bright and distractive during the day. Don't
forget about positioning yourself between the players and the
sun, however.
15.
Don't just "spray and pray", taking hundreds of pictures,
hoping for a few good ones. Anticipate the action. Be ready. Have
your finger on the shutter. Concentrate on the game, the action.
Don't let yourself be distracted. Practice.
16. Experiment. Don't be afraid to try something, even if everyone
tells you it's wrong. They're your pictures of your kids, so you
get to make the final decision.
You don't need the ultra fast million shots a second ultramegapixel
digital camera and a long, gigantic, fast lens to take good pictures.
You need:
1. Light
2. Knowledge of your equipment
3. Knowledge of your subject
4. Good technique
And,
well, a little more light wouldn't hurt, either
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