Lens Extender

Sports Photography Tips from a Pro

Here's a good interview of John Todd, a professional sports photographer.  The "one handed grab" technique is especially intriguing to me

Capture a Few "Behind the Net" Shots

This shot was taken from behind the net at a terribly lit indoor soccer facility.  I was able to stand very close to the net (which is something normally not allowed).  Standing close to the net allowed me to almost completely blur the net in this image.  Capturing this direct perspective was very appealing to me as a soccer photographer.  The lack of light in this facility, however, was very problematic.

This shot was taken at ISO 6400 with a Nikon D700 and 70-200 f/2.8 lens.  The shutter speed and aperture were manually set at 1/400s and f/2.8 respectively

 

Nikon D700 Changes Indoor Sports Photography

 

I've heard for some time now that the ISO performance of Nikon's D700 (and D3) dlsr is just outstanding.  Well.... I can honestly report that the hype about the camera is true.  I used a D700 attached to a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens to capture these indoor soccer photos.  With my D300, these photos with this level of low noise would have been all but impossible at this indoor facility.  

These photos were taken in aperture priority using the D700 at f/2.8.  The shutter speed for the top photo was 1/1000s.  The shutter speed for the bottom photo was 1/500s.  The ISO used for each photo was 6400.  Yes, that's 6400 ISO.  The lack of noise at this high ISO level is just amazing.

 

A Video Highlighting Professional Sports Photographers at Work

This is a really cool video showing 2 professional football photographers capturing the action during the Super Bowl.

Facial Expressions are your Best Friend

Parents may not like facial expressions like this, but as a sports photographer these types of facial expressions are golden.  Remember, you'll only capture action like this if you continue to shoot after the action is complete.

Sports Photos Good Enough for Use by the Press

 

Several years ago I was asked by a local newspaper to provide a few photos for a high school soccer game they didn't have the resources to cover with a photographer.  I submitted about 20 photos from the game including the 3 above.  These were my favorite shots from this game.  Yet none of these were chosen to be included in the published piece.  In fact the photo that was actually chosen was a photo of one of the more well known players participating in the game.  

Remember, if you're shooting photos for the press, don't forget to capture the stars.

The Magic of Sports Photography in the Rain

If you've read this blog long enough, then you know I like the imagery of sports photography in the rain. For this photo, I used the Monochrome Mixer that's part of the Apple Aperture 2.1 to create the "almost" monochrome appearance.

Apple Aperture 2.1.1

Don't Forget the Scenery Surrounding your Sports Photography

A few years ago, I was photographing a girls soccer game just after a rainfall.  While capturing some of the action like in the first top photo above, I also captured this interesting rainbow that formed during the game.

Capturing the Amusing Sports Photos

It pays to shoot lots of photos when you're taking sports photos.  After all, it's only digital.  It really doesn't cost you anything to shoot as many photos as you can.  The benefit for holding down that shutter release button is you'll capture some very interesting sports shots that you really can't plan for.

 

Camera Settings for Night Sports Photography

One of the more challenging sports photography environments is capturing shots at night under stadium lights.  Getting the camera settings correct can be difficult.  You have to worry about getting fast shutter speeds, proper exposure, good colors and low noise levels. 

The most critical choice for attaining even decent night sports shots will be your lens choice.  Unfortunately, fast lenses (f/2.8 or faster) are a requirement.  These types of lenses are generally expensive - particularly those lenses that also provide generous reach.  The photo above was captured using a 300mm f/2.8 lens.  Yes, this is an expensive lens. You can also consider using a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens or the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 lens as well.

The first setting that I adjust for stadium light photography is the white balance setting to make sure that colors are correct in this type of lighting environment.  Stadium lights are notorious for creating inaccurate color reproduction with cameras set to the the auto white balance setting.  I use the ExpoDisc to easily and automatically help me set my white balance for night sports shots.  You can also use a gray or white card to make this adjustment as well.

I usually shoot in complete manual mode as well when shooting night sports photography.  I manually set the aperture to f/2.8 while setting the shutter speed to a setting that insures I'll be able to stop the action.  When experimenting for this setting before the game, I look at sample photos and the histogram to make sure I have the proper exposure.  This photos was manually set at aperture f/2.8 and shutter speed 1/500.

I also set the ISO to a level that allows me to get the proper exposure at the manual settings I require.  For this photo the ISO was set a 4000.  Of course this produces a lot of noise in the pictures.  But I'd rather get a photo with noise, than no photo at all.  The noise in this photo was also cleaned up with Noise Ninja.

Noise Ninja Pro Bundle Version 2.1 Software

The last camera setting that I adjust is to shoot in center weighted metering mode as opposed to matrix metering mode.  I choose center weighted metering to make the camera account for the intended subject more than the often dark background.  I find that matrix metering often over-exposes the intended subject because the camera accounts too much for the nighttime background.