Lens Extender

Who Dominates in Sports Photography Equipment? Nikon or Canon

Until recently the answer was very clear.  Canon utterly dominated Nikon when it came to what the pros used for their sports photography equipment.  You could always tell by the looking at the white Canon L-Series lenses on the sidelines of games.  But check out this photos from the Beijing Olympics last year.  There are quite a few non-white lenses attached to camera bodies.  Those black lenses are attached to Nikon cameras.  I'm sure this is due to the introduction of the Nikon D3 digital SLR.

By the way this photo is from a Russian site that contains some of the best sports photos from the Olympics I've ever seen.

Setting Up the Sports Cover Shot

I recently tried to re-create the 2009 Sports Illustrated college basketball cover shot for the local high school varsity basketball program booklet.  I didn't have a lot of time to capture the shot. But I'd call this effort, "Not bad, but not great either.

Use Continuous Shooting

I still can't get myself to hold that shutter release button down and just fire away when the action is occurring on the field.  Maybe subconsciously I think about all of those photos I'll have to review just to find the one that pops (like the one above).  But why have the capability of shooting at 8 frames per second, if you don't use it (My Nikon D300 with the vertical grip attached shoots at 8 fps).

Photographing Soccer in the Rain

 Nikon D300, Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens, shutter speed 1/2000s, aperture f/2.8, ISO 720

If you have the proper gear, you can capture very dramatic sports images in the rain. You might get a little wet. But the sports photos are worth it, as you can tell from this soccer photo shot recently at a youth tournament in Louisville Kentucky.

I use the AquaTech lens and camera waterproof cover when I take photos like this in the rain. It's specifically designed to cover my Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens attached to my Nikon D300 camera. While this camera / lens setup is attached to a monopod, I also hold a golf sized umbrella to stay as dry as possible. I sort of look like this when I shoot this way (that's not me in the photo by the way).

Track & Field Sports Photography

I had not taken any track photos for a very long time before I recently got the opportunity to photograph the athletes in action during a middle school track meet. Other than the logistical nightmare of trying to be at multiple events and places at once, track is a little easier to photograph compared to the soccer photos I normally take.

As always, knowing a little bit about the sport you're photographing helps immensely.

Optimal Settings for Non-Flash Basketball Photography

This photos was taken in completely manual mode with my D300 and 85mm f/1.8 lens attached.  I used this hoops game to experiment a little.  First the aperture and shutter speed were set manually (f/2.2 and 1/800s respectively).  I chose f/2.2 aperture to give myself a little better advantage at getting more of the action in focus given the depth of field if shot at f/1.8.  Because of this, I had to manually crank up the ISO to 1600 (I normally shoot in auto ISO, but decided against that for this session).  I chose 1/800s through experience as a fast enough shutter speed to stop most of the action for decent photos. Before the game I took a few sample photos to check the histogram for under or over-exposure at the above settings. The histogram seemed ok, but this photos is a little more underexposed than I would like.  Assuming that this might happen, I added +2/3 exposure bias to the D300 while shooting.  Maybe I should have added more exposure bias.  I also adjusted the automatic white balance to the tungsten setting to counteract the funny colors resulting from the lighting in this particular gym.  To me the colors in this photo seem ok.  The last setting I changed was to shoot in Raw (NEF in Nikon vernacular) as opposed to high quality jpeg.

The Year in Sports Photos - 2008

For me, 2008 has been a great year to capture a lot of good sports action. I've photographed lots of soccer, a little basketball, and even track & field.  The kids have ranged in age from elementary school age to college age kids.  Equipment wise, I purchased a Nikon D300 this year, and I finally got my hands on a 300mm f2.8 AF-S lens (purchased used on eBay).  I still use my D200 teamed with the 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens when I feel particularly motivated to carry 2 bodies for soccer.  Apple's Aperture remains my photo organizing and editing software of choice. But for some the colorizing effects shown above, I still use the Mac version of Photoshop Elements (I'm still using Elements 4.0 by the way).  Just a few days ago, I finally filled up my 1 terabyte backup external hard drive just a few days ago (in addition to backing up my photos, this drive also backs up my music and few personal files. It's a LaCie firewire drive by the way. And my next one will also be a LaCie).

Check out my SmugMug site where I showcase my favorites for 2008.

Try a Lower Photographic Perspective

sports photos are much better when you as the photographer figure out how to shoot from a low vantage point. To me, it makes that action seem more engaging.