Sports Photography Tips - 1 year the wiser?

I believe I can fly. F2.8; 1/500; ISO2200.

Here's a follow up, one and a half years after writing this.

I still love going to my kids' sports events - both to see them grow in the sports they love, as well as for me to use the hobby I love to some good use!

1.Equipment

I armed myself with my standard lens 24-70 f2.8 and my "sports" lens 80-200 f2.8; and of course shot with my beloved D600.

With basketball, at least in the arena I was shooting, it was small, and I was able to get up close, so I shot manly with the 24-70. A thing to note is that, because basketball is a very quick game,having a zoom is very useful - if not essential - to getting the shot. Especially if you are like me, with only 1 body to use.

Shooting indoors can be tricky. Hard to hit 1/500 if there isn't enough light. So having a f2.8 (or faster?) lens is helpful. But it is more expensive. The key is really to use whatever lenses you have.






2.Shooting Mode
To freeze the action, you'll need to shoot at at least 1/500 or  faster. So I use aperture mode (biggest aperture possible at F2.8); allow a highest ISO (better noisy sharp picture, than clean blur one) plus a minimum shutter speed at 1/500.

I also used with Auto-Focus (Continuous) or AI-Servo in Canon speak, so that the camera continues to track the subject, and changes the focus accordingly. Not 100%, but its pretty good - maybe 80% it is able to track the subject. The problem with the D600 is the small focus area this has. But we work with the "limitations" we have.

Instead of the normal single shot I take, I take multiple - which will give me a better chance of catching the "moment".

3.Know the sport and Anticipate
To shoot sports, you need to know about the sport (fortunately, knowing how to play it is completely optional). You'll need to know how fast the game is, where your subject (my son) will be; what position he plays, what kind of plays he likes to make - where the action will be.

My son is a scorer (shooting guard I think), always attacking the basket. So I plonked myself just under the basket at where I know he'll be shooting.

In the picture above, my son stole the ball from the opponent, dribbled quickly towards the basket - I knew that he'd either lay-up or try a short jumper - so I'm tracking him with my camera, and shooting - until he takes the shot, then you get your shot. 

4.Capture the moment
I love this picture because it captures that moment - the moment when he just release the shot; and since its a steal, everyone is chasing him, and nicely facing the camera.

I converted the picture to black and white - because color would just be too fussy, distracting. With black and white, you focus on shadows and shapes - and in this case, my son is enveloped by the indoor lights; and the shadows of the players chasing him cast on the court.



There are no short cuts to any form of photography. No amount of reading books/forums/internet can replicate just going out there to shoot, and learning from experience. It's also not about the equipment. Just keep shooting!