Click to Enlarge While looking through some old images, I've pulled together some of the sports moments that I like best. Some are as simple as a Little League game in Munford, AL, while others are as intense as a group of cars driving 200 mph through the tri-oval at Talladega Superspeedway. The thing that strikes me most about these images is that they are, for the most part, different from the daily routine that many shooters get into while making sports images. Each is either shot from a unique viewpoint or overcomes a technical challenge in composition, exposure, timing or in some cases, a combination of all of these. To achieve these goals within the shot is a very special thing.
Without a doubt, all good photojournalists have the basketball and football shots in their portfolios and I do too. But I shoot enough "oddball" sports that I try to use this for examples of my work—the really unusual images that give the editor viewing the pictures something unexpected. When you work for the hometown newspaper of the Crimson Tide, it's a given that you can shoot football and basketball. I also have some examples of swimming, baseball, gymnastics, track and auto racing, which I use instead. So, if you're trying to impress editors, go shoot cricket, rugby or some other sport that they don't see every day—I promise you that these will be the images they will remember.
I have a lot of people ask, What's the best “sports” lens? It depends on the situation and what you want to accomplish in the image. I've seen shots of NASCAR events shot with wide-angle lenses. and with a 1200mm, it simply depends on your vantage point and what you're looking for in your images. Generally speaking, I use my 300mm more than just about anything else, but I'll also pull out a 600mm for the long jump. Each photographer has his or her own special way of doing things, and this is the vision that makes images unique and treasurable. It doesn't matter if you're working for the paper in Cooter, MO or at Sports Illustrated—what you've shot is important to someone looking at it. Be it players themselves or a family member or a fan. And I guess this is why I love shooting sports. It is always appreciated by someone.
There are a few things that I consider critical to shooting good sports. The first and most important is to have some idea of how the sport is played and what to typically expect from it. Know the basic rules, the layout of the field, and generally when the inning, period, or quarter will end.
Position can also be critical. For high school football, I stand either 10 yards ahead of the play or five yards behind. In college and pro football, I move to 15 yards ahead and 10 behind, or head-on in the end zone. In basketball, I stay on the right side of the court simply because the referee always stands on the left side and will get in the way of your shots. In basketball, the digits on a player's numbers never exceed the number five. This is because, when a referee is calling out a foul, he's typically holding the basketball in one hand and can only use the other one to call out the numbers, so they never exceed five. In many track and field events, lower angles are more to my liking. The backgrounds tend to be cleaner and again, it's unusual and makes a more visually interesting image.
These are some of the basics to shooting good sports. The best way to improve is simply go out and do it. Even if it's a YMCA soccer game, shoot it as if you'll be showing the images to an editor. Look for the different angles, and think about timing and what you think the player will do next. If you can do these things, your sports shooting will go through the roof in comparison to what you have been shooting.
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