Whether you’re shooting your kid’s PeeWee league games or are trying to break into the big time (not an easy task!), we have plenty of advice to get you started or to keep you going—no matter what the sport. Here a handy-dandy guide to our sports photography articles and videos. Browse, learn, and get out there and start shooting!
Buying Guides for Sports Photographers:
Basics By Sport:
How to photograph football games
As a photographer, one of the most challenging events to shoot is the high-intensity action of a football game. Whether it’s the seven year-old flag football league or the New York Giants, shooting football can be an exciting experience that will yield many high quality images—if you approach it with a game plan and a little bit of knowledge.
How to photograph basketball games
Basketball is perhaps the easiest sport to shoot. You have a strictly defined area of 100×50 feet, and know exactly where the ball is supposed to end up. You also know where all of the coaches and players who are watching the game are as well. On the other hand…
How to photograph joggers and runners
The nice thing about photographing runners and joggers is that in most cases, you can photograph them from a relatively intimate distance with a wide-angle lens. This kind of accessibility is simply not possible in most other sports.
Interview: Super Bowl Photographers Damian Strohmeyer and Peter Read Miller
Jena Ardell catches up with legendary Sports Illustrated staff shooters Damian Strohmeyer (that’s one of his cover shots at right) and Peter Read Miller about covering the Super Bowl, and the friendly but intense competition to grab the coveted cover shot. An Adorama Exclusive!
Techniques and Inspiration:
Improving Action Shots with Portable Lighting
When you think of sports photography, lighting equipment most likely doesn’t enter the picture, does it? After all, most photographers that work with lighting equipment use it to shoot formal portraits or indoor studio work, right? Well, that used to be the case.
Freezing Action at ISO 100, 200 & 400
If you could end up with a razor-sharp, action-stopping image like the one at right by using ISO 100, would you stay away from higher ISOs? Here’s how—and why!
Open Wide! Set your lens to maximum aperture to highlight action
What do college football games, a great blue heron in flight, and a dog chasing down her Soft Bite Floppy Disk have in common? It’s not a snappy punchline. It’s a shooting style.
10 Successful Photographers Whose Sports Photography Will Inspire You
Here are ten action-packed sports photographers’ web sites that will inspire you to go for the gold ring, whether your goal is to photograph your local high school team, or get on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Interviews, Reviews and More from the AdoramaTV Vault:
AdoramaTV: Shooting Pro Football, Gene Lower
Mark Wallace talks to Gene Lower, the official photographer of the Arizona Cardinals. Gene shares some of his tips for shooting sports.
AdoramaTV: Sports Photographer, Jon Willey
Mark Wallace talks with Jon Willey who is currently the team photographer and manager of imaging services for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jon shows Mark the steps he takes to get those great action shots on and off the field.
Sports and Portrait Photographer: Jason Wise—AdoramaTV
Mark talks with Jason, sport photographer at Arizona State University. Jason talks about how he “drags the shutter” in some of his photos as well as how he gets a strong rim light around some of the athletic photos.
Pan To Capture Spectacular Action Photos Like A Professional Sports Shooter
Sports and action is one of the most difficult styles of photography. In this episode, former Sports Illustrated photographer Joe DiMaggio identifies the basic techniques to stop the action and capture the excitement. He demonstrates his panning technique and lets you in on several “tricks of the trade”.
The Secrets of Blair Bunting’s Success As A Commercial Sports and Celebrity Photographer
In this episode of “How’d They Do That?” Mark Wallace talks to Blair Bunting about his technique and his unique approach to photography and photographing commercial and sports subjects. In this interview, Blair talks about his lighting technique, his mostly hands-off approach to post-processing, and how he relates to the people he photographs.
