Types of Sports Pictures
With the amount of sports photography that I have been doing this fall, I have had the opportunity to try a lot of different angles, zooms, and compositions. Obviously, there is no "best" type of shot, but I have wondered if there is one that is my favorite. I'm certainly a sucker for a good action shot in any sport, but in my (unbiased) opinion, hockey makes for some of the coolest (especially the goalies). Action looks great regardless of the sport, though.
Trey Augustine of Michigan State Hockey makes a save, redirecting the puck towards the corner (taken with a Nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 102 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/2.8)
Breccan Scheck of michigan state volleyball pushes the ball over the net (A la air jordan) (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/2.8)
However, action shots, while cool, are the basic, expected type of photograph. They have their place, to be sure, but they lack something in creativity. One way to address this is by taking the focus away from the player by adding more to the environment around them. Showing the context around the action can add a lot of context, making the story of the sport, and the image, that much richer.
A faceoff during an MSU vs. University of new hampshire hockey game, with the student section looming (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/2500 sec, f/2.8)
Richie ludwig of MSU soccer prepares to take a corner kick under the lights against Ohio State (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 @ 28 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/2.8)
lea schneider of msu volleyball bounces the ball while preparing to serve under the jumbotron at the breslin center (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/2.8)
This kind of composition allows for some of the elements of a basic action shot, but the added environment deepens the narrative of the image and allows for some more creativity with how each piece is framed relative to the others. I think that these kinds of shots are one the best to hang on a wall, becuase they are the kind of picture that truly says something about the subject.
On the other end of the spectrum are the tight shots. I also like these, but for a different reason. These are the kinds of shots that dig into the details of the game and show the emotion, effort, and focus of a sport on a much smaller, individual scale.
Malayah Long of msu volleyball prepares to serve (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/2.8)
kyle chauvette of unh hockey takes a drink during a stoppage of play against MSU (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/2.8)
When it comes to emotion specifically, I have talked before about how important of a tool it can be in taking great photographs, particularly in sports. There are certainly times when the athletes show this, like when celebrating.
remini tillotson and teammates celebrate following a penalty kick goal against the university of southern california (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 f/2.8 @ 200 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/2.8)
MSU volleyball celebrates after securing a sweep over the nationally ranked Indiana hoosiers (taken witha nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 86 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/2.8)
However, the one place that always seems to show emotion in a game is the fans. No matter what is going on on the field, ice, or court, the fans are always a place to go to find emotion.
The munnsters erupt as MSU hockey takes the ice against unh (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm, 1/400 sec, f/2.8)
Smoke bombs are a huge thing in soccer, and the red cedar rowdies made sure that MSU soccer was in on the action (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/2.8)
This was definitely a bit of a different post this week, but I hope you enjoyed a look at some unique approaches to sports photography. As per usual, there's more that we could get into, but this seemed like a good stopping point. Feel free to use these photos as inspiration for your next sports shoot. As always, let me know if you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or suggestions. Until next week!
