Sports Photography: How to Capture Action and Emotion

161 Pages·2007·15.47 MB·English

by  Peter Skinner

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One of the truly magnificent slices of track and field
history is captured in this classic example of a defini-
tive image. Duane Hartknew that U.S. 200-meter and
400-meter champion Michael Johnson invariably threw
his arms wide when crossing the line. Hartalso knew
that Johnson had an excellent chance of setting a
world record in the 200-meter final of the Atlanta
Olympic Games in 1996. He hoped—and planned—to
capture that defining moment on one dramatic frame.
To do so, he staked out his spot eight hours before the
event! Johnson scorched to victory, and Hart made the
shot of the jubilant champion and the story-telling
scoreboard. One great moment; one great image.
Canon 1N, Fujicolor 800, 200mm f1.8 lens, handheld,
1/1000 at f4. © Duane Hart
01. Sports Photography chp. 00-2 2/5/07 12:52 PM Page IV
©2007 Peter Skinner
All rights reserved.Copyright under Berne Copyright Convention,Universal Copyright Convention,and Pan-American Copyright Convention.No
part of this book may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form,or by any means,electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recording,or otherwise,without prior permission of the publisher.
11 10 09 08 07 5 4 3 2 1
Published by Allworth Press
An imprint of Allworth Communications,Inc.
10 East 23rd Street,New York,NY 10010
Cover design by Derek Bacchus
Interior design/page composition/typography by Mary Belibasakis
Cover photo © Ben Chen (for details see page 45)
ISBN-13:978-1-58115-480-1
ISBN-10:1-58115-480-1
Libraryof Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Skinner,Peter.
Sports photography :how to capture action and emotion / Peter Skinner.
p.cm.
ISBN-13:978-1-58115-480-1 (pbk.)
ISBN-10:1-58115-480-1 (pbk.)
1. Photography of sports. I.Title.
TR821.S58 2007
779’.99796—dc22
2006100739
Printed in China
01. Sports Photography chp. 00-2 2/5/07 12:52 PM Page V
Acknowledgments
A project such as this is essentially a team effort,and I have been very fortunate to have an excellent team
of people contributing in many ways to help get the job done.
The photographers whose images are published here have been a magnificent resource, and to all of
them I say a very big thank you.Their work represents a vast and diverse collection of sports photography,
covering subjects from backyard and street games through Little League and high school sports, to the
major leagues,the Olympic Games,and the great outdoors.To Ben Chen,Bob Gomel,Duane Hart,Walter
Iooss, Mark Johnson, Bruce Kluckhohn, Diane Kulpinski, Brian Robb, Steve Trerotola, and Bob
Woodward:my heartfelt thanks for your wonderful images and for sharing your vision.Special thanks must
go to Bob Woodward, an enthusiastic supporter from the outset, who not only provided images but also
scrutinized initial drafts and made numerous helpful suggestions.
Other friends and colleagues who provided invaluable assistance were Bill Hurter,editor of Rangefinder
magazine; John Russell, a veteran photojournalist and former assistant photography editor at the Daily
Telegraph in Sydney,Australia;Ken Newton,an eminent Australian media and public relations consultant;
Julianne Kost, digital imaging evangelist with Adobe Systems and a leader in her field; photographer and
author Mikkel Aaland, who has written numerous highly regarded books on digital imaging and software
applications; two colleagues from my years with the American Society of Media Photographers, Dick
Weisgrau,former executive director,and Victor Perlman,general counsel;John Rettie,author/photographer
and a columnist for Rangefinder magazine;Michael Verbois,a principal of Santa Barbara–based Media 27;
Ron Pownall, an editorial and commercial photographer who also shoots youth sports;Aidan Bradley of
Santa Barbara,who specializes in golf course photography;and photographer Christian Iooss.Also,I’d like
to express mygratitude to my friend and colleague of many years,Ernie Brooks,a well-known marine pho-
tographer and educator,who has always encouraged creative and adventurous projects—mine and those of
numerous other authors and photographers.
My appreciation also goes to the good folks at Allworth Press—Tad Crawford, Bob Porter, Nicole
Potter-Talling,Jessica Rozler,Allison Caplin,Nana Greller,and Derek Bacchus—for suggesting this book
and taking it through to completion.
And my biggest thank you goes to my wife,Priscilla,who has handled numerous tasks such as chapter
formatting, filing images, checking image quality, updating changes, making insightful recommendations,
and attending to all the associated logistics to ensure we stayed on deadline.Without her talent and
expertise,producing this book would have been very challenging indeed.
To all of you,my sincere thanks.
Peter Skinner
Golden Beach,Queensland,Australia
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Contents
Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1:
Choosing the Right Equipment 11
The Right Camera for You •What to Look for When Buying an SLR
System•What to Look for in a Camera • Lenses •The Crop Factor—
Film Camera Lenses on Digital Cameras •Tripods and Monopods •
Flash • Minimalism is a Good Idea • Camera Bags and Jackets •
Looking After Your Equipment in the Field • Cleaning the DSLR Sensor
CHAPTER 2:
Digital or Film 23
The Digital Advantage • Digital Drawbacks • On Using Film • Selecting
Image Quality • Color Temperature and White Balance for Digital
Cameras • Customizing White Balance • Color Correcting Film • Filters
Outdoors • Imaging Software • Useful Peripherals • Battery Longevity
CHAPTER 3:
Exposure and Lighting 31
Exposure—Get It Right at the Start • Measuring Light Intensity •
In-Camera Metering Systems • Understanding Basic Daylight
Exposure—The Sunny f16 Rule • Exposure Based on BDE •
Approximating Middle Gray • Quality and Direction of Light
CHAPTER 4:
Capturing the Action 41
Location,Position,and Planning •The Peak of Action • Essentials to
Capture the Action •Timing,Anticipation,and Knowing the Athletes •
Point-and-Shoot Cameras • Shooting in Artificial Light • Focusing
Skills • Slow Shutter Speeds and Panning the Action • Different Lenses
for Different Looks •The Direction and Speed of the Action • Shoot
Economically to Save Film or Card Storage • Faces Are Important •
Game’s Over—Keep Shooting • Shooting Different Sports • Look
and Learn from the Pros
PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY
ACollection of Action Images 67
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CHAPTER 5:
The Emotion of Sport 81
Celebration,Excitement,and Jubilation •Tension and Strain •
Heroics and Heroism • Dejection and Disappointment • Confrontation •
Encouragement and Support • Planning to Capture Those Emotional
Moments •What Equipment to Use •
CHAPTER 6:
The Aesthetics and Moods of Sport 87
Capturing the Atmosphere Within a Stadium •The Great Outdoors •
It’s All in the Details
CHAPTER 7:
Getting Access and Working with Sports Groups 95
Contacting the Right People • Get It in Writing • Legally Speaking
CHAPTER 8:
Self-Assignments and Special Projects 101
The Photo Essay • Getting Started • Self-Assignment Triathlon •
Self-Assignment Possibilities •The Team Approach •Testing Yourself
with Just One Lens • Exhibiting the Work and Getting Sponsorship
CHAPTER 9:
Sports Photographyfor Loveor Money 109
On Specializing • Sports Photography is Competitive • Covering
Costs • Find a Good Lab •All Under One Roof • On-Site Coverage
and Service • Getting Noticed • Stock Photography •Workshops and
Information Resources • Following Your Dream—Diane Kulpinski
CHAPTER 10:
Insights—Putting Things Into Perspective with Walter Iooss 123
Street Games and Stickball •The Vision Behind the Sporting Life •
The Backyard Field of Dreams • Empathy and Simpatico •Walls as
Backgrounds • Shooting for the Gold • On Going Digital • On Being
Versatile •The Definitive Image
Biographies of the Contributing Photographers 133
Resources 139
01. Sports Photography chp. 00-2 2/23/07 9:29 AM Page VIII
They'reaway! Sand flies as contestants in
an Australian surf-lifesaving beach sprint
accelerate from the start. Tight composition
and timing the shot so the sprinters' arms
are in unison strengthen the image. Nikon
801, Tamron 300mm f2.8 manual focus,
Fujichrome Velvia, 1/1000 at f4. © Duane Hart
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