On shooting sports: Covering action, reaction, coaches and fans

ACTION: Western Michigan's Darius Phillips breaks up a pass to Toledo's Cody Thompson at the University of Toledo's Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio on Friday. (Blade photos by Lori King)

REACTION: Alonzo Russell cries as he's ejected for targeting.

There is a saying in the photojournalism field that if you can shoot sports, you can shoot anything.

   This can be true for several reasons:

• • Action shots require precise timing and an innate understanding of fast shutter speeds.
• • Reaction shots can be just as important as action shots, so you need a keen awareness of what's happening before and after key plays. This includes capturing the antics of coaches on the sidelines.
• • Fans like to see themselves, too, so searching for strong fan shots is essential for making a slideshow interesting and compelling.

  • Critical thinking is definitely employed here by figuring out issues like where to shoot from and how to get the best angles; how to best ID the players and coaches; and how to deal with other factors, like weather, substandard camera equipment and limited access.

    The current assignment for the Wayne State photojournalism class is shooting a sports event. As part of that assignment, they are required to post their strongest action, coach and fan photos. They'll also edit their best dozen or so for a slideshow, produced in Adobe Premiere CC.

REACTION: Asantay Brown is taken off the field with an injury.

    A sports slideshow is a mini-portfolio for the vision and technical control of the shooters, so I encouraged the students to 'circle the wagon' to capture the flavor of the event.

   To demonstrate the assignment requirement, I posted these photos I took last night at the University of Toledo vs. Western Michigan football game.

    A big lesson I want to discuss here is that journalists are not cheerleaders for the team we cover, nor are we prevented from shooting moments that are hard to witness. Case in point - when Toledo's Alonzo Russell cried as he was ejected from the game for targeting WMU's Asantay Brown. Or when Brown was taken off the field on a stretcher.

    After the game, as we photogs worked up our images in the press box, another photographer asked me if a close-up shot of Brown's face on the stretcher was appropriate to send to his client. Both myself and the USA Today photographer told him to definitely send it, and let the editors decide whether to run it or not. I also shot that photo and sent it, and it ran in the newspaper today.

    So, here are samples of what I'm looking for when the students post their best three photos to their blogs.     

   Of course, I'm very aware they probably don't have the access or the long lenses that I have. But they need to do what it takes with what they have to get the job done, as do every college photographer assigned to cover their teams.
Link to Photo Gallery
Link to Toledo Blade sports columnist Dave Hackenberg's column, "We're not here to cheer for your team." 

FANS: Young Toledo fans don't get their wish after the Rockets lost their last home game to WMU.

COACH: Toledo's Corey Jones walks hand-in-hand with head coach Matt Campbell after their loss to WMU. It is these kind of captured moments that add emotion and mood to the game.

Q&A #2: Jeremy Wadsworth explains his shot of 'the shot'

Jeremy Wadsworth's published photo of Toledo's Julius Brown hitting his mark. (Screen grab)

   On the front page of today's Toledo Blade newspaper sports section is a dominate photo that tells half a story.  The photo shows University of Toledo's basketball player Julius Brown taking aim while being defended by a large hand. The headline tells the rest of the story.  He sunk the 'game-winner at the buzzer' as the seconds ticked down to nothing.

   I tell my photography students that professional, experienced photographers make these kinds of action shots look easy. After all, it's just a photo of a player shooting a basketball, right? But they should know there is so much more to sports photography than aiming and shooting. 

   Sports shooters have to worry about many things: where to shoot from, what to set our camera controls on, and capturing the key moments of the game. The latter can be very important, and sometimes the most difficult. A number of things can prevent a photographer from getting that key shot, like being in the wrong spot, or refs and other players getting in the way, which is a hazard that sometimes can't be prevented. In this respect, a little luck doesn't hurt.

   When I saw his photo this morning, I instinctively knew I wanted to share some background information about it with my students. So I did a Q&A with Jeremy Wadsworth, the photographer of the awesome Julius Brown jumper.

  

Jeremy chipping with his 300mm lens.  (Courtesy Photo)

Q: Where were you sitting when you shot the photo of Julius Brown's game-winning, 18-foot jump shot?   

A:  I was sitting under the basket when I took the picture that ran in the paper. I normally shoot from that spot during the second half and from outside the key during the first half. I basically followed the ball because there were only 2.4 seconds left on the clock. I had a gut feeling Julius Brown would be the one to take the shot.

Q: What were your camera settings during this game?
A:  I was shooting at ISO 4000 at 1/1000 at F4.

Q: What do you think is the most important factor(s) when shooting sports, particularly basketball?
A: I think paying attention to the game and the story line of the game is very important. You want to get good action shots, but you want those shots to be of the high scorers and play makers. For basketball, specifically, knowing the players and knowing who will take the shot in the clutch is key. Being able to anticipate the action is key, too.

Q: What advice can you give photographers who want to improve their sports shooting?
A:  Shoot a lot of pictures. Practice. There is no substitute for experience. The more you shoot, the better you will get.

Q: What's your favorite lens for shooting basketball?
A:  I have two primary lenses I use for shooting basketball; 70-200 2.8, and the 300 2.8. Of the two, the 70-200 is the workhorse and favorite. Sometimes I use a 50mm underneath the basket.

View Jeremy's photo gallery of this game: UT vs. Buffalo photo gallery