Well it is finally here! I love shooting football. The smell of the grill, the sound of the band, and the sight of a great hit or catch make it one of my favorite places to be on a Friday night. It felt good to be back in action. I thought I would share of my thoughts and reasons why I do what I do.
Access
One of the most asked questions I get is how do I get access? For high school it can be pretty easy. Just ask! When I first started shooting I went and talked to the Athletic Director and asked for permission, and in return I would give them all my photos to use. The schools are always looking for shots to promote their school. This usually works. You can also try to talk to either the head coach or the booster club. Most are very accommodating and as long as you stay out of the way no one cares.
You can also reach out to local newspapers. While many people say never shoot for free, I had no problem shooting for free while I practiced my skills in trade for access. You build the relationships and paid jobs will follow.
Gear
Here is my load-out for a game.
From top left to right. Bag, 3 flashes (for impromptu portraits after the game), Batteries, Yonguo wireless triggers, Monopod, Kneepads, extra bag*, canon 70-200 2.8 IS, Tamron 28-75 2.8, 50mm 1.8, 70D with battery grip, multitool, bubble level, flashlight and pens, 8mm, memory cards, notepad, flash gels, gaff tape, lens cloth, extra battery, rain cover, camera strap, flash bracket, tripod* with attachment to hold flash bracket, umbrella*
* stays in my car.
I usually like to bring two camera bodies for when I shoot football. I try to borrow a friend's camera body when I can. This is so I can very quickly switch from far action to very close action during the middle of the play. This game I didn't bring two so I had to position myself where I thought the action would go and hope the gamble pays off.
I use my canon 70D as my main camera. It does fairly well under the football lights regarding ISO, and shoots 7 frames per second which I love. It also has the 1.6 crop factor that gives me a longer reach with my lenses over using a full frame.
My main lens is my 70-200 2.8 IS. You need a 2.8 to shoot night sports. I rented mine every week last year until I could save up and buy it for this year. If you shoot during the day you don't need the 2.8, but if anything is at night, 2.8 is a must.
I also had a 28-75 2.8 that I switched to when I wanted environmental wide shots and when the action got near the endzone. I also carried a 8mm for fisheye shots of the band and when the football team huddled. But the lens that was on my camera 95% of the time was the 70-200.
I never use flash for sporting events. I feel it looks super weird and can distract the players. I was watching a HS game on tv last year and saw a wide receiver miss a big catch because a photographer right near him was using flash. No thanks..
I will however use flash when I am taking shots of cheerleaders or the people in the stands as the field lights don't reach them.
I also wear a pair of gel knee pads from home depot. *More on this later
Settings
For shooting High School football at night I found that shooting on manual with f2.8, 1/800 sec, and auto ISO works best for me. The camera will usually float around 3200 or 6400 ISO during the game which is totally usable. When I move to take shots of the environment or other things I'll bring the shutter speed back down. If I notice the shots are coming out a bit dark during the game I may try to drop the shutter speed down to 1/640 but that starts to introduce blur on the faster movements.
Where to be
The worst part about shooting sports is you can do everything right and still be wrong. You have to anticipate where the ball will go and what will happen. The more you shoot, you get to understand the coaches tendencies and are better able to predict what will happen.
When the offense is out I usually start 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage and get a good shot of the QB. You can also get good shots of the wide receivers catching the ball as they look back. The downside to this is when they break through your now shooting their back.
When the offense gets into the redzone I will move to the back of the endzone. I'll switch off between being in the corner or if I think they will run it in I will be right in the middle. Again it's a gamble, you can only hope the stars aline.
For defense I will be again 5-10 yards behind the line of scrimmage as I can then see their faces as they come toward the quarterback.
*Protips*
I tend to shoot on the opponent's side and shoot towards the team I am shooting for. I prefer having my team in the background of the photos. Plus if it's a home game, there is more people in the stands and makes for better pictures, and there is usually a lot of people on the sidelines and being on the opposite side is a bit quieter.
Peak action- I always look for shoots that have feet off the ground, their faces showing, and the ball in the photo.
I missed the face in this shot, but it has everything else, including the fact that it was a touchdown.
Don't be afraid to delete and only show the best photos. I took 1000 photos on Friday (which is a 2-300 more than normal, I was still getting back into the rhythm) and only have 50 that I show, and that includes detail shots and shots of the band and cheerleaders.
Details- Don't forget the details! Cleats, helmets, pom poms.
Shoot low! I always shoot sitting, kneeling (knee pads!), or even laying down. When you shoot up it makes the players look bigger and you can see their eyes under the helmet. Here is a shoot I took when I was laying down and was in the back of the endzone. It makes a big difference.
Here is a video slideshow of the shots I did for Friday's game. I was overall pleased with my performance as it was the first game. I am hoping to take less shots next week and make them count.
I hope this helps and thanks for reading!