SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the techniques used to take sports photographs and record cutline information.

Sports photojournalists must know the sport they cover inside and out and demonstrate a keen ability to spotlight the key plays and players. While luck helps, more often, anticipation and a good working knowledge of the event are the foundation of a good sports photograph. Sports photography captures action; therefore, you must research the sport before game time in order to understand some of that action and to be prepared for it.

RESEARCHING THE SPORT

If you have never photographed a particular sport, prepare yourself by conducting research. Go to the library and read upon the sport, and if possible, watch a game or two (either on television or one played by local teams). Understanding basic strategies, rules and plays will help you capture the important moments of the game.

COVERAGE PLANNING

When you plan phorographic coverage of sporting events, you should keep in mind the two main areas of action and people.

Action

Physical activity is the key ingredient of a sports photograph. Your photograph should not be static - sports action must take place. For instance, in football, the running back might break a tackle, the quarterback release a long pass and the linebacker make a sensational, back-breaking tackle. In baseball, the power forward might take the ball to the rim, the center slam-dunk his points home and the shooting guard drain a three-pointer. In softball/baseball, the extra hitter (designated hitter) could send an 0-2 pitch over the fence, the base runner tag up at second and go to third or the shortstop make a sensational diving stop in the hole.

Regardless of the sport, the point is that you must know and consider the sport you are photographing in order to key in on the action that sells that sport. You must anticipate the action and squeeze the shutter a split second before the receiver catches the football. By anticipating the play, you can capture the reception, rather than what happened immediately after the catch.

Shoot plenty of film when you cover sports. Often a shot you think will be good turns out to be unusable, while one you think you missed will run on the first page of the sports section.

People

Amateur Navy athletes are personalities within their communities. Your audience enjoys reading about them and seeing their photographs in your newspaper. Because the players are personalities, you should photograph them so they can be recognized in the picture.

The best sports photographs identify key players.

"Identifying the players" means presenting the athlete from a profile to full-frontal view, if possible, to show the number on his uniform. A three-quarter to full-frontal view is best but is not always available.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR POPULAR SPORTS

Each sport has some peculiarities you must consider when you cover it. In the following text are some tips that will help you cover the "big three" sports - softball/baseball, football and basketball.

Softball/Baseball

If you make the proper arrangements with the base/station sports director, you can take photographs on the field in foul ground. However, as a courtesy, you should still ask the home plate umpire for permission.

Photograph left-handed hitters from the third-base side; conversely, right-handed hitters are best covered from the first-base side. You should shoot right-handed pitchers from the third-base side and left-handed pitchers from the first-base side. In softball, both leftand right-handed pitchers throw the ball while facing home plate, so you can shoot on the other side of the backstop or from directly behind home plate.

Home plate action is best shot from the third-base side of the field. Exercise caution, though. If you get in the way, you will probably be unwelcome at future games.

Get a variety of angles by moving around - go up in the stands, lie on the ground look over a shoulder or use any other creative angle that will not interfere with others.

Because you may need to photograph key plays on the opposite side of the field from where you are standing, be sure to use lenses with a long focal length

Football

If you are covering your station or base football team, stay on that team's side of the field and follow the action from that location. (In an assignment where you are covering both teams equally, you may move to the other sideline at the appropriate time.) Move up and down the field with the action and photograph the players as they run, pass, kick tackle and score.

Football photography focuses on the offensive and defensive lines and the star players making or breaking plays. The end zones provide you with an excellent opportunity to capture plays on both sides of the ball. Since scoring takes place in the end zones, a lot of heated action and exchanges tab place inside the 10- yard-line. On the sidelines, bench shots sometimes dramatically tell the winning or losing tale - the frustration painted on a coach's face or the fatigue illustrated in a lineman's slumped body.

Use long, fast lenses to cover football. Additionally, you should also have a wide-angle or normal lens for sideline and goal-line shots.

Basketball

Basketball action normally takes place within 18 feet of the basket. Position yourself near your team's basket so you can capture plays in the "lane."

A 50mm lens is a safe bet for basketball photography. Longer lenses can make for dramatic photographs, but following the action and focusing becomes more difficult. However, you may get good shots by focusing a long lens on the net; then wait for a lay-up or rebound

"Hoops" is perhaps the most difficult sport to photograph because of the lack of lighting, the fast action and the inability to always predict where the action will take place. To compensate, you should use a high-speed film or an electronic flash unit. Direct flash creates harsh shadows and could blind the athletes, so use a diffused flash.

RECORDING CUTLINE INFORMATION

Sometimes events in a game happen so quickly that you cannot stop to write down cutline information. In this case, it is sometimes wise to shoot the scoreboard, especially after a key play. Doing so can keep you on track if you cannot keep a running caption log to record the time remaining and score when the play occurred. Use time-outs, breaks between innings or other slack times to go back and write down your notes as described in Chapter 9.