JUNE 17, 2017
INTERMEDIATE
How a Sports Illustrated
Photographer Shoots his Kid's
Games
Featuring ROBERT BECK
© Robert Beck
D3; NIKKOR 70-200mm f2.8; Shutter speed 1/8000; f/4.5; Spot metering; 0 EV;
ISO 200
Robert Beck is a Sports Illustrated contract photographer with over 25 years
experience shooting all manner of sports events. He's as comfortable applying his
skills to his son's flag football game as he is to prowling the sidelines at the Super
Bowl. We recently asked him to share some tips from his A-list of sports shooting
advice.
The first thing I look at is the background. Whatever the action is, the
background will complete the picture. I don't want a busy background—a lot
of fences or light glaring off a fence. A lot of people in the stands are okay,
but I don't want one person walking by or just standing around. Some sports
are good with the bench as background, like lacrosse or football, with
coaches and players behind the action. Shooting Little League is trickier.
The field is an odd shape, and I try to crop out distractions. I shoot the batter
so the bench is in the background as opposed to two parents and otherwise
empty aluminum stands reflecting light. The rule of thumb: real clean or real
real.
The first lens in my kit is the 70-200mm zoom lens [AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR
70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED]. Very sharp, very fast, and if I have to shoot through
a fence, I shoot wide open and the fence won't even show. It also offers me a
lot of flexibility in composing; too tight, I zoom out, too loose, zoom in. My
next lens is the 200-400mm [AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IFED]; fabulous for any sport, just perfect.
I'm shooting D3 right now almost exclusively. I also have a D700 and a
D300. Focusing is quick on all, but the D3 is a little faster in its burst. But I
suggest you don't get caught up in shooting sequences. In reality the high
point of action is really one or two frames, especially in sports where a ball is
struck. The ball is only going to be in there for one frame, and if a kid is
fielding the ball, the ball's only there for three frames. Generally, five frames
per second is fast enough.
The truth is that professional sports are almost easier to shoot. The younger
the kids, the less you can anticipate—they don't have a sense of timing like
the pros or older kids; the young kids are all a little bit off the timing. Be
prepared.
Some parents go to a game and just follow their kid. In soccer or football,
that's kind of hard because it means they are not in tune with the game. Just
follow the game and shoot the ball and the flow of the game; you'll get more
good pictures, and when the ball gets to your kid, you'll be on it.
When people see a great pro sports shot in a magazine, they don't realize
that picture was culled from 600 or 700 images. You may not get a good shot
of your kid in one game; think in terms of a season and hope for ten or 12
good images. If you get one or two good images from a game, you're in
there. And don't give up because you didn't get one—referees get in the way
of pros, too. Keep shooting.
Check the schedule of the games. You're going to get the best light in the
early morning or late afternoon. Shoot more at those games. In the middle of
the day the light is harsher. But if you have to shoot mid-day, use your
Nikon's Active D-Lighting. Turn it on in your camera menu; there are several
levels of it, but all of them work very well to open up shadows. If your son is
playing a baseball game in the middle of the day and you properly expose it,
you'll lose his face because of the shadow of his hat; Active D-Lighting will
keep that detail open.
I shoot in manual. Over the years I've learned what the settings are for
various situations. I’m always within a little bit—and now with the preview on
the back of the camera, it's a no-brainer. If I were to use an auto setting, I'd
go with shutter-priority and then move my ISO up or down accordingly. I'd try
to keep the shutter speed at 1/1000 or 1/2000 second. I like to shoot wide
open because it makes the subject stand out. If you're shooting your kid,
keep a very shallow depth of field—it'll make your kid pop out from everyone
else. Most pros shoot wide open for that pop out factor.
With any lens from a 400mm on up—including the 200-400mm—I'm using a
monopod; 300mm and down I can hand hold—and I prefer to be mobile.
On my D3 I can change the focus tracking setting so that the camera will
hold focus longer on a moving subject even if someone else crosses in front.
In football if I'm following a running back and players cross in front of him, I
don't want the focus to change too quickly, to lock on to the other players.
But in swimming or in water polo I want the focus to change quickly. In the
camera's menu I have the ability to change the time the camera will hold the
focus.
Frankly, I don't worry a lot about exposure. The [RAW] files are amazing on
the Nikons. I can be a stop-and-a-half to two stops underexposed and still
get detail. If you're going to make an error, underexpose, don't overexpose. I
use Matrix metering when I'm shooting wider pictures—a group shot, a field
shot; otherwise I use spot metering. And when I meter, if I can't meter off a
uniform, if there's no gray spot, I meter off the grass. That'll give a good
reading of what the overall exposure is going to be.
And there you have it—Robert's rules of keeping sports orderly.
Robert Beck has been an NPS member
since 1989.
To see more of Robert's action sports images, as well as his evocative and often surprising portraits of
athletes, visit his website.
Featuring
ROBERT BECK
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