Interview questions
A student from Coventry University contacted me to see if she could ask me some questions about my sports photography. I thought I’d share it here in case anyone else finds it useful.
1) Why do you need to have an understanding of the sport to get a good image?
Having a good understanding of the sport enables you to anticipate where the action will be. Match action is so quick that you risk missing 'the shot' if you're not one step ahead - you need to pre-empt what will happen. There are also certain key images that tell the story of the game that newspapers and social media channels want. For example, bookings, goal celebrations, substitutions, players being treated for injuries, managers' reactions, and the fans. Having a good understanding of the sport ensures that you position yourself in the right place to get good images. At higher league level you are restricted to stay in one spot for at least one half. Grassroots sport gives you greater flexibility and freedom to move more frequently. By reading the game you have a greater awareness of which team has the upper hand - you might need to change position if all of the action is at the opposite end of the pitch. During corners and throw-ins, the players are quite static and facing towards the camera, which makes a great opportunity for capturing player portraits.
2) Why is it important to plan your shoot to give yourself a better chance at a unique image?
Before a match, I will find out if there are any back stories about the players and the clubs. Is a player playing against their old club, or is their a new signing, making their debut? Those types of images will be much more sought after. I photographed a match for Nuneaton Borough when Carl Baker and his son were playing together on the same team for the first time. A father and son playing together at such a high level is unheard of, and I managed to get an image with them both in the same shot - it was used by the Non-League Paper. However, not all of my unique images have been planned beforehand. In the spur of the moment I will adjust my camera settings to get a unique image, such as changing the aperture to change the depth of field. Sometimes it's down to luck....I picked the right spot at the right time!
3) Why do you need to anticipate the action?
Key moments in sport happen in a split second. It can be easy to miss the decisive moment if you're not thinking ahead. If a goalkeeper kicks the ball upfield I'll focus on where I think the ball will land. I'd recommend keeping both eyes open when anticipating what will happen. If a player is taking a freekick or a corner, I might be looking at them running towards the ball, whilst I'm pointing my camera in the goal area, usually focussing on the goalkeeper in case they make a save. Towards the end of a match, I might position myself closer to the dugout to capture the players/bench celebrating a win. Similarly, during a penalty shootout, I will look for opportunities to photograph the emotions and reactions of the players standing together and as they run towards the winning penalty taker to celebrate.
4) Why did you want to become a sports photographer?
I've spent many years supporting Coventry City, and would often look over at the photographers at the match. It's something that I'd always wanted to do, but never really knew how to go about it. Then when my oldest son started playing football, my sports photography journey began! Being a sports photographer is the best seat in the house - you can't get any closer to the action, unless you're playing! I enjoy the challenge of being able to capture the decisive moment in a game, such as the winning goal, or finger-tip save. Sport photography gives me the opportunity to capture the emotions and provide memories for players, their families, clubs, and their fans.
5) What equipment do you shoot with?
I use two cameras, a Canon 7DMkII and a Canon 5D MKIV. I prefer the full frame image quality of the 5DMKIV so will use it as my main camera with a 70-200 2.8 lens. During daylight matches I use the 70-200 with a 1.4 extender to get a bit of extra reach to the opposite end of the pitch. The 30 megapixel resolution of the 5DMKIV also enables me to crop close. I use the Canon 7D MKII with a Canon 17-40 mm lens. The faster framerate of the 7D MKII is great for capturing action within the goalarea and is wide enough for team photos.
6) How much time do you spend actually shooting in any given week?
It depends on the age group. Younger teams have shorter games so I might only photograph 30 - 60 minutes a week. Whereas, for older teams, I might be shooting for 2 hours over a weekend.
7) How much time do you spend editing or do you have a dedicated editor to do the work?
I do all of the editing myself. The amount of editing that I need to do will depend on the age-group. Younger teams have less players and shorter games, whereas older teams have more players that need photographing and they play for longer. I recently bought Photo Mechanic to speed up my editing workflow. Photos are very quickly ingested into Photo Mechanic. I can then rate the images I want to keep and then edit them in Lightroom. I also use presets to try and speed up the process. On average I spend between 2 - 3 hours editing a match. For tournaments I can have around 3000 - 5000 photos to sort through, which can take around a week!
