Many photographs of basketball are about family and friends in local gyms or minor league teams. These are good places to practice and hone your technique even if the ultimate aim is photographing the rich leagues such as the NBA or College basketball.
There are usually less restrictions on photographers at lower levels of competition, but if you are going to be a regular photographer talk to the organizers beforehand. This has two potential benefits; firstly, they may allow greater freedom of movement around courtside so you can get closer to the action and this may open up opportunities for using your pictures.
Composition Composure and Context
Two of the keys to composition in any good sports shot are composure and context.
Composure is for the photographer remaining calm, waiting for the right moment. Many novices panic and adopt the machine gun approach where they shoot as quickly as the frame rate allows hoping to capture something good. The good sport photographer knows the game, reads the play as well as any point guard or head coach, anticipating the on court action.
Context is ensuring the image captures key elements of any action. The ball should connect to a player either by direct physical contact or by an implied connection through reaching hands or eye contact by several players. For the dribble, catch the ball when it is at the top of the bounce and the player has their palm on the ball getting ready for the next bounce as in figure 1. This is usually when a change of direction happens so it can be an important moment in the play.
For jump or foul shots try and get it when the ball just leaves the hand, this also coincides with the highest point of the jump shot with the relative elevation of the players adding a dynamic contrast to the image as in figure 2. If possible, include a nearby opponent to help explain the context of the action. For rebounding, upturned faces and all eyes on the ball and players reaching or leaping towards the ball provide the implied connection as in figure 3.
Position
Shoot only half of the court- this goes with composure- accepting the other end of the court is too far away to get decent shots due to distances and angles. A good spot is to the side about in line with the free throw line. This gives a range of mid court and outside shooting pictures along with pictures of the rebounding action. This can often be right behind the player’s bench adding the dimension of emotions in timeouts. To add variety try right underneath the backboard, this gives goods angles for rebounds and offensive drives to the basket.
Portrait Mode
Height is a critical factor in basketball the photographer can emphasize it by turning the camera on its side and use the portrait orientation, particularly for jump shots and rebounds.
The example photos are from a scouting shoot at a local gym, revealing some equipment requirements. In common with many local gyms, the lighting is rather dim and with a decided green color cast. Even some parts of the court were in dark spots as the lighting was also uneven. Choosing the right equipment to cope with poor lighting is an important part of specialist sports photography and the next article covers some of the lessons learnt.
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