High school JV and Varsity Sports – basketball and soccer -
are two of my favorite things to photograph.

When I was a young girl, dad had an old record of Andy Griffith
(a comedy sketch) describing his attendance at a football game -
complete with the purchase (and subsequent dropping) of a ‘big orange’.
Anyway, the title of that sketch was “What It Was Was Football”
(you can still find it around the internet).
I think of that often when I look at game pictures … for a few reasons.

And while I don’t claim to be a sports photographer,
I’ve had a couple people ask this week how to go home
with a better set of action shots.
(Truth is that while ending up with a set I can be happy with,
I delete 2 out of 3 … always … and sometimes a LOT more!)

You’re only as good as the worst image you show.
So if you’d really like to be considered a fairly good photographer,
don’t show the bad ones – don’t even give them room on your hard drive.
Be ruthless about deletion. A bad picture doesn’t get better with time.
And contrary to popular belief, Photoshop can’t fix everything.
Even pros would never show you every shot they take -
only the ones they want to be known for.

Based on the things I do for myself,
what to delete and how to shoot and create a sports set?

1) Regarding the post title (and that Andy Griffith sketch),
it sounds dumb to even say it … but in most all cases
there SHOULD be a ball visible in the picture. If not … delete …
(it is after all a ball game).

2) Keep in mind that ball games are action sports pitting 2 teams against one another.
If there’s no action – or only one team in the picture – delete.

3) Focus in the right place is everything. Delete the blurs
(unless it’s something you absolutely must keep for emotional reasons.
There are very few sport shots I feel emotionally tied to … lol).
Study focus modes in your camera’s manual and decide which one to use for action.
In my case (Nikon) it’s Continuous Focus, with center focus area locked,
and I ‘pan’ players moving across the floor, following them with the lens,
while shooting in Continuous Burst mode …
which leads to the next point.

3) Shoot in the highest burst mode your camera will allow.
This, next to choosing the right lens and shutter speed,
will be one thing you’ll be very glad you did.
Taking single shots in sports guarantees you’ll NOT get the one you want to keep.
Sometimes the 2nd or 3rd of a series best shows determination in the face
or a better form … and sometimes a ‘group’ tells a story:

Finally, get as close as you can, either by zoom lens or on foot
(without getting in anyone’s way), to include what’s important …
the ball, the players, the basket or goal.
And in the case of basketball and your own team, just about everything happens
under your own basket:

Shoot in burst mode, raise the ISO to allow a shutter speed of at least 1/500
(a lens of 2.8 or faster … 1.8 … 1.4 … will help you get there),
and use no flash (at least not the built-in. Using the built-in flash will actually
darken your pictures as it doesn’t have the range to cover a gym).
The pictures above were taken with a Nikon D7000
and Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens
… shutter speed 1/500, f 2.8, no flash, ISO 2500 (believe it!).
If you’re in the market for a great camera that offers high ISO (with little noise)
and have never looked at the D7000 – you should.
I bought one last summer instead of the full frame D700 (for lens reasons)
and have never regretted it – it has actually surprised me … a LOT.
16MP with 1080p video capabilities and ISO comparable to the full frame D700.

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I use them to recommend what I actually use ... and LOVE ... and believe you will too!]

… best wishes for success on your own game shots!