Tuesday Tip: Take photos before, during, and after the games. Work to get two eyes, one ear, action, and emotion in your photos.
Before the game, take photos of players warming up, athletic trainers setting up equipment, cheerleaders hanging signs, band and drill team marching in, journalism unpacking camera equipment, band members unloading the truck, and the student section in the stands. As the sun sets, the light improves, so take lots of photos. Work to get photos of the cheerleader introductions and the players running onto the field. Walk onto the field before the pledge and national anthem, get down low and take photos of the players lined up with the stands in the background. Position yourself to include as many faces as possible.
Watch the sun and the moon, if you’re lucky, you can take a shot with a beautiful sunset or moon rise in the background.
During the game: Ask your athletics department for guidelines ahead of time. Photographers are often limited to the twenty yards nearest the end zones. Stand on the sidelines and try to get two eyes and one ear. Wait for the players to get near you; take four or five photos in quick succession for every play you choose. Walk to the action when it moves to the other side of the field. If you have student photographers with you, ask everyone to spread out at least 20 feet. That way, you’re not all taking the same shot. Celebrate with the students when someone gets a great shot.
At the end of each quarter, take photos of the scoreboard. You may want this information for captions later. After touchdowns, get photos of the celebrations; get the scoreboard in the background for some of these. Putting the ISO on auto will help you transition between taking photos of the field, the endzones, and the stands.
After the game: the players will often huddle with the coach and then go see their families in the stands, get photos of huddles, celebrations, and hugs.
If you’re shooting on manual, try these settings: ISO: auto, shutter speed: 1/800, f-stop: 2.8. Make sure your lens is set to stabilize and autofocus.
Special Shoutout to Crosby Middle School! You rock Ms. Hefner!