By Jenn Gidman
Images by Steven Steele
Steven Steele spent more than a decade as a train engineer for BNSF, one of the largest freight carriers in North America. “I’d run a train 300 miles from Kansas City to Springfield, and we’d have long stopovers, where sometimes you’d sit out there for eight to 10 hours, waiting,” he says. “That’s when I started taking pictures with my phone. Eventually I upgraded to a real camera when I became interested in astrophotography.”
Photographing his daughter’s basketball games followed, which in turn led to wedding and event photography, and then full circle to more sports: Steven now works for a university and is tasked with taking pictures for the school’s nearly three dozen sports teams. In his gear bag for the assist are three indispensable Tamron lenses: the 28-75mm F2.8 DI III VXD G2 standard zoom, the 35-150mm F2-2.8 DI III VXD all-in-one zoom, and the 50-400mm DI III VC VXD ultra-telephoto zoom.
“The 28-75mm lens is my go-to for indoor sports,” he says. “I love having the wider angle of view in indoor venues, as well as that F2.8 aperture for the less-than ideal lighting conditions you often find in gymnasiums. It’s an especially handy lens for volleyball. Meanwhile, the 50-400mm is great for nearly any outdoor sport, offering me the reach I need from wherever I’m positioned on the sidelines or in the stands.”
28-75mm (63mm), F2.8, 1/1250 sec., ISO 5000
28-75mm (38mm), F2.8, 1/1250 sec., ISO 5000
As for the 35-150mm, Steven tends to use that lens for baseball and softball when it starts to get dark outside. “I also tap into it for other types of photography, including weddings and senior portraits, since it’s so versatile,” he says.
50-400mm (400mm), F8, 1/2500 sec., ISO 640
Steven’s approach to sports photography goes beyond the action. “It’s more than just capturing movement,” he says. “It’s about finding a perfect moment in the dugout, or zooming in on a facial expression that relays happiness or defeat. I feel my experience in portraiture has helped guide me in picking up on those emotions.”
50-400mm (355mm), F7.1, 1/2000 sec., ISO 1600
STEVEN’S QUICK TIPS
Scope out the scene.
Preparation is key to capturing dynamic sports photos, and a big part of that prep involves understanding a venue’s lighting conditions. I try to get to the location 30 minutes early so I can assess the lighting. During warmup time, I’ll focus on one player out on the court or in the field and meter off of them. I don’t bother with trying to meter off the entire scene, as the metering motor in your camera will give you unnecessarily high ISO levels.
Figure out your baseline.
You’ll likely have to tweak as you go, especially if the light changes, but knowing what settings to start with can help streamline your shoot. Set your shutter speed high enough to freeze motion effectively: For outdoor sports, I’ll typically shot at around 1/2500 of a second, even on sunny days, to make sure motion blur is minimized. I’ll also keep my aperture as wide as the lens I’m using will allow, usually around F6.3, to let in more light and achieve a shallow depth of field. I’ll keep my ISO on auto, which is useful especially when moving between varying lighting conditions, such as from the field to the dugout. In indoor settings like gymnasiums, I’ll shoot at a shutter speed of about 1/1000 of a second, which is ideal for sports like basketball and volleyball.
50-400mm (186mm), F8, 1/2000 sec., ISO 640
Keep your images sharp.
I used to use back-button focusing. Now I do the half-press shutter button lock, and I turn off face detection, which can sometimes miss the mark when there’s fast-paced action. I’ll use spot focusing, which I can quickly adjust using my camera’s joystick. This approach ensures that the focus remains on the intended subject, avoiding accidental focus on other faces or background elements.
35-150mm (87mm), F2.8, 1/2000 sec., ISO 5000
Vary your perspectives.
Consider your background and angles to keep the focus on the athletes. I rarely shoot from a standing position. I have a little seat that I set up so I can sit, or I squat or get down on the ground. When you’re in the dirt shooting up at an 8-year-old softball player, it can make her look more powerful and larger than life.
50-400mm (400mm), F6.3, 1/2000 sec., ISO 500
To see more of Steven Steele’s work, check out his website and Instagram.
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