Basics: get on your knees!

In a previous post we wrote about the importance of being close when shooting sport: be there were the action is. Close is one thing butbeing low is also important.

Being close is something you can achieve with a zoom lens like a 400 mm. But you can cheat and crop your picture (a lot) to get even closer.
There's no cheating in Photoshop or anywhere else for creating a low point of view. When shooting sports, get down on the ground to be as low as possible.

Where there's no cheating in Photoshop to create a low point of view, you can get yourself some tools to make it a bit more comfortable: a small chair to sit on.

All this talk about getting low when shooting sports. What's the reason behind this? Why do we recommend to be as low as possible?
It's actually the same reason as for being close when shooting sports. You wanna be there where the action is. If you are more or less on the same height level of the play and/or the players, you automatically become part of the game. You can feel the action. Not to mention the ball sometimes...

When shooting from a low point of view, your picture tells a different story then when shooting standing up. You're part of the game. You're in on the action. 

Then again: it's not always possible to shoot from a low point of view. When you go to your local soccer game, you can probably sit low right next to the pitch. But when you go to your favourite top level club you are stuck behind the boarding. That's where you're flexibility as a photographer comes in. Bend and twist and turn a little so you can create your low level shooting point even from behind the boarding. You don't want to tower over the players when shooting, so try and get as close to the action as possible. 

 

It's a decent picture but still, you miss the feeling of being part of it. Being in on the action. 

In the following picture I was at the right side of the boarding and with a 400 mm I could get in close and position myself low. You can feel the action! 

There are sports where it's easy to get low and close to the action. Go to any running or cycling event and if you get there on time, you'll be able to find yourself a cool spot to take some really fab action pictures. Then again, there are sports where you can't get close unless you have an accreditation. If you're serious about your photography, make sure you have some good images posted online and ask for the accredition. 

This shot of current Vuelta leader Tom Dumoulin was taken while I sat ON the road. It was during the Dutch time trial championships I took this image. But only after I got the accreditation I could get in so close on the action.  

Same goes for any big city marathon you go to. Do some reconnaissance of the track, make sure you know where the best light is and get there on time. This is a shot of Hilda Kibet, taken during the Rotterdam Marathon. And again, I was sitting ON the road to be able to shoot from a low angle. 

But heck, rules are meant to be broken. For this shot, during the Grandslam Beachvolley in The Hague, I was high up on the stands because I wanted to get a shot with a different look and feel. 

There's cool sports events everywhere. Just check your local newspaper and Google is your friend.
So get out there, go low and get close. And to top it all off, it does create a stunning image if you can have eye contact too.

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