Sports Photography Brief: Shot List, Lighting and Locations

Q: What shots should I get for a Sports Photography photo shoot?

For a Sports Photography shoot, capture: Peak action on a long lens from the touchline, the subject sharp against a creamy crowd; A panning shot at a slow shutter: the athlete sharp, the background streaked with speed; The reaction after the whistle: a celebration, or the despair on the other side; The quiet before: taping hands, lacing boots, the tunnel before the walk out; A wide establishing frame of the whole stadium under lights, the players small in it; Per sport: the hockey check against the glass, the swing at contact, the dunk from under the rim, the header in the box, the serve at full extension, the tackle in the mud, the sprinter out of the blocks, the peloton leaning into a bend, the skater at the top of the air.

Q: Where should I shoot Sports photography?

Good locations for Sports photography include: Stadium touchline or pitch side, Rink boards and the glass, Baseball dugout and first-base line, Outdoor court under a floodlight, Concrete skatepark at golden hour, Running track and starting blocks, Mountain road or velodrome banking, Locker room.

SET

The setup

Shoot briefHD[sports photogr]00:00:00:00Stop ■
Brief Int(sports-photo.BRF)
✎Sports Photography
01 LightOutdoors, work with the sun low and behind or beside the athlete so sweat and spray glow. Under floodlights, expose for the faces and let the stands fall dark. For portraits, one hard strobe with a sharp shadow gives the magazine look.
02 WardrobeReal kit worn hard: mud, grass stains, sweat and tape. Brand-new kit reads as a catalogue.
03 LocationStadium touchline or pitch side
04 Palette
SetupNoteFinderShotsLightSave

DIR

Director's note

Know the sport. The best frames come from knowing where the play will go next, so pre-focus on the spot and wait. Shoot continuous bursts at the fastest shutter the light allows, 1/1000 or quicker to freeze a limb.

All 151 director’s notes, printable: Director’s Briefs, $8 →

Viewfinder

Live

Four controls on the brief's own plate · the meter is real, so you can blow a frame

Standby50mmf/5.6 · 1/125 · ISO 400

Aperturef/5.6Shutter1/125ISO400White balance5200K

Use your own photo

Running the list sets the camera for every shot in turn. Load your own photo to light and expose a frame you actually shot.

LGT

Light the set

3 lamps

Drag a lamp and watch the frame above change. The brief's own note is the preset

KeyThe light that makes the pictureMediumEye level

FillHow far into shadow you can seeSoft, farEye level

BackRound at the front, where it is just another fillOffEye level

On the brief

Contact sheet

00 / 12

Nothing on the sheet yet. Set the camera, then take a frame.

SEQ

Shot list

00 / 06

Tap a pad to mark the frame shot · saved on this device

Peak action on a long lens from the touchline, the subject sharp against a creamy crowdsetup50mm

A panning shot at a slow shutter: the athlete sharp, the background streaked with speedsetup50mmlong exposure

The reaction after the whistle: a celebration, or the despair on the other sidesetup50mm

The quiet before: taping hands, lacing boots, the tunnel before the walk outsetup50mm

A wide establishing frame of the whole stadium under lights, the players small in itwide24mm

Per sport: the hockey check against the glass, the swing at contact, the dunk from under the rim, the header in the box, the serve at full extension, the tackle in the mud, the sprinter out of the blocks, the peloton leaning into a bend, the skater at the top of the airsetup50mmthru glass

Rolling

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LOC

Locations

Stadium touchline or pitch sideRink boards and the glassBaseball dugout and first-base lineOutdoor court under a floodlightConcrete skatepark at golden hourRunning track and starting blocksMountain road or velodrome bankingLocker room

REF

Explore the aesthetic

Style guide Color palette

DOC

About this brief

How do I photograph the Sports Photography aesthetic?

Anticipate the moment: by the time you see it, it has gone.

Director's note

What shots should I get for a Sports Photography photo shoot?

Leave with every frame on this list.

Shot list

Peak action on a long lens from the touchline, the subject sharp against a creamy crowd
A panning shot at a slow shutter: the athlete sharp, the background streaked with speed
The reaction after the whistle: a celebration, or the despair on the other side
The quiet before: taping hands, lacing boots, the tunnel before the walk out
A wide establishing frame of the whole stadium under lights, the players small in it
Per sport: the hockey check against the glass, the swing at contact, the dunk from under the rim, the header in the box, the serve at full extension, the tackle in the mud, the sprinter out of the blocks, the peloton leaning into a bend, the skater at the top of the air

What lighting works for Sports Photography photography?

Outdoors, work with the sun low and behind or beside the athlete so sweat and spray glow. Under floodlights, expose for the faces and let the stands fall dark. For portraits, one hard strobe with a sharp shadow gives the magazine look.

Light

Where should I shoot Sports Photography photography?

Scout these before anything else.

Locations

Stadium touchline or pitch side
Rink boards and the glass
Baseball dugout and first-base line
Outdoor court under a floodlight
Concrete skatepark at golden hour
Running track and starting blocks
Mountain road or velodrome banking
Locker room

What wardrobe works for Sports Photography photography?

Real kit worn hard: mud, grass stains, sweat and tape. Brand-new kit reads as a catalogue.

Wardrobe

Omoro Studio · Creative System

Generate shoot references in the Sports Photography style

Omoro reads your visual references and generates images in your exact aesthetic. Build a mood board before the shoot or create composite references for your client.

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