Reporting, photography at the same time

[the_bank]

Hi guys,

I'm a sports freelancer and I had a question for those who pull double-duty during high school sporting events.

Recently, while freelancing for a web site, I've been asked by the editor to snap a few pictures on top of the normal duties of covering the game.

My questions for those that do this: do you guys have any advice on I can get better at this?

My first outing doing this last week was below average. I normally stay in the press box because I keep stats but while I did manage to keep track of the game flow on the sidelines, my pictures were not up to par. I took a lot of pre-snap plays and etc.

The editor didn't say anything bad about the pictures but I would like to become better at taking pictures. Is there a certain time I should snap pictures during the game or just play it by ear? I'm afraid I will miss a key play here or there if I am fooling around w/ the camera.

I use a digi camera with 8.0 megapixels.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Drip]

Anticipate the play. Keep the camera focused on key individuals. Get your shots early in the game, then you can do all the other bs. Good luck.

 

[forever_town]

Actually, pre-snap may be your best bet if you don't have a camera with enough shutter speed to get action photos.

The other thing you could do, and this is what my photog suggested when I took the point-and-shoot digital camera to an assignment, is take photos of celebration shots.

When I took photos of an indoor football game, I ended up using a photo of the team's backup quarterback lined up under center above the story itself and one of the team's offensive coordinator talking to his quarterback on the rail.

Taking photos with a story assignment is difficult work. Taking photos with a sports assignment is almost too difficult. It can be done, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of it.

 

[Drip]

Actually, pre-snap may be your best bet if you don't have a camera with enough shutter speed to get action photos.

The other thing you could do, and this is what my photog suggested when I took the point-and-shoot digital camera to an assignment, is take photos of celebration shots.

When I took photos of an indoor football game, I ended up using a photo of the team's backup quarterback lined up under center above the story itself and one of the team's offensive coordinator talking to his quarterback on the rail.

Taking photos with a story assignment is difficult work. Taking photos with a sports assignment is almost too difficult. It can be done, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of it.

I agree but these freaking slave drivers are making it become habit at a lot of places. It won't be long before they want you to edit, layout and sell ads too.

 

[I Should Coco]

Actually, pre-snap may be your best bet if you don't have a camera with enough shutter speed to get action photos.

The other thing you could do, and this is what my photog suggested when I took the point-and-shoot digital camera to an assignment, is take photos of celebration shots.

When I took photos of an indoor football game, I ended up using a photo of the team's backup quarterback lined up under center above the story itself and one of the team's offensive coordinator talking to his quarterback on the rail.

Taking photos with a story assignment is difficult work. Taking photos with a sports assignment is almost too difficult. It can be done, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of it.

Note the bolded part of F-T's post. Back in the dark days of film/darkrooms, I usually tried to get celebration/react pics early in the game, so I knew I would have something usable. Then any action shots that came out well were a bonus.

I agree with the others that it's tough to do both jobs well, especially in sports that move relatively fast (football, hockey, basketball), but it can be done. Good luck and you'll get better as you shoot more games.

Also, I hope you're getting a little extra "bank" for taking the photos and writing the story, Bank.

 

[the_bank]

Thanks for the tips and I'll keep in mind, the early game shots and celebratory ones as well!

My camera has ok shutter speed but not to great.

Drip, you're correct with the way the industry is shaping up. This is a new startup web site, so they want you to snap pictures and cover the event as well.

I'll get $30 extra bucks for taking pics, so it's worth for me to do it.

 

[TrooperBari]

I'd concur with the shooting early, especially for football or anything where you're dealing with a setting sun.

How do you get better? Same way as most anything else -- get your reps in. The more you shoot, the better you'll be able to anticipate and see potential shots. Otherwise, if your camera is up to it, follow the ball and let the action shots come to you.

Oh, and make sure you're on good terms with your friendly neighborhood stat-keeper. Shooting, taking notes and keeping stats is a big ask, especially of a freelancer.

 

[SixToe]

If you camera lens has the capability for telephoto or you can get close to the players and coaches on the bench area, shoot some head-shoulder shots for file photos.

Anticipate the play. If it's a dive or pass over the middle, you may not get much other than little people in a scrum. If you see a sweep, screen, pass, etc., at or inside the hash marks where you are then start snapping.

 

[Dan Hickling]

I write and snap almost all the time (big league gigs excepted) and have little trouble doing both ... started seeing baseball games differently when I started parking myself at the end of the dugout instead of in the press box ... whole different perspective ... same with hockey ... much different watching it through a lens ... and having a camera in hand while trying to get the money shot has made many a dull game more interesting for me ... the only thing that suffers a bit is in the stat dept. (that being in h.s. football), but I featurize my gamers anyway, and the only stat I focus on is the final score ... most anybody on this board can write a 15" gamer in their sleep, anyway ... the big issue is having the right photo equipment ... as was mentioned, shutter speed is everything ... if it's outdoors under the lights and you can't get your shutter above 100, at least get a static shot (QB calling signals, head shot of the goal scorer) ... set your ISO as high as you can in low light situations and have some fun with it, you might actually like it ... I do, much more than I thought I would ...

 

[schiezainc]

I shoot and cover everything I go to. It takes some time but you'll get better at it.

Here's some advice: Most sports are relatively easy (I.E. Field Hockey, Soccer, Tennis). The trick is shooting football and basketball.

For football, I stand on the sidelines and shoot while noting just the yard line the ball is on and who passes/runs/catches the ball. I'm on a weekly deadline though so most times I have the time to go back and figure things like yards gained/lost and first downs out. If I was on a daily deadline, I'd shoot a bunch of shots in the first half, catch up at halftime and spend the second half doing just stat work.

Basketball is another matter all together. I try to keep shots, points, rebounds, assists and turnovers and that's a tough task in addition to shooting so what I normally do is shoot pre-play (I.E. player dribbling the ball up the court/defending) or stuff like free throws where the stat keeping isn't hectic.

Like others said though, this is something you need experience in in order to get it right. Good luck.

 

[Sneed]

Yeah, football and basketball are hell to double up on. I got by at a weekly for awhile because I made the home team's state guy my best friend for awhile. But for daily deadlines, definitely get everything you can before halftime, catch up, and keep stats the rest of the way.

 

[Dan Hickling]

I wanted to add that doing double duty isn't for everybody ... and it isn't something that Simon Legree should expect from everybody ... it's just that the challenge/opportunity came along for me at the right time, and that I have the chance to learn a new skill ...

 

[Liut]

I wanted to add that doing double duty isn't for everybody ... and it isn't something that Simon Legree should expect from everybody ... it's just that the challenge/opportunity came along for me at the right time, and that I have the chance to learn a new skill ...

I identify with your term "money shot" used earlier. Challenged myself to try to get those. Made it kind of an internal competition. However, my stat-keeping system got blown to bits.

 

[bigbadeagle]

Been doing it most of the last 20 years.
First, get your ass on the sidelines. Second, get a couple yards past the first down marker so the offense is coming at you. If you're covering the team on defense, get a few yards behind the line of scrimmage so you're looking at the D.
Because you're shooting, you will follow the ball. That means you'll likely have the ball carrier (or passer and receiver) in view and be trained upon them.
You've got time between plays to note line of scrimmage, player carrying/passing/receiving, yards gained, etc. Don't let anybody drag you into a protracted conversation. In other words, you don't have time to kill between plays because that's when you're taking down what just happened.
When the offense breaks the huddle, make sure you're where you want to be to take the next picture.
Shooting/writing at the same time really isn't as hard is it sounds. I've done it on deadline for high school and college games (when news hijacked the photog).

 

[murphyc]

Been doing it most of the last 20 years.
First, get your ass on the sidelines. Second, get a couple yards past the first down marker so the offense is coming at you. If you're covering the team on defense, get a few yards behind the line of scrimmage so you're looking at the D.
Because you're shooting, you will follow the ball. That means you'll likely have the ball carrier (or passer and receiver) in view and be trained upon them.
You've got time between plays to note line of scrimmage, player carrying/passing/receiving, yards gained, etc. Don't let anybody drag you into a protracted conversation. In other words, you don't have time to kill between plays because that's when you're taking down what just happened.
When the offense breaks the huddle, make sure you're where you want to be to take the next picture.
Shooting/writing at the same time really isn't as hard is it sounds. I've done it on deadline for high school and college games (when news hijacked the photog).

I agree, especially with the last part. With time and practice, juggling the two isn't rocket science. Having said that, the photos I take aren't quite as good as what a FT photog would get, but they seem to be sufficient.
I'll add that when your team is on offense, when they get to about the 20 or 25 of the opponent, I head to the end zone. And like others have said, be best buds with your team's stat guy.
Bank, what kind of camera do you have and what kind of budget do you have (if any) for photo gear? If you're stuck with a point and shoot without the budget for a low-level DSLR or highly used DSLR, the off-field shots could be your best bet. Include fan shots in that. If the camera allows, go with the highest ISO and shutter speed you can. Look at your photos quickly at half; if they're not much play with some settings and do test shots at half of the band, cheerleaders or whatever else is going on.
Oh and one more thing: hope it stays dry! They're calling for rain here tonight possibly after the games are over. I'm shooting our cross-town rivalry game and writing about it, so I hope the host AD has been doing some heavy-duty rain dances.

 

[lmcmillan33]

Actually, pre-snap may be your best bet if you don't have a camera with enough shutter speed to get action photos.

The other thing you could do, and this is what my photog suggested when I took the point-and-shoot digital camera to an assignment, is take photos of celebration shots.

When I took photos of an indoor football game, I ended up using a photo of the team's backup quarterback lined up under center above the story itself and one of the team's offensive coordinator talking to his quarterback on the rail.

Taking photos with a story assignment is difficult work. Taking photos with a sports assignment is almost too difficult. It can be done, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of it.

I agree but these freaking slave drivers are making it become habit at a lot of places. It won't be long before they want you to edit, layout and sell ads too.

I do all of those every Friday night except to sell ads.

Mostly good advice above. One key advantage of shooting early is so you can simply keep a play-by-play and then catch up on stat totals at halftime. If the game is close in the fourth quarter, you can always go back down to the field for a few more shots in an attempt not to miss a key play.

 

[imjustagirl]

Been doing it most of the last 20 years.
First, get your ass on the sidelines. Second, get a couple yards past the first down marker so the offense is coming at you. If you're covering the team on defense, get a few yards behind the line of scrimmage so you're looking at the D.
Because you're shooting, you will follow the ball. That means you'll likely have the ball carrier (or passer and receiver) in view and be trained upon them.
You've got time between plays to note line of scrimmage, player carrying/passing/receiving, yards gained, etc. Don't let anybody drag you into a protracted conversation. In other words, you don't have time to kill between plays because that's when you're taking down what just happened.
When the offense breaks the huddle, make sure you're where you want to be to take the next picture.
Shooting/writing at the same time really isn't as hard is it sounds. I've done it on deadline for high school and college games (when news hijacked the photog).

This.

My first five years were spent shooting/covering games. I was money in soccer, when there's no play-by-play to keep. I wasn't great in football, but the key is to take as many photos as you can so your odds are increased to get something good. Get the coaches when they talk to the group on the sideline. Get him grabbing a kid's facemask and getting in his face. Get post-touchdown celebrations. And try to get whatever action you can.

I'd have my camera up during the play, usually 10 yards downfield, and that way you can tell who's carrying because you're focusing on that play. After you take your pic, while they're lining up, I'd jot down "33 run" and then flip over to add their 6 yards or whatever to my running total of each guy's stats. Then jot down 2-4-42 (second and 4 from the 42) and get the camera up.

It's all about practice. It will get easier, but it will never be easy. Good luck.

 

[Songbird]

I'm happiest on the sideline with a camera and a notebook in my hands.

 

[Football_Bat]

I mostly do my own shots for picture stories, because our photogs are idiots and never have gotten right what I wanted in 10 years.

But for gamers, I draw the line. I got my hands full enough live blogging, updating the live scoreboard and keeping stats.

 

[Trey Beamon]

Don't do it anymore, but loved it when I did.

I became pretty comfortable with prep football within a few months. Like others have said, anticipate plays and try to get a mess of shots before the sun goes down.

As for stats, the time between plays usually gave me enough time for running individual stats and play by play on the next page. And don't get me started on high school stadium lighting.

Obviously, basketball was a little tougher. You usually had to write quickly before the ball got to the other end of the floor. I kept individual and team shooting/rebounding/turnover numbers myself and left assists and things like that for the stat folks.

As for the minor sports, volleyball was by far the most difficult. After a while, I just gave up doing individual stats.