Indoor sporting events usually involve
a smaller playing area, so the photographer
is closer to the action. Offsetting the shorter
distances, however, is the generally lower light
level of indoor venues. The sports photographer
often must supplement the ambient light with
portable flash, Figure 9-23. Using flash not only
provides enough light for proper exposure,
it may also freeze motion for dramatic effect
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Chapter 9 Action and Event Photography
(note the water droplets around the swimmer
in Figure 9-23). Sports officials may sometimes
restrict the use of flash for the safety of the athlete
or in situations where the flash could adversely
affect competition. A common example is a swim
meet, where flash is usually forbidden at the start
of a race, since it could disrupt the competitors’
timing. Flash photography is also used
extensively in general news and event coverage,
particularly indoors. This type of photography
will be discussed in some detail later in this
chapter.
Soft news photography
Newspapers frequently carry “human
interest” stories about the activities of individuals
or groups. An example might be a feature on a
person with an interesting occupation, collection,
or hobby activity, such as rock climbing,
Figure 9-24. Photo illustrations for human interest
stories on individuals usually include an informal
portrait of the subject, and might also involve
one or more illustrations of the person involved
in her or his activity. Stories about collectors will
typically require shots of items in the collection,
Figure 9-22. Long, heavy telephoto lenses are basic
equipment for professional sports photographers, along
with a monopod that provides support and allows quick
changes of position. This photographer is walking along
the sideline as he prepares to shoot a baseball game.
Figure 9-23. Low light levels at many indoor sporting
events often make use of a flash necessary. In this shot
of a high school swimmer doing the butterfly stroke,
using flash had the additional benefit of stopping
motion of the water droplets and adding bright
highlights to the water.
Figure 9-24. A “human interest” story about this
person’s rock-climbing hobby includes a number
of photographs of the person, his equipment, and
the activities involved in his hobby. Notice how
the photographer used a shallow depth of field to
emphasize the climber against the soft-focused rock
wall behind him.