Comments on: How do I Photograph a Gymnastics Event? – DPS Community Workshop

By: Mark Hamilton

Mark Hamilton — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:48:13 +0000

Having a been a gymnast and a coach, and having photographed gymnastics for the past 3-years I can tell you that while you’ll get great results from the 5D, the enhanced speed of the 7D will allow more creativity and some better shots. Shoot and burst mode, however use the single shot focusing. This will allow you to catch some of the best shots. Depending on the location the white balance and ISO requirements will change based on the event your shooting and time of day, just be aware of that. I’ve found that keeping the aperature as wide open as possible (I typically shoot the 70-200 f2.8) with a shutter speed of around 1/500 or greater you can get some great shots. Your best bet is to do some post shoot corrections so you can shoot a little faster with a lower ISO.

Finally, don’t just shoot the competition, shoot the warm-ups as well. This will 1) give you some practice and help finalize some of your settings, and 2) there are also some key shots here of the coaches and gymnast interactions and you can typically get some decent group shots….

By: Stiles

Stiles — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:56:00 +0000

DON’T SHOOT IN BURST MODE!!!! If you’re on a 5D than you only have 3fps, which isn’t enough to rely on getting the shot. Have your finger on the trigger and wait for the gymnast to hit his/her peak in flight or the one “wow” moment and snap the picture. I’m on a 7D and I still try to avoid the temptation of burst mode.

By: Rachel Farquhar

Rachel Farquhar — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:14:00 +0000

One thing no one seems to be mentioning is make sure you have enough memory cards. If you are shooting in burst mode, and are planning on every single gymnast, plus the odd side line moment, you are going to go through memory like crazy. It would be a shame to get 1/2 way through the event and find you have no space left. You may want 2 or 3 memory cards or more. This isn’t something I have done but maybe someone who has can say how many you will likely need

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:41:32 +0000

As a former international gymnast I’d suggest a few things:
1. Work out who the top 5 contendars are in each event and watch them practice – they’ll have at least one ‘spectacular’ signature move in each routine which they love. Talk to the goupies if you don’t know each person’s signture moves.
2. Shoot from below, eye level and from above – makes for interest
3. Go for the anguish in the eyes and face
4. Get in close – don’t worry, the gymnasts are concentrating so hard, plus they love to show off – a photographer is like a great crowd – it makes them feel special
5. Most complex moves have 3 parts, a) the start, b) the guts of the move, and c) the end or landing. From the warmups work out what is the most spectacular bit
6. Most aerial moves have a point of stopping – you go up, stop, and then decend. That stopping or hanging point has less motion than the other two sections. Practice during the warmups.
7. Shoot lots of frames on the key moves – one will stand out
8. The equipment doesn’t have to be in focus – so drop that aperture way down. (also give the impression of flying)
9. Remember, gymnastics is a team sport. Get the coach, the judges, the team camerarderie, that fanatical parent in the crowd etc
10. Take the great shots to the gymnast – I’d love to have copies of me in my old competing days. Your carrer is so short.

By: Richard Cooper

Richard Cooper — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:55:21 +0000

Knowing routines and positioning yourself is primary. I was intimately involved with the former USGF back in the 80′s and 90′s and was fortunate to know Dave Black, now a Nikon photographer. I sat with him on the main floor of some events where he had 2 or 3 cameras with him and all we’d do is sit and rotate to cover different events. “sit’ is important because you don’t want to distract the gymnast by standing up. Keep out of their line of sight. I shot then with a Nikon FM2 with a Soligor 135mm, f2.0 monster…, but I got great shots.

Getting to the event early and watching practice is very important too. And don’t stand in front of a judge!!!

By: Jim News

Jim News — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:18:09 +0000

You’ve gotten some very good tips so far. In case no one mentioned it, I’d add this. Getting low and shooting up is great, it makes the subject seem larger in the frame and can be very dramatic. Don’t however discount the idea of getting up and shooting down, especially with gymnastics. Both techniques can be used to remove distractions from the background. Take whatever gear you want, but find a way to not have to carry it. Get an assistant to carry the bag with all the equipment. Typically, several events are taking place at the same time and you must be able to move around (the competitors aren’t the only ones getting a workout). Most of all, plan your locations and the path you will take to reach them carefully. Pick your spots so that you will not be a distraction. Gymnastics is a sport of extreme focus on the part of the athletes. You will know you’ve done your job well when you make great pictures and people on the floor hardly noticed you were there.

By: Travis

Travis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:09:37 +0000

It’s very interesting to hear all of the different opinions. 5d good, 5d bad . Zoom good,zoom bad
Whether you rent a different body or lens, shoot raw for the versatility to underexpose a bit. Set your focusing to continuous servo, use a monopod, and just make sure you have a high enough shutter speed that they aren’t blurry.
Anticpate the shot and don’t kill yourself on the back end by shooting in burst mode. And I totally agree that the key to sales will be promotions-
Iso 3200 will be your friend. Definitely shoot in manual exposure and set yourself a custom white balance or shoot in Kelvin mode
Sorry for the typing errors- I’m typing this from my phone

By: cristiano007

cristiano007 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:50:08 +0000

Very good tips so far. You already know the sport, that’s very good. My little girl used to practice gymnastics too. I would add for this kind of event (kids thing) more context, parent’s reaction, the kids expectation, some behind the scene takes you’re know the photography boss, so you can do anything you dreamed to do before. Good luck and please try to show the results to us.

By: Giorgio

Giorgio — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:32:50 +0000

Visual references: Search the web for photos with the same subject of yours, analyze and guess the problems involved in doing them.
Know the area: If you can go to explore the place in advance, find the best spot.
Talk to the organizer: try to understand how the events work for an aid in planning your photoshooting
Universal to particular: try to choose more than one tematics for your’s photos. I mean you have to answer to the questions: who, where, when and why.
Best wishes!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:11:22 +0000

Fast indoor sports are miserable to shoot. First thing I check for is light because guess what not all parts are lit the same. I will concentrate the majority of the photos in the area where there is light.

You can also use Ev compensation http://digital-photography-school.com/ev-compensation-explained

If you shoot in M mode then you can just adjust the camera so that the exposures are darker to get the right shutter speed.

Also take photos of the teams and individuals getting ready and the landings. Landings are good because they usually have a big grin and most important for you are standing still Try and take the fast pictures with them coming at you speeds appear slower then if taken from the side. If you can get on the floor take a faster shorter lens if you have one. I would also guess that you were asked because they have seen some of your photos and liked them, so think about what people like about the photos that you’ve taken and take shots of their kids that are similar. Sometimes for parents a slightly blurry shot of their kid doing something spectacular is better then all the clear shots of them standing still. Good Luck and have a great time.