[Part 2] Tips for Indoor Sports Photography
Jostens Advisers & Staff
Chris Bledsoe // Arroyo Grande High School [CA]
Chris has been the choral director at Arroyo Grande High School for 34 years and currently teaches choir, piano, AP music theory and advanced graphic arts.
Focusing on camera settings
Presets can enhance your indoor sports photography skills.
Be sure to check out my other article, [Part 1] Tips for Indoor Sports Photography, for more great ways to take indoor photography.
Recommended Lenses and ISO for Sports
| Event | Recommended lenses | ISO setting | Shutter Speed | Notes |
| Baseball | 70-200 @ f 2.8 | 400 | 1/1000 and faster | Depends on light, have sun at back |
| Basketball | 23-70, 16-35 @ f 2.8 | 400 | 1/500 (minimum) | No matter what, have at least 1/500 minimum shutter speed |
| Football | 70-200, 300 @ f 2.8 | 4000/5000 | 1/500 | 4000 ISO, eventually switching to 5000 ISO @ f 2.8 |
| Golf | 70-200 @ f 2.8 | 400 | 1/2000 | |
| Soccer | 70-200, 300 @ f 2.8 | 400, (4000/5000 at night) | 1/500 | |
| Softball | 24-105 A f4, 70-200 @ f 2.8 | 400 | 1/640 | Night, same as football |
| Swimming | 70-200 @ f 2.8 | 400 | 1/1000 and faster | Settings depend on time of the day |
| Tennis | 24-70 @ f 2.8, 24-105 @ f4 | 400 | 1/500 | Sun at your back |
| Track & Field | 70-200 @ f2.8 | 400 | 1/500 and faster | Light meter determines shutter speed |
| Volleyball | 24-70 @ f 2.8 | 4000 | 1/500 (minimum) | |
| Water Polo | 70-200 @ f 2.8 | 400 | 1/2000 | Light meter determines settings |
| Wrestling | 70-200 @ f 2.8 | 4000 | 1/500 (minimum) |
Preset Camera Settings for Sports Events
| DESCRIPTIONS | SETTINGS | COMMENTS |
| Autofocus setting on the lens | set to “on” | Make sure it hasn’t been switched to manual |
| White balance | set to “auto” | Use a custom white balance, if possible |
| Metering | set to “zone” | Spot metering is rarely needed for indoor sports |
| Shooting Mode | “manual” | |
| Shutter | 1/640 second | 1/500 would be the minimum shutter speed to use |
| Aperture | widest setting (usually f2.8) | |
| ISO | “auto” | If no “auto” setting, start at 4000 ISO and move up to 5000 ISO |
| Auto ISO setting in camera menu | 100-12,800 ISO | |
| Color Space | sRGB | Don’t choose Adobe RGB |
| Save images as… | Large JPEG | Can also use RAW for more control in editing the images |
| Focusing Cases (canon) | Case 1 for track & field Case 2 for swimming, wrestling, and tennis Case 3 for track & field Case 4 for soccer, basketball, volleyball, and football Case 5 for tennis and volleyball Case 6 |
Case 1 is the default |
Pro Tip
Things you should always carry in your camera bag:
- Camera body
- Wide angle and telephoto lens (preferably f2.8 or faster for shooting indoor sports)
- Extra camera battery
- ExpoDisc or gray card to set custom white balance
- Backup camera body and memory card, if available
- A monopod and beanbag for steady shots