Basketball provides some of the best sports photos because
you can get close ups of the players’ faces and reactions.
Bowdoin's Rachel Norton (12) wags her tongue
like Michael Jordan as she races down court in a women’s basketball win over Colby College.
The Photo
Basketball is one of the very best sports to photograph. You
are physically close to the players and they don’t wear any head gear, which enables
you to get close up pictures of both the action and players’ faces. Too often, basketball action photos look the
same -- jumps, leaps, dribbles, rebounds – but highlighting facial expressions
can transform routine hoop action into a memorable image. However, no need to limit yourself to basketball
action pix. Watch players on the bench
as they react to the game, and follow coaches guiding the players or attempting
to influence referees.
For this photo, I was sitting under the basket at the
opposite end of the court, as a Bowdoin player received a long inbounds pass
and quickly dribbled up court. When she immediately
stuck her tongue out, I thought it was a great photo, but she was too far away.
To my happy surprise, she kept her tongue out for the entire time as she
dribbled straight toward me to the basket, so I photographed her repeatedly,
giving me a sequence of great shots. I thought of Michael Jordan’s tendency to
stick out his tongue out, but I don’t believe he ever had it hanging out for as
long as this player did.
3 Tips
1)
Seize the opportunity to shoot
close-ups of basketball players’ faces
2)
Watch players on the court and on the bench
3)
Remember that coaches arguing with referees are
also strong photo ops
