High School Football: Gear, Positioning, and Challenges to Expect
After a run of volleyball episodes, we're switching sports. High school football brings a different set of problems. We're outside now, at night, under stadium lights, with a lot more players and a lot more field to cover.
The Challenges
Stadium lighting is the first hurdle. If your camera has an anti flicker setting, turn it on. Stadium lights can throw a greenish or reddish tint on your images, sometimes one frame comes out greenish and the next comes out reddish. That's the lights, not you.
Distance from the action is another. I'm shooting for two eyes and the ball, same as always. If a play develops away from me, toward the far side of the field, I probably won't get a usable shot of it.
Players blocking your view is a problem I mentioned in the volleyball episodes too, but it's worse here. The linemen, closest to the ball, are often the hardest to isolate once the play starts and there's a wall of bodies in the way.
You also have a limited shooting area. You have to stay about five feet from the sideline for referees. I've seen a photographer get too close and get knocked over by a referee running down the sideline. I've had a ref clip my lens hood, and I thought I had plenty of room.
The play can come to you too. Some fields don't give much room on the sidelines. I got kicked once, a player tumbled out of bounds and I couldn't back up any further, his cleats scraped my shin.
A few more things worth knowing. Other photographers, student and professional, are usually happy to swap tips rather than compete for the same shot. Cheerleaders and dance teams are part of the sideline experience, and part of what you navigate around. The chain gang is usually on the visitor sideline, and it's one more thing to work around.
Tip: Get Low
Don't shoot from eye level unless you have to. Get low. Knee pads are worth it, and a small retractable stool can help too. Lower is usually better.
Gear
I shoot the Z9 for the first half, then switch to the D5 for the second half with a 1.4 teleconverter attached. For closer action I lean on the 70-200. I also bring the 24-120 f4 for wide shots, sunset, players running onto the field before kickoff, postgame celebrations. Knee pads are a must if you want to stay mobile all night.
Location and Positioning
I try to shoot from the sideline that matches the quarterback's throwing arm. That way when he throws, I'm in front of him, not behind the play.
My starting spot is usually ten to fifteen yards ahead of the line of scrimmage. If I'm targeting the quarterback, I move in closer to the line. If I'm after other offensive players, I hang back a bit further, which puts me in position for running backs and receivers coming my direction, plus the offensive linemen on my side of the ball.
If I'm expecting a pass, especially targeting receivers, I'll move fifteen to twenty yards ahead of the play. If I switch to defense, I go the other way, ten to fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage, staying on the same half of the field I'm already on.
For punts, I'll position near either the kicker or the returner, depending on who I want and where I already am on the field.
It's easy to lock in on whoever has the ball. But especially when I'm shooting for MaxPreps, a lot of my time goes to the players away from the ball, the linemen, the linebackers. Those aren't the highlight reel shots, but they matter just as much to the story of the game.
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What would you do differently? Tell me in the comments on the video.