The Challenges Carry Over

Gym lighting is still tough. Unless you land in a well lit gym, you're fighting for a fast shutter speed and decent white balance.

Players still get in the way of players. The court is only so big, and once you see where the action is headed, it's hard to swing from one player to another in time.

Teams are also trying to fool each other about where the ball is going. That works on the other team. It works on me too.

Players usually face down, away from the lights, or up toward the ball. Either way, I often end up shooting up someone's nose instead of their face.

And if my autofocus isn't set right, it can lock onto the player behind the one I'm trying to shoot.

Here's one I'm still working on. I plant in a good spot and stay there too long. I'm trying to move more during a match instead of getting stuck somewhere just because I found one good shot there. How often do you move positions during a match? Once, a few times, or are you constantly on the move?

What Changes at This Level

High school players are taller and faster than middle schoolers. They've played longer, so they're more consistent in where they place the ball. They also hit harder, which shrinks the window to catch peak action.

High school also plays best of five sets instead of best of three. Longer match, but more chances to try something new mid-shoot.

This gym has its own layout too. Every gym has its own lighting, team colors, and floor color, and all of that affects white balance and exposure. This one also has an upper area, a level above the court I can shoot down from. More on why that matters below.

Gear

What I'm shooting with: D5 with the 300mm f/2.8, and the 70-200mm f/2.8 for the first set or so. The 70-200 is a staple for sports photography for a reason. The wide aperture lets in more light, which helps the camera's autofocus too.

What I hope to experiment with: five sets gives me more room to try things without losing the whole shoot if something doesn't work. I want to switch to the Z9 for a set to compare its eye tracking autofocus against the D5, and try the Z6III too. I'm also bringing the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8. It's not a sports lens, but I have the sets to spare.

I also shot some with the 24-120mm f/4, which holds up fine on bodies that can handle ISO 8000 to 10000.

Tip: Watch the Background

Early on, most photographers only focus on the subject. That's the right place to start. The next step is noticing what's behind and around the player too.

A decent shot has the subject sharp and the moment right. A good shot has that, plus a background that doesn't fight for attention. No exit sign over someone's head. No stray limb from another player. No distracting line through the frame. A great shot goes further. The background supports the story, giving the subject room to breathe or drawing the eye toward the action instead of away from it.

This is part of why sports photographers spend so much on big lenses. Longer glass crops out distractions, and a wide aperture blurs the background so it fades instead of competing for attention.

In volleyball, shooting from a higher angle clears out a lot of the clutter you'd fight from the floor.

What's your tip for getting a clean background? Drop it in the comments.

One more tip that has nothing to do with cameras. Volleyball gyms are loud. Bring ear plugs.

That's the plan. Next up, we head to the gym and see how it holds up.