Today I went to a local community college to catch a volleyball game. I’ve always been fascinated by the sport and wanted to try my hand at capturing some action shots. I grabbed my trusty camera and headed over, hoping to get some decent pics.
When I got to the gym, the game was already in full swing. I found a spot on the sidelines, trying to stay out of the way but still have a good view. The gym was not the best place, a bit old and the light was pretty dim. It is an indoor volleyball court so the size is about 59′ in length with a width of 29.5′ that I learned from internet.
My first few shots were… well, they were not so great. Lots of blurry figures and missed moments. It’s way harder than it looks to capture those fast movements! I played around with the settings, trying to find the right balance between shutter speed and ISO in that not-so-great lighting, also adjusted the positions several times. I decided to go down low and level with the front row and near the net, and followed the players in the camera and not tried to follow the ball. Then I realized I need to shoot when there is a player lunging towards the ball.
After a while, I started to get the hang of it. I managed to get a few shots where you could actually see the intensity on the players’ faces as they dove for the ball or spiked it over the net. It was pretty cool to see those moments frozen in time. There are about 14 photos I am satisfied with. Those players are really good!
Here are some of the things I learned today:
- Volleyball is fast. Like, really fast. You need a quick shutter speed to avoid blurry messes.
- Lighting is key. A dimly lit gym is not your friend. Higher ISO can help, but it also adds noise to the picture.
- Anticipation is everything. You gotta try to predict where the action is going to be, not just react to it.
All in all, it was a fun and challenging experience. I definitely have a newfound respect for sports photographers. I’m not sure I’ll be shooting for any major sports magazines anytime soon, but I’m pretty happy with a few of the shots I got. I might even go back next week to try again!
