The Exposure Triangle in Sports Photography

Capturing fast-moving sports requires knowledge of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture which form the exposure triangle. Exposure expresses the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor, as well as the duration of time the sensor is exposed to that light. Let's explore what each of exposure triangle elements entails and how to utilize them in sports photography. Additionally, we'll cover tips about the camera, lens and things to keep in mind while doing sports photography.

What is ISO?

The International Organization for Standardization sets standards, including ISO 12232:2019 for photography. As a result, camera manufacturers have flexibility in how they establish the connection between exposure and final image lightness. The users thus get the ability to tell their cameras how bright the captured photos should be. Choose low ISO, such as ISO 200, when you're shooting in good light to have the camera do the least amount of extra processing. If you do end up with underexposed images with a low ISO, then either add more light to the subject or opt for a higher ISO. With higher ISO, the camera itself shall process the image to increase the image's lightness. As a side-effect of higher ISO, the image quality could go down by having more noise or reduced dynamic range with some details getting lost particularly in the extreme highlights or shadows of an image.

What is Shutter Speed?

Shutter speed is the speed it takes for a camera's shutter to open and close itself. With more time spent being open, more motion blur can be captured in a photo. The blurry outcome could include both moving subjects and any camera movement during the exposure. For sports photography with fast-moving subjects that's motion needs to be frozen with sharp details, use shorter time with high speed like 1/8000 seconds. A shutter speed of 1/8000s means that the camera's shutter opens and closes in one eight-thousandth of a second. Longer amount of time thanks to slower speed, however, can give artistic blurry results: for example, a clear picture of a standing referee, who is surrounded by fast-moving blurry basketball players. Slow speed with a shaky hand can also cause blurry results even with slow-moving subjects.

What is Aperture?

The camera lens's opening is called aperture. It's measured in f-stops such as f/1.0, f/1.4 and f/64. The bigger the number, the smaller the opening gets. Each f-stop on the scale either doubles or halves the light entering. To calculate the diameter of the lens opening, divide your lens's focal length by the f-stop number. In sports photography, use wide aperture such as f/2.8 to get photos with clear subjects in front of a blurred background. To capture multiple subjects with sharp details both in the foreground and background, use a narrow aperture like f/8, which is ideal for group photos.

Influence on Each Other

The three features affect whether the captured photo looks to have enough light without its details getting lost. When increasing ISO, it may allow for a faster shutter speed or a narrower aperture. When increasing the shutter speed, you may need to increase ISO or adjust the aperture to allow more light in. When you open the aperture wider (lower f-stop), you may need to lower the ISO or decrease the shutter speed to prevent overexposure. Conversely, a narrower aperture (higher f-stop) could require increasing the ISO or using a faster shutter speed in low-light conditions.

Camera and Lens for Sports Photography

When choosing a camera body for sports photography, consider the following factors:

• Burst Rate: higher frames per second (FPS) continuous shooting capabilities give more frames during a fast action sequence.
• Sensor Size: full-frame sensors typically offer better low-light performance and dynamic range, important for evening or indoor sports. Crop sensors can be cheaper and lighter, making them suitable for capturing distant action because the crop factor increases effective focal length.
• Durability: A weather-sealed body protects against rain or dust makes outdoor sports photography more convenient.
• Continuous autofocus (AF-C) system for tracking moving subjects. Look for cameras with multiple AF points for handling movement towards various directions. The existence of continuous autofocus mode makes sure that moving athletes won't go out of focus after the initial focusing.
• Image stabilization (IS) for capturing fast-paced action where any camera movement can lead to blurry images.

When choosing a lens for sports photography, a 24-70mm lens offers versatility for various shots, from wide-angle views to close-ups. A lens in the range of 70-200mm allows getting even closer but is usually more expensive . Longer lenses of 300-400mm are ideal for sports played at a distance. For indoor venues or during low-light conditions, select lenses with wide maximum apertures.

Tips for Doing Sports Photography

Sports photography is storytelling. In addition to the main action, try to get a few shots about the venue, athletes, fans and people's emotions that tell what was going on and how everything in general felt. While capturing the main action, you should know the ins and outs of your particular sport and be ready to capture the most important shots where and when they are most likely to happen. On the other hand, if it's not the competition day and you can interact with the athletes, try to direct and guide them to get even better photos. Also, keep in mind that the background of a sports photo should not distract from the main subject.