As Chris Polack explains, flash can be a great way to get your sports shots to ‘pop’.
Not many people think of flash when they
think of sports photography. But flash can be used to give your sports shots
that extra edge, adding controlled light to the subject and freezing the
action to create pin-sharp images.
So, how do you get started? First, you’ll
need two or more flashes that can be set up and triggered off camera. Some
modern flashes allow wireless triggering, or you can purchase wireless kits (with
transmitters and receivers) from most specialist camera stores.
Don’t be tempted to use on-camera flash – it
will make your images look flat and amateurish.
I use between two and four wirelessly
triggered flash units. The number of flashes and their position really depends
on how you want your image to look, the ambient lighting conditions, and the environment
you are shooting in.
Here’s some of the equipment you’ll need: a
DSLR or compact-system camera with a flash-sync speed of 1/250s or faster; two
or more hot-shoe flash units; wireless flash triggers and receivers as required
to allow several flash units to be fired remotely; stands to hold and position
the flash units.
If there’s money left over I’d also
recommend a dedicated light meter. It goes without saying that you can alsondo
more with studio flashes, simply because they produce so much more light. Basic
two-head studio kits with stands and softboxes start at between $600-1000 but the
cost rises significantly if you need a battery pack for location work.
If you’re buying a flash for sports
photography, it’s important to look for a unit with a small flash duration.
Flash duration is measured in milliseconds and is the amount of time the flash
produces light.
Different flashes have different flash
durations. For action sports the faster the better. If your subject is
traveling past at a fast speed and your flash fires, then the best way to keep
it sharp is to use a short flash duration. Much the same way your camera works
with its own shutter speeds. The faster the shutter speed the better it will
freeze a moving subject.
Keep in mind that most professional strobe
lights allow you to stop down the power output in order to shorten the flash duration.
Generally speaking, the lower the power setting, the shorter the flash
duration. For that reason it helps to have a powerful flash so you can still
get enough power out of your unit with a short flash duration.
Anything above 1/1000s flash duration is a
good start to freeze most action. You will notice your images get even sharper as
the flash duration gets shorter.
Now that you have an understanding of flash
durations, it’s a matter of experimenting to see what suits your shooting
style. Mess around with different flash positions and power settings until you
find something you like.
Chris Polack got his start in photography shooting BMX riders, but is just as well known these days as a fashion photographer. He has worked with leading fashion magazines including Yen, And Men Magazine, Acclaim Magazine, and
SPOOK and was a recent finalist in the Moran
Contemporary Photographic Prize.
