JUSA - University Sports
photography for social media
Action sports photography used in promotional content for the 2024 fall JUSA (Jönköping University Sports Association) free weeks.
Each semester, the sports association hosts a two week-long introduction to all of their offered activities for students, so they can try out the sports, environment, facilities, and coaching opportunities without having to spend anything upfront for a membership.
I admire this model and thinking, and therefore in addition to participating in the free weeks as a student, I put my photography skills and equipment to use to capture some of the defining moments from this endeavor.
The process
Sports photography is one of the more demanding genres of the art. It requires quick human reactions, precise camera focus, fast shutter speeds, and a good grasp of the exposure triangle to ensure well-exposed photos (photos with proper lighting in which subjects are clearly visible)
Throughout my work I paid close attention to the rules of composition (for example the rule of thirds, and leading lines) and ensured proper lighting by manually adjusting the three pillars of exposure (shutter speed, ISO, and aperture)
I also frequently switched between a high shutter speed for action shots which required crisp details to be visible, and artistic sports shots in which motion can be communicated via a slow shutter speed. All while trying to maintain a natural background blur by preferring wide apertures and higher ISO values.
The tools
This shoot required lenses that could let in the most amount of light in order to maintain a desirable exposure despite high shutter speeds in action shots, and also lenses with wide apertures in order to capture portrait shots and photos with good natural background separation.
The list of exact equipment I used:
– Canon EOS mirrorless M50 digital camera body
– Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM prime lens
– Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens
The internal stabilization provided by the 15-85mm lens (which I purchased just for this shoot) allowed me to pull clean and sharp focus during high-intensity action moments at high optical zoom levels.
The prime lens enabled the capture of highly-detailed portrait and artistic shots of staff, equipment, and some action moments where high background separation was prioritized over sharp focus.
