Five Tips
For BeTTer
sporTs
phoTography
Javier Garcia’s top five
tips for being a successful
sports photographer aren’t
what you might expect. He’s
advocating thinking outside
the square if you want to
stand out from the crowd.
01
Vary the lenses you choose to use.
Sports ‘workhorse’ lenses tend
to be a 400mm f2.8 prime telephoto, a
70-200mm f2.8 zoom, and a 24-70mm
f2.8 standard zoom. However, the main
camera manufacturers produce a huge
range of different lenses that give you
many more options. I really can’t
remember the last time I use any of
those lenses mentioned for sport, and it
has given me a point of differentiation to
my fellow sports photographers.02
Don’t just follow the ball. It is
tempting to just track the path of
the ball during a football match, but it
means you are disregarding some
potentially great shots off the ball.03
Deliver something that nobody
has. Every event I shoot I strive
to have something non-traditional.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it
doesn’t. Try something different – this
could be concentrating on a shaft of light,
having my back turned to the action to
capture a fan’s reaction, or something
completely random. Even though taking
shots that suit the requirements of the
editorial market is important, you should
never be afraid to deliver something
creative. Being a creative photographer
and an editorial photographer doesn’t have
to be mutually exclusive.04
Don’t follow the crowd. Find
somewhere different to sit, where
permitted. If you have the freedom to
choose your shooting position, look at
the light available and make your call,05
Expect the unexpected then react
accordingly As soon as you think a
particular match or event will end the way
you expect it to, along comes something
to turn it around in the blink of an eye.
I liken it to being a goalkeeper facing a
penalty shot in football. Stay on your toes
and be prepared to make a split-second
decision to dive left, dive right, or not
move at all.recruited more photographers and formed
BPI in 2003 – which, incidentally, was the
same year Jon Oringer founded Shutterstock
in New York – where we matured as a
business and made quite an impact on the
domestic market in the UK. While others
were contracting, I was happy to take
financial risks to expand both the coverage
and the library. In time, we were winning
contracts and getting work from bigger,
more established players until I brought
my operation into Shutterstock, via Rex
Features, in early 2015.”
Interestingly given his long involvement
in sports photography, Javier says his
influences and inspirations mostly come from
other fields, but can also depend on what’s
happening around him at the time.”
“I have always been in awe of the work
of many war photographers over the years,
both from the visual impact as well as the
psychological effects. But I think photography
is like musical preferences, it can vary,
depending on your mood and time of day. “I can be movedbysomethingvisually
striking and thought-provokingasmuchas
something mundaneif it resonatesona very
personal level – usuallyfamilyorrelationships
or something significantin mypast– so,for
me, creative ‘influences’areconstantlyfluid.
“In terms of my philosophiesin
photography, they’restraightforward– work
hard, carry yourself properly,andneverbe
afraid to break any traditionalphotographic
conventions, if the picturepleasesyou!I’m
on a mission to try andchangeattitudes
toward sports photographers.Theyare
sometimes seen asa necessaryevilby
some of the people whorunevents.Positions
for the photographersarebecomingmore
limited and there is anover-archingsense
that the photographersneedtobemanaged.
It’s clear that some peopledon’tfully
understand the truevalueofthesports
photographer. However,whenyoulookaround
any venue inside andout,youseethey’re
plastered with sportsimages.Photography
is as valid as ever, inmymind.”