Shooting Tennis - first time

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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Shooting Tennis - first time

I was asked to shoot a high school tennis match tonight. I have never shot tennis. Any suggestions or pointers on this would be helpful - such as location, len size, etc.

I'm assuming my 400mm prime will be too long, so I was planning on taking my 70-200 F/2.8 on the Canon R3 and then my 24-70 on my Canon R7.

from what i can tell, i doubt i will be able to get on the court - so i'd likely be shooting from the sidelins/parent space? it looks like you are still close to at least the first court, but any other court beyond court 1, would be shooting in a line. I also doubt i will be able to shoot low - unless i shoot thru the fence, so likely will be standing.

any help or tips from someone that has shot tennis would be great. Normally I shoot soccer, photo, baseball, basketball. So i really have no idea on what to expect from placement. I understand the game and don't feel the actual shooting will be as difficult as figuring out how to shoot with not much room to pick my spot or if i'm shooting standing and across multiple courts - i'm assuming most shooters use the smaller lens but i could be way off.

Thanks in advance for any tips on this.

Regards
Paul

Sep 21, 2023 at 06:45 AM

cocodrillo
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Shooting Tennis - first time

The little I've shot, you're good with the 400 and 70-200, perhaps the widey if there is a real sense of place to it all.

The 400 is good for shooting from one end of the court to the other. I also like using long glass from about a 1/3 of the way back from the net into the other court, but I also like to shoot really tight. 70-200 from the same spot and further back is good for shooting in the same 1/2 that your beside -- think lunging shots for stretched balls. Shooting through a fence can work.... depends on the angles and how close you can get. It will also work best with really long glass. Talk to the chief official/coaches/players. You may be able to sit inside the fence if you are rammed right up against the edge and don't move.

The nice thing about tennis is that there is a LOT of repeated movements so you have time to experiment. The trick is not to fall asleep and miss the displays of emotion and jubo that periodically pop up.

Sep 21, 2023 at 07:31 AM

PureMichigan
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Shooting Tennis - first time

Take both of those lenses. The 400MM will come in handy.

My daughter made the state finals as a HS singles player for two years. I've done this a lot. I can say without hesitation that the most important piece of equipment you can bring with you is boldness.

Nothing - no lens, no technique, no approach - will improve your photos nearly as much as getting on the court. Find a way. If you are toting around a 400MM 2.8 people will assume that you know what you are doing and will rarely question you.

In practical terms HS tennis matches finish at different times, often leaving some completely open courts. If one team is far superior to the other, it tends to show up most evidently in the singles 3s and 4s and those may end the soonest. I've never had a problem with officials letting me shoot from those vacant courts. If you need to start out outside the fence -- do so. But keep an eye on which matches seem to be moving along quickly and get in there!

If you are behind the fence, there are gate areas where the players come on and off the court. You can usually open that gate just enough to get your lens inside without a problem -- again the 400MM phenomena; few will question you. It's a limiting place to shoot from but it's better than behind the fence.

Typing like cray here and just realized that you have probably already shot this -- I hope it went well

Sep 21, 2023 at 08:02 AM

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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Shooting Tennis - first time

thank you both for the feedback. I have not shot this yet - as it is tonight. i will now bring my 400mm just incase - i appreciate that feedback. I thought I'd be way to close with the 400. again, i appreciate the tips.

Sep 21, 2023 at 10:05 AM

Llewtwo
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Shooting Tennis - first time

PureMichigan has given you great advice. I have a 400 and you can certainly shoot tennis with it but you will find it tight for a lot of the work. When it is the right lens in tennis it will produce a photo your 70-200 won't but I wouldn't want to go to a match with just the 400. You want to pay attention to how the matches are progressing. Some matches finish quickly and you will not want to leave these for last. Likewise, the better the players the easier it is to get a nice selection of shots. Most matches the first eight will all be done well within two hours and most much shorter. It gives you an average of less than ten minutes per court which is more than adequate to get good coverage of serves and so on. Most schools there are eight courts. The first eight matches will begin at roughly the same time. Generally your best chance at getting on the court is during warmups or when a court nearby is open. Even when the courts are side by side by side there will be access doors that you can stand in to shoot the interior courts. Most high schools don't design their courts for photography. Depending on the fencing and whether there is a wind screen you may be able to shoot some through the fence. For the most part you will want a fast enough frame rate to get the ball on or near the racquet in some shots. Some interaction with the opponent you can get during changeover and so on. Your 400 will produce a distinctive image but think you will want some flexibility. It's a fun sport to shoot.

Sep 21, 2023 at 10:14 AM

PureMichigan
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Shooting Tennis - first time

Terrific point on warm-ups -- get out there and on the court and you will establish that as your domain. The only potential downside is that many will be wearing their warm-ups unless it is a hot day.

Also unless it is a very large, tennis-centric HS school in a warm climate where the players are all strong, you are going to get an awful lot of loopy, awkward returns and not much rallying from the lesser-skilled players. You need to spend disproportionally more time with those players to make passable pictures. The better players are more predictable, dynamic and have better form and make better pictures.

Frankly, when someone says, "shoot a tennis match" with eight simultaneously active courts it's an unrealistic ask if they are expecting high-quality action images of all the players. You might want to ask the client who the priority players are. It's typically the #1 and the seniors.

Sep 21, 2023 at 10:53 AM


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