10 Tips For Shooting Volleyball

I really like this ten tip series that I started, but I let it go for a while. With all of the fall sports in full swing I thought that it was time to get back into the series. I am not an expert on shooting volleyball, but I have learned some things that could be useful to the person starting out. Volleyball is a fast sport that is usually played in a dark gym. It is not easy to photograph, but knowing a few things going in can help you make much better photos.

1. Use your fastest glass – As I said above most volleyball is played in an arena that is not very well lit. High school volleyball presents just such a challenge. If you bring your fastest glass you will be able to get closer to the goal of stopping action at 1/1000th of a second. A 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is a great one to start off with. This will give you the high aperture that you need while still giving you some reach and flexibility.
2. Lower is not always better – As the tips for sports come out you will notice a common thread among them. I will always stress how important it is to get low. If you think that you are low, get a little lower. Volleyball is a bit different though. To get the shots that you need above the net you must get above the net. The higher that you can get above the net will make the players seem as if they are getting higher as well. A great vantage point is straight on with the net as high as you can get. Getting up higher will also help you with the light situation. You will gain a stop or two just by being a bit higher.
3. Know your team – Knowing just a bit about the team or teams that you are photographing can help out a lot. Knowing who the setter is can help you find her before the ball does. You can also pick up tendencies that help you anticipate the action a bit more. Little things can help you get to the play before the ball does. That means that you will have the peak action in your shot.
4. Do not follow the ball – This may sound weird. In most sports you want to follow the ball. If you try that in volleyball you will be late most of the time. The key here as I have said before is to anticipate the action. You can usually see where the ball will be by the movement of the players. They will lead you to the spot that you need to be. This is where knowing your team really comes into play. You can find your setter or hitter much easier if you know where they will be.
5. Key on the Middle – If you want to get that great shot of the players blocking you need to key on the middle blocker. For most plays they will react and lead you right to the play. Keep them on the side of your frame with some headroom and you will make the picture.
6. Move your focus point – Don’t keep your focus point in the middle. I will move it based on what side of the court I am on. I generally want my team with space in front of them so I move the focus point to the back of the frame.
7. Don’t forget the Jube – One great thing about volleyball is the fact that the players react after every point. If you are shooting the winning team, then they will have at least 75 winning points during the match. Often the jubilation after a play is a great shot. Late in the set the jube can really become more and more intense.
8. Shoot in Raw – As I have said before most volleyball is shot in a dimly lit gym. Many of those gyms have lighting that is not consistent. To have the most control over your exposure and white balance you have to shoot in RAW. If you have constant light it is best to get this right on the scene, but you don’t always have that luxury.
9. Use back button focus – By using back button focus it will allow you to pre focus which in many cases makes your job much easier. When you know that you will be shooting the play at the net you can pre focus on the legs of the girls where you think the play will happen. On a jump serve or just a regular serve you can pre focus where the action will be. This takes one factor out of the equation allowing you to focus on capturing that peak action.
10. Do not motor drive – This is a lot like baseball. If you want to capture the ball on the hand or just off of the hand you have to time it. Even with 10 frames per second the ball is moving very fast. You still may not get it in the frame. The best shots come from timing.

These ten tips will help you get started shooting volleyball. Everyone has their own preferences on what makes a good volleyball shot. After shooting for a while you will start to find what you like. If you want to check out some of my volleyball shots you can head over to my website at pinolaphotography.com.