Photograph Sports in Low Light

When photographing sports or any other fast-moving subject in a low-light setting, frustration can set in as you find your pictures are either too dark, blurry or both. A few techniques can help to improve your pictures in this less-than-ideal situation. Use this guide to improve your sports photography while shooting with low light.Connect an external flash to your camera if it has the capability. If your camera cannot be used with an external flash, set it up to use the built-in flash. The more powerful flash you use, the farther you can be from your subject and still light it.

If using an external flash, turn up the shutter speed on your camera as high as it will go. On many cameras, this can be done by setting the mode dial to shutter priority ("S" on Nikon cameras) and spinning the shutter speed wheel to the right. Different cameras can sync the flash with different shutter speeds; 500 is the highest I’ve seen. You may need to adjust shutter speed, depending on the speed of the moving subject and the power of your flash. Don’t be afraid to experiment. If your camera doesn’t have an adjustable shutter speed, set the camera to sports mode.

Get in as close as possible to the subject and aim your camera as the action happens. In basketball, some of the best photographs are taken from beneath the net or nearby from the sidelines. Taking pictures from above, such as on a balcony, will have more favorable light. For wrestling, sitting on the far corner of the mat can produce some good action photos. Just get as close as you can without getting in the way of the player or officials and crouch down if you are positioned in front of spectators.

As you photograph, check out the pictures on your camera’s digital screen. Play with flash and shutter settings to adjust the brightness and blur of the picture. Many external flashes have an increase/decrease flash control, sometimes denoted by a + and -.

Turning up the camera’s ISO (digital film speed) will produce brighter shots with less of a flash, but each increase in ISO will produce a more "grainy" shot. On many cameras, the default ISO is 200. Increase ISO paringly, but if you are too far away or don’t have a flash, crank up the ISO.

Using a "fast" lens (a lens with a high aperture) will allow more light to come into the camera and make brighter pictures while using less flash. Another effect of using a higher aperture is a shallow depth of field, which can produce a nice effect, but makes it so if you are slightly off focus of the subject, it will appear out of focus. Lenses with a high aperture are useful, but can be pricey.

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