Recent Sports Articles

Allison Stokke Takes You for a Ride in Point of View Pole Vaulting Video

GoPro and Allison Stokke take you for wild first-person experience into what it’s like to pole vault. The 2016 Olympic hopeful and former Cal vaulter takes you through the process from a variety of GoPro placements. In my track days I used to think that pole vaulters were nuts, and this video reinforces that sentiment.

[Video] The Biggest Surf Competition Ever, Filmed On The Phantom

"The French Navy labeled this day a double code red prohibiting and threatening to arrest anyone that entered the water. Kelly Slater described the day by saying "witnessing this was a draining feeling being terrified for other people's lives all day long, it's life or death. Letting go of that rope one time can change your life and not many people will ever experience that in their life.""
Does Adidas Use Too Many Lights For Their Ad Campaigns?

A big part of what makes commercial photography so interesting is it often requires photographers to incorporate the latest graphic trends into their work. In other words, in order to cut the mustard in commercial photography, you not only have to be at the top of your game but you also have to produce something eye catching in a market full of interesting media. That's exactly what photographer Gary Land did with his latest Adidas ad featuring soccer superstar Lionel Messi. However, his arsenal of Profoto lights and heavy photoshop has caused a bit of controversy over on the Strobist website where many photographers are claiming the final image is a bit overkill. I personally love the final image and think the direction Gary went is exactly what separates the boys from the men. However, I can appreciate the purists point of view who think great advertising photos should remain true to real life and capture a more realistic vision. Check out this great behind the scenes video of the latest Adidas shoe ad and let us know what you think in the comments. Check out Gary's interesting website as well for more inspiration.
Photographing an Indoor Rock Climbing Boulder Competition

I spend a couple days a week inside a rock climbing gym when I’m not traveling. So when I got the opportunity to photograph Rock Spot Climbing's Boston Boulder Brawl, one of the bigger local bouldering competitions, I got really excited. As an adventure photographer I've photographed climbing in all sorts of environments but this would be my first attempt at shooting indoor climbing. Of course indoor gyms come with a completely different set of difficulties compared to shooting outdoors.

Amazing 5 Minute Gatorade Commercial Shot In 1 Take

A couple months back Patrick and I flew up to Chicago to film a BTS of a Gatorade commercial featuring Chaz Ortiz. We have still not completed our BTSV but someone just sent me ANOTHER Gatorade commercial shot at the very same school featuring Chaz Ortiz that has a killer BTSV. The video below was shot in one single take and it will blow your mind. Our video should be released soon but it will be hard (impossible) to top this one. Check out the full post to see the BTS.
Behind the Scenes with Photographer Craig Kolesky Shooting Skiing and Biking in the African Desert

It can be a real creative challenge to try and concept, as well as execute, something that has never been done before, especially in photography. Adventure photographer Craig Kolesky accepted that challenge and ended up in the desert of Namibia, with two unlikely athletes for such a location. I asked Craig a few questions about this project that he shot for Red Bull Photography.

Project360 Uses GoPro Array To Capture The Experience Of Climbing The Eiger

In this making of video, outdoor brand Mammut is shown working with Dani Arnold and Stephan Siegrist, two alpinists, to plan a climb up the north face of the Eiger. What makes this ascent unique though, is the inclusion of a 360-degree GoPro setup which is used to capture panoramic shots from the mountainside. The result of their efforts is a unique look into the views, terrain, and conditions that the climbers faced. Mammut recently unveiled an interactive web portal to give anyone who wants to ascend the Eiger, the chance to do so from the comfort of their office chair.

Fstoppers Interviews Active Lifestyle Photographer Coty Tarr

"Coty Tarr is an active lifestyle photographer based in New York City," so says the not quite so lengthy bio on his website. On initial thought, one might think the concise personal description is a little off-putting, but to anyone that has ever met Coty, it is nothing if not an apt discriptor. In a world where many photographers feel the need for shameless overpromotion (not that there's anything wrong with that), Coty takes a more subtle approach, working tirelessly and letting the caliber of his images and his work ethic speak for him.

Six Tips to Improve Your Surf Photography

Photography, at face value, is already a difficult combination of capturing a scene as it unfolds and manipulating a tedious balance of exposure, aperture, and ISO to illuminate an image that does true life justice. When you add any additional element to the equation, the entire process can be thrown off. I often find this challenge in photography to be resting on the surface of the ocean in surf photography. Here are six tips I’ve learned that can help your surf photography.

Summing Up An Entire Day In One Photo

Peter Langehahn is a photographer from Germany who approaches most of his images a bit differently than most of us. Instead of photographing a single moment, Peter captures the "collective scene" of an entire event. Standing at just one vanishing point, Peter takes panoramic images throughout each event and combines them in a unique composite image that features the best moments throughout the day. Sometimes these images total over 3000 captures and the edits can take up to 60 - 90 days. I must say I've never seen anything like this but it's definitely a way of branding your own photography into something no one will forget. I'm sure someone out there has done something like this before; what are your thoughts on this technique?
This Bogner "Ski Surfing" Ad Seems Impossible

When it comes to creating great advertising campaigns, photographers should take a page out of the sports apparel company Bogner's book: capture something never seen before in the most beautiful way possible. Bogner teamed up with elite downhill snow skier Chuck Patterson for an idea that simply seems impossible yet breathtaking.

Critique the Community Episode 17: Sports Photography

Last week, we asked the Fstoppers Community to submit their best sports images to be critiqued by the Fstoppers team. We had a fantastic variety of images to choose from with over 250 entries. To keep in theme with this episode, we decided to film it during a recent ski trip. Lee and Patrick gave feedback to twenty images chosen from the submissions. Check out the selections and add your feedback and thoughts to the comments.

Behind The Scenes As Jeff Curtes Shoots Road Biking And Explains His Back Story

In the latest video from the "Life In Focus" series presented by F-Stop Gear, professional snowboarder turned photographer Jeff Curtes is interviewed about his beginnings in the world of photography, and he explains what he thinks is the key to his success. The video goes on to show Jeff hanging out of a car to shoot road bikers from mere feet away, while moving at a very fast speed.

Corey Rich Explains How He Captures Both Still And Motion In The Field

Corey Rich's work spans both photography and video, often using Nikon DSLRs to capture both. His projects take him to hard to reach places, and being able to manage his gear in both modes quickly, enables him to come away with great images. In this video, Corey explains his choices for gear and shooting style on a climbing trip in Pakistan.

Contest Entry: The 360 Project, Dancing Matrix Style

Ryan Enn Hughes just submited his entry for our BTSV contest and it is quite impressive. Ryan teamed up with The Big Freeze and set up 48 D700 cameras in a circle and then fired them all at once as dancers did their thing. The photographs are pretty cool on their own but the real magic happened in post during the editing phase when Ryan teamed up with sound designers at Zelig Sound to create two incredible 30 seconds videos. Obviously this is an extremely high budget project but our contest will not be judge on that so don't be discouraged if you don't have 48 $3000 cameras to play with. As always, you can check out all of the submissions to our contest as they come in here on our forum.
A Review of Shimoda Designs New Action X Series of Adventure Backpacks

Shimoda Designs made a big entrance into the adventure outdoor camera bag market with its original Explore series. Since then there has been a lot of competition from both new designers and industry leaders. Not to be outdone Shimoda is back with a new evolution of their previous bag with the Action X series.

Skateboarding + Fireworks = Quality BTSV

Our good friend Dave Lehl is at it again and this time he's moved out of the snow and into the skate park. To add a bit of flare to the standard skateboarding shot Dave taped sparklers to the bottom of the board and used smoke bombs to set the mood. Check out the full post to a link to the high res finished shots.

The Power Of Social Media Got This Guy A Ride With Ken Block

I have been following Taylor Morris' story since the beginning. We share a mutual close friend, and because of that I was quickly exposed to the story of a Navy EOD tech who lost all of his limbs in Afghanistan. His story has been nothing short of inspiring and motivational, but furthermore he has had the help and support of a few amazing videographers and photographers to help spread his story.

Everything You Need to Know About Wireless Image Transmission with Nikon Systems

We've featured ESPN photographer Brett Wilhelm's work before as he's taken us through numerous one-man setups for his events. This time, Wilhelm gives us a great video covering everything you need to know about wirelessly transmitting your images in the field with the Nikon system. From connecting to FTP servers through your iPhone or local wireless network to explaining the advantages and disadvantages between the WT-5 and WT-4, Wilhelm makes sure you'll be ready to shoot anything in the field for instant transmission back to your editing team.

HAZMAT Surfing Photos Raise Awareness of Contaminated Oceans

Michael Dyrland is a photographer based out of Washington. On a trip to Los Angeles for a shoot, Michael was hoping to score some classic California days and get into the ocean for some epic surf. The conditions Michael encountered were not exactly what he had hoped for, following and evening of heavy rainfall, he was confined to the beach for several days because the ocean was contaminated with ten billion gallons of run off. As Michael puts it, the contamination was composed of “sewage, garbage, oil, and shit (literally, human fecal matter).” Michael made the decision not to paddle out to avoid being vulnerable to staph infections, respiratory illness, MRSA and Hepatitis C.
The Winners of the 2019 Red Bull Illume Photo Contest are Here

The winners of the 5th Red Bull Illume action sports photo contest have just been announced. Just as in previous years the images are an excellent example of what the sports and adventure genres of photography are capable of.

Shooting NFL Football With the Sony a7R IV

Traditionally, professional sports photographers use top-level cameras with low-to-medium resolution, as these cameras typically have the fastest frame rates, which are needed to capture professional athletes in action. But with Sony putting fast burst rates even in their higher-resolution cameras, sports photographers can now have the best of both worlds. This great video discusses using a Sony a7R IV for NFL football photography.

Film Yourself From a Drone on Autopilot Using Just Your Smartphone

Offering next-level follow filming, the Ghost Drone can automatically follow you and be controlled via smartphone. Recently, professional kiteboarders Jullien Fillion and Jason Slezak put the device to the test by having it follow them on foilboards over the clear blue waters of Maui.

Super Bowl XLIX First To Feature LED Lighting!

As you prepare to devour your nachos and chase it down with a couple beers you may notice something a little different about the Super Bowl today. University Of Phoenix Stadium, hosts of Super Bowl XLIX, have upgraded the old metal halide lights throughout the stadium and replaced them with LED light fixtures. Though not the first or only stadium to use LED lighting this will be the first time that LED lighting makes it to a Super Bowl broadcast!

Behind the Scenes Shooting NFL Rookie Portraits with Johnny Vy

Los Angeles photographer Johnny Vy was approached by NFL.com to photograph portraits of the league's incoming at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere; a four-day event where new rookies get to wear their uniforms for the first time, pose for trading card photos, and learn some of the ins and outs of the billion dollar business that is the National Football League. He wrote a detailed blog breaking down the shoot from beginning to end.

[BTS Video] Dean Bradshaw Lights And Composites A Variety Of Athletes

Commercial photographer Dean Bradshaw provides us with a unique perspective of his recent photo shoot for "Startrac". The shoot involved a handful of athletes being shot while mock competing in their individual sports. The athletes were shot in a controlled environment and then composited into different backgrounds in post.

The Best 20 Sports Images of the Decade

As the bells chimed to bring in the new year, we said sayonara to the second decade of this century. And didn’t we see some iconic sports moments during that time? Here are 20 of the best.

Top Instagram Users Receive Red Carpet Treatment at U.S. Open

If you're an Instagram user and a tennis lover, you may want to brush up on your iPhone photography skills and get a few thousand followers by the time next year's U.S. Open rolls around. Three of Instagram's top users - @bridif, @takinyerphoto and @newyorkcity, who together bring over 600,000 followers with them - will be given unprecedented access to photograph the U.S. Open today alongside traditional media outlets.

Hands On With Sony's $13,000 600mm f/4 Telephoto Beast

If you’re wondering whether to treat yourself to Sony’s new 600mm f/4 GM lens, you probably want to check out this hands-on video from Jared Polin. If a $13,000 lens isn’t for you, you might simply want to see how much of a difference the autofocus tracking on the Sony a9 can make when shooting sports.

Skateboarding as Art - An Interview With Fred Mortagne

Fred Mortagne, or French Fred, is a skateboarder, photographer, and filmmaker living in France. His images have taken skateboard photography to a place where the line between fine art, portraiture and action sports have beautifully dissolved into amazing works of art. As someone who shares a lot of the same passion for actions sports and black and white photography, I decided to get in touch with Fred to ask him a few questions about his work.

Photographing Dan Gable for Sports Illustrated

Last spring, I got a dream call from one of the photo editors at Sports Illustrated to photograph the legendary Dan Gable, a wrestler from Iowa, and one of the most winning athletes of all time. From winning gold in Munich during the 1972 Olympics, to having coached other U.S. teams to gold after, this guy oozes excellence and passion in everything he does. I’m not one to be intimidated by people because of their status in life, but people who work as hard as he does definitely stand out to me.

Bullet Time Camera Technology In MLB And NFL

Bullet Time added to Major League Baseball and the National Football League is as cool as it sounds.

Replay Technologies has put together what they are calling FreeD aka free dimensional video which installs and sets up a number of cameras along the ballparks and captures footage from all angles compiling them into a smooth, almost 360-degree pan.

As Dirt Falls From the Sky Like Snow, These Mountain Bikers Get to Experience an UnReal Dirt Blizzard

During the winter months, snowboarders and skiers dream of those big powder days, where a storm leaves the mountain covered in a soft blanket of snow that’s perfect for riding. During the summer months though, mountain bikers have never been able to experience anything that can truly match a mountain that's freshly covered in snow. Until one day at Whistler Blackbomb mountain, when dirt literally fell from the skies to create the very first dirt blizzard.

The Worst Assaults On Sports Photographers

Being a sports photographer often requires standing in a place of potential danger. However some photojournalists have also found that capturing a sports story off the field or in the locker room can be just as dangerous when a player isn't having a good day. Sports Center has put together 10 of the most outrageous attacks and hits on sports photographers. Not all of these confrontations end as relatively peaceful as Scott Kelby's tackle last year as an NFL photographer.
How the UFC Films Its Pay-Per-View Events and Promos

I recently had the opportunity to have dinner with Alex Merriman, the Director of Photography with the UFC. I got to geek out with him about mixed martial arts, and the technical side of filming and promoting the fastest growing sport in the world.

The Underwater Snowboard Shoot

This is such a crazy idea and as I was watching the video I kept thinking about ways why this wasn't going to work. Well I was wrong. Scott Serfas had an incredible concept and he created an incredible image from it. More info and the final image can be seen here.
The 15-Month Journey of a Lucha Libre Photographer Across Mexico

It was supposed to be a quick trip in Mexico to cover the Lucha Libre World Cup for Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine. But Photographer Jerry Villagrana, based in Detroit, eventually spent the next 15 months in the country shooting Mexican wrestling both for major promotions in 18,000 seat arenas as well as local neighborhood areas with dirt floors. Here is his story.

Critique the Community: Submit Your Best Sports Images Now

Fstoppers is happy to announce the next round of Critique the Community. We invite everyone to submit your best sports image to be critiqued by the Fstoppers team. The image doesn't have to have any particular style but it must be related to sports and action, incorporating a human element (not just products or sports equipment). Please follow the guidelines for submissions below to ensure eligibility for your image to be chosen. We will be accepting submissions through Sunday night, February 7th and will be offering feedback to a total of 20 pictures.

What It Is Like to Cover F1 Racing

Mark Thompson is a Getty Images photographer with over 25 years of experience covering F1 races, including Red Bull Racing. I spoke with him to gain insight into what it is like to cover this competition.

Fstoppers Reviews the Lowepro Rover Pro AW Series Bags

This past week we have seen a lot of gear come out, including a brand new outdoorsman-style bag in the Lowepro Rover Pro series. We got our hands on both versions of the bag, the 35L and the larger 45L and sent Mike Kelley and Mike Wilkinson off on separate excursions to put the bag to the test. Mike Kelley reviewed the 45L, while Mike Wilkinson reviewed the 35L.

An Inside Look at What It's Like to Photograph a Prestigious Motorsport Event

If you think that photographing Total 24 Hours Spa has anything to do with cucumber slices and a hot stone massage, then you are very wrong indeed. I will say, however, that when you finish photographing one of these endurance races you might need 24 hours in a spa. Have look at this fascinating short documentary to find out more.

BTS: Wakesurfing with the Phottix Indra500 TTL

Action sport photography has always been something that I have been drawn to, but I just don't have the access and opportunity to shoot it very often. So when I got the chance to shoot some wakesurfing, I Instantly jumped at the opportunity. The one thing I wanted to do going into the shoot though, was come out with something different.

How Should You Set up Your Autofocus to Get Sharp Panning Shots?

Creating a panning shot that has a nice blurry background thanks to a slow shutter speed tends to be a combination of skill and luck at the best of times. However, how can you maximize the number of sharp images and how should you focus? This in-depth video gives you all the details.

[BTSV] Behind The Scenes At The Winter X-Games

In this behind the scenes video from Vimeo (say that five times fast!), we get a look at the wide variety of gear that is used to capture the action at Winter X. From freelance photographers and videographers to full-scale production efforts, this video has a little bit of everything. See the video, which displays a staggering amount of gear, in the full post.
Pro Athletes Turned Photographers: Is It a Problem?

There is a history of actors becoming directors, models become designers, and, more recently, athletes becoming photographers. Isaac Rochell, defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers, is one of the latest to step up to the lens. More often than not, the photography of these second career artists focuses on their first career: sport. What do you think about second-career photographers?