How to shoot dynamic wrestling photos (or how to shoot in a dark gym)

Last year I wrote a blog on how to shoot wrestling photos and deleted it because I didn't think anyone read it. Still not sure if anyone did, but I am writing a new article here if you are interested. If you have seen my wrestling photos, you will see that they have a certain style and feel that I hope makes them look more dynamic and less like snap shots.

The way I do that is by using the widest aperture (F stop) and fastest shutter speed for the amount of light in the gym and angles that make the wrestlers look huge.

Domenic Hyson

This photo of Domenic Hyson, and eight grade wrestler from Fairbury Nebraska is a good example. This photo was shot at F3.5 at a shutter speed of 400th of a second with a 50 mm lens. Any faster shutter and the picture would have been too dark and if I would have lowered the F stop to 2.8 I would run the risk of losing focus with such a shallow depth of field.

If you can nail the shot at F2.8 your results will be amazing as the background will blur and your subject will become more important.

Jacob Johnson

This is an example of a shot of wrestler Jacob Johnson shot at F2.8 in a much better lit auditorium in Kearney Ne. You can see how the crowd in the background are much less in focus. This effect is multiplied when your subject is close. 

What really makes a good wrestling photo pop is the angle at which it was shot. My angle of choice is as low as I can get which is usually placing the camera on the mat and shooting blind. 

Seth Firmanik

By blind I mean I aim the lens at the subject, wait for the best action and shoot without looking through the view finder. This takes practice, but with time I was able to get pretty consistent usable shots from a very low angle. 

So the key to getting dynamic shots in my opinion is angle, a wide aperture and the fastest shutter speed you can get with the light conditions you have. Most gyms have poor lighting for photography and using a flash is not acceptable. 

Here are a few more examples to show you from last year.

Of course it is always important to time your shots so you are getting the best action, and not everyone can shoot from the mat. I do because I'm shooting for a lot of families and I want the best shots I can get. If you are shooting from the bleachers your telephoto lens will limit your light input  and may cause your pictures to be darker than you like. 

The only solution to this problem is purchasing a lens that will shoot down to F2.5 and those lenses can be expensive.