Beach Volleyball Recap
I have very similar themes to share on this recap like the Pride Bowl recap - volleyball is an important milestone for me and my growth as a photographer as it is the first sport outside of flag football that I shot. I remember being very nervous about this shoot last year since it is a significantly different pace and technique needed in order to get photos that matter to these athletes.
Last year, I was tracking the ball with the camera more than I should have. Maintaining focus while doing that led to inconsistent results and lots of out of focus images. It didn't help that I was half-pressing the shutter to focus instead of back-button focusing which has made a tremendous difference in terms of percent in focus. This year, I decided to focus on one side of the net for any given point. While I might have missed some fun returns on the other side of the net, I was usually rewarded with some great shots by being patient with the side of the net I started with.
I also decided to shoot more in portrait mode than landscape mode, mostly because I shoot with zoom lenses and I would either miss the ball or the player on any given landscape snap with where I wanted to stand. Plus, most of my content is being posted on Instagram anyways.
Speaking of lenses, I did a mid-shoot switch was incredibly beneficial due to the waning light with the sun going down and a dark and stormy sky. The 85mm f1.8 definitely came in clutch so I could stay longer and get a few more shots before the league wrapped for the day.
