Day 23: March Basketball One
2026-03-01
Limited permission was granted to use photos taken for these events on this site.
Hello! This is part of a one-week series showcasing my basketball sports photo work. I know March Madness technically hasn't started yet, but these aren't official March Madness photos either, so it's fine.
I had the opportunity to photograph both varsity boys and varsity girls basketball games. I tried taking two types of photos: zoomed in with a shallow depth of field to isolate the subject and an experimental wide-angle shot that stretches the action and exaggerates the angles.
A surprising amount of Internet resources just recommend gear and camera settings. Exposure and white balance matter, but positioning yourself for a good composition is honestly more important. It's more useful to know what angles to get and where you can stand without disturbing the game. I hope my photos can show some example angles and compositions that inspire you for your basketball photography!
Near the baseline, I shot from a low angle and made sure to freeze the motion with the wide-angle lens. At eye level, I used a telephoto lens that kept a sports player at the center of the scene. I took some inspiration from this page of example photos and compositions, which I checked right before entering the gym.
That's all I've got for now. See you tomorrow!
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Cheers,
David
Technical info, for nerds
- Camera: Nikon D7200
- Lens: Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art
- Focal length: 100mm
- Exposure: 1/200 sec shutter speed, f/2 aperture, ISO 1600
- Edited with: Affinity