Today I’m straying far away from talking about macro photography. Instead the topic is photographing competitive swimming, something I have done a lot in my time including as the official photographer for the ‘Coupe de France’ a few years back when the venue was in my home town of Céret.
So what are the secrets to successful swimming shots? For a start, you need a fast shutter speed with speeds of approximately 1/1000 of a second. For me, always shooting at outdoor competitions, I am generally able to maintain an ISO of 200. I love how I can ‘freeze’ the water and even the droplets on the swimmers’ faces. Keep checking your camera though, as the light changes due to cloud etc and you need to ensure that you are maintaining that fast shutter speed. I choose to shoot in aperture priority and maintain a high aperture of f4 - f6. This effectively keeps the focus on the swimmer and eliminates a messy background.
As for focus - use a single focus point, working with back button focus (there are plenty of tutorials online if you aren’t familiar with this) and I utilise servo focus to track the athlete. When I do this I feel like I’m a predator tracking an animal - the adrenaline certainly flows and I find it is as much a sport for me taking the shots as it is for the swimmers - although the swimmers might not agree with me!
Your position needs to be considered too. Be aware of the sun - you need the sun behind you so that the swimmer’s face is without shadow - to face towards the sun would have the swimmer in shade and you’re not going to get great shots. For the butterfly stroke (my favourite!) you will want to be right in front of the approaching swimmer, at the end of the lane, to get great front-on shots. This is also a good position for breast stroke. For freestyle though, you’re better to the side, again with the sun behind you and be aware of the breathing pattern of the swimmer - to which side do they take air? And how often? The more competent the swimmer the less frequently they will take air so you have to be ready for the moments that their head is clear above water.
The lens I generally use is a zoom - giving me scope up to 300mm. Sometimes I will have two cameras with me so that I have a wide angle to hand for a group diving shot or for podium presentations. It’s sometimes a better option rather than risk missing a shot whilst fiddling with lens changes.
I love taking candid shots too. This could be a moment of joy when the swim went well, it could be a pre-swim moment of anxiety or it could be a group celebratory shot. It’s always fun to find some none obvious shots too: a reflection in a swimmer’s goggles, a cropped shot of the athlete’s feet still wet from the water. Additionally I like shooting during the training sessions. I don't, at these times, have to exercise as much respect and caution with the swimmers as I would during a race. They also tend to lift their faces more during the training sessions and there are certainly many more relaxed smiles!
My final tip would be to take something with you to kneel on! Those hard pool sides can be tough on the knees, especially when it is a long day!
Not only do I absolutely love the challenge of catching the swimmers at speed but I love making the photos available to them and their families. The photos are particularly important for the youngsters, coming up through the ranks, and serve to foster pride in their achievements.
The challenge of photographing fast moving subjects is a great exercise to get you ever more familiar with your camera and to have you responding to your subject and the light instinctively. These skills come in useful no matter what genre you are shooting and no matter your skill level.
I have enjoyed many happy days at the side of a swimming pool - now it’s your turn!
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