The Sports Photo Guy

No, not the macho soap opera that is the WWE, but the collegiate variety.  This sport presents unique challenges which the D300 is well equipped to handle.

Wrestling can be as fast-moving as any sport.

Updated 12/4/2011: Reflects new equipment lineup for 2011-12 season.

Updated 1/26/10: Reflects new equipment lineup for 2009-10 season.

Wrestling is an interesting sport in that the action can be intense and over in mere seconds, while at times it can devolve into a slow-moving stalemate or pushing match.  A good sports photographer has to be prepared for both.  Compounding the challenges are the fact that wrestling matches are often held in some of the darkest holes known to the athletic world, making existing-light photography very problematic.  For example, the shot above was taken at 1/400 @ f1.4, ISO 2500.

My usual equipment when shooting wrestling is as follows:

- Nikon D7000 w/MB-D11 grip & Sigma 50/f1.4G EX HSM DG; Sigma 8-16/f4.5-5.6G DC HSM
- Nikon D300s w/Nikon 70-200/f2.8G AF-S VR; Tamron 28-75/f2.8 SP Di LD
- 2 SB-600s (mounted remotely)

The D7000 & Sigma 50/f1.4 combo provides quick-focusing 6 fps shooting capability in very low light that allows me to capture the rapid action of a takedown or a reversal.  The Sigma 50 is sharp enough to reach into a fairly deep crop of an image shot across the mat and yields great images at f1.4.  The Sigma 8-16 makes for incomparable arena/venue shots.

But many of the best shots can be obtained with flash, and Nikon’s Advanced Wireless Lighting system makes off-camera flash setups a breeze for this sport.  The approach I use is very straightforward yet can yield a variety of lighting effects than maximize the drama of this intense sport.

D300, 80-200/f2.8, 1/250 @ f2.8, ISO 200 w/remote flash

Set up and positioning takes into account the “square”  arrangement of the typical wrestling dual-meet venue.  I position myself on the corner of the mat opposite the home bench.  I place an SB-600 in the opposing corners to my left and right.  This extreme wide angle shot shows my SB-600s firing and my shooting position in the bottom center of the frame:

Wrestling off-camera flash setup

The positioning of the lights and the dimensions of the mat are almost perfectly matched to the angle of view of the wrestling mat.  While it is sometimes possible to trigger both strobes simultaneously with the built-in flash of the D300 — as I did here in this shot where I backed up several feet from my normal shooting position — this is unreliable and is generally not the effect I’m looking for anyway.

Instead, I dial the flash exposure compensation down 1 to 2 stops for the built-in flash and typically 0.7 stops for the SB-600.  This provides for side- and/or back-lighting with direct fill-flash for whichever side of the mat I’m shooting.

D300, 80-200/f2.8 @ 100mm, 1/250 @ f2.8, ISO 200, w/remote SB-600

Settings. Settings vary depending on whether I’m using the camera to control the remote SB-600s or without flash for the 8 fps capability.  The important settings are summarized below:

• With flash:
  • Custom setting a3 Dynamic AF area: 9 points, or 51 points with 3D tracking.  If I’m shooting tight with the 80-200 I’ll use 9-point, while a wide zoom like the 18-50 I find usually works better with 51-point.  The 3-D tracking works well to keep the AF on track with sudden movements; given the slight shutter lag with AWL, the AF system is able to readjust focus.
  • Metering: I use manual mode with an aperture of f2.8 and shutter speed of 1/250.  At ISO 200, this is more than enough to stretch a set of batteries in the SB-600s for a full match’s worth of action.  Let the matrix metering system control the output.
• Without flash:
  • Custom setting a3 Dynamic AF area: 21 points with the 50/f1.4; 9 points with the 85/f1.8.  The 50 generally doesn’t crop tightly enough for 9-point AF to be sufficient, but 51-point is too wide and risks inadvertently picking up distracting background elements.  While I seldom use the 85 any longer, it is sufficiently tight for 9-point AF to be preferable.
  • Active D-Lighting: I set this to High for the dark gym. Turn this OFF for use with flash.
  • ISO auto sensitivity control: On – One of my favorite techniques (Secret D300 High-Speed Auto ISO Trick) is essential for dark venues.  I have no reservations letting this float all the way to ISO 3200 on the D300.
  • High ISO NR: Off - As with basketball, I prefer NeatImage to Nikon’s built-in noise reduction.

Purchasing Resources

D300 body only (prices as of 1/25/09)
Buy from Abe’s of Maine ($1,454)
Buy from Adorama ($1,479)
Buy from B&H (Camera Body) ($1,468)
Buy from eCost.com ($1,529)

Sigma 50/f1.4G (prices as of 1/25/09)
Buy Nikon mount from Adorama ($439)
Buy Canon mount from Adorama ($439)

Nikon SB-600 (prices as of 1/25/09)
Buy from Abe’s of Maine ($187)
Buy from Adorama ($210)
Buy from B&H ($225)