Off-court advantage: capturing sports in unique ways

Working in the cold

“It wasn’t a frozen lake, but it was freezing cold,” recalls the Nikon Creator, whose passion for photography began at 12, capturing school friends with her DSLR before transitioning to documenting skateboarders at the local skatepark. “The area is a vast mass of flat land, so the wind cut right through us, and we were shivering with how cold it was.” Thanks to the Z6III’s Sereebo® P series carbon fibre and magnesium alloy effective sealing, the camera is robustly climate resistant, operating at temperatures as low as -10°C. But Dani says it wasn’t just the camera’s robust build that saved the day: “I always work handheld, so when I was uncontrollably shaking in the freezing cold, the camera’s VR was very important, especially when using the NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens and photographing at longer focal lengths.”

Top tip: “Some camera batteries struggle in cold temperatures, so it’s a good idea to carry spares. Thankfully, with the Z6III that wasn’t an issue – I didn’t need to switch them once. As someone who photographs in the snow, that’s a big plus for me.”

Break the rules

When it came to framing the tennis players, Abby Scott and Natty Arendt, Dani says her approach may seem a little unorthodox. “Playing with composition and going against the ‘rules’ of photography is really fun and refreshing – more people should try it!” she enthuses. “For example, I like to invert negative spaces on the photos, so having space where my subject isn’t facing. I also really love pairing photos taken on a very wide lens with very detailed, zoomed-in crops. It’s really fun to play with cropping the image in ways that most people generally wouldn’t.”

Helping Dani to frame the action was the camera’s 5670k dot EVF. “The brightness on the EVF is so strong, I was really surprised by how much light was coming from it,” she says. “In fact it was so reliable and natural that it allowed me to take the picture with both eyes open.”

Top tip: “Try cropping the face and eyes and ignoring the rule of thirds – photography is subjective and there’s no such thing as a bad photo, especially if you’ve enjoyed taking it.”

When speed is of the essence

Staying with the unconventional, the Nikon Creator is an ardent supporter of the Shutter Priority mode, rather than photographing in manual mode like many of her peers. “Sports photography is all about the right timing, so I love using Shutter Priority mode – going from 1/20 sec to 1/500 sec is really fun to me. With the Nikon Z6III, I liked exploring how quickly this camera responded to that,” Dani says. She also used a polarising filter when the sun was particularly harsh. “The insane speed of burst mode, with 120 frames a second, is so much fun. I didn’t miss a moment!”

Top tip: “I photograph in RAW most of the time, but I’d recommend you switch to JPEG when photographing in burst mode as you’ll create 120 frames per second.”

Focusing on the action

“The autofocus was so responsive for such a small camera, I was seriously impressed,” says Dani, who relied on the Nikon Z6III’s 3D Tracking with face recognition. “You can capture so much emotion and power in one photo, and I really love the process it takes to get to those images.”

Top tip: Activate 3D Tracking early to lock on to your athletes, then adjust the AF sensitivity settings (focus tracking with lock-on) to match the sport. Use a short delay for fast, erratic movements such as in basketball or football, for instance, or a longer delay to stay focused on your subject despite brief obstructions, such as in motorsports or running, when the competitor might pass behind opponents.

Portraiture is a team sport

“Working with tennis players Abby and Natty was great fun,” Dani says. “When photographing your subjects, whether you have a previous relationship with them or not, it’s important that you make them feel comfortable and confident by capturing them in a way they will appreciate. This helps them feel included in the process and I think that really matters. A happy subject is a happy photo.”

Top tip: Show your subject your captures to better communicate your vision, helping to guide their poses or actions effectively.

The Nikon Z6III in review

What was your first impression of the Nikon Z6III?

“It’s the perfect sports camera! It’s super light, the screen flips around, which is great for low, awkward angles, and the burst is mind-blowing. The image quality was really great – very accurate and crisp.”

Are there any tricks you’ve learned using the Z6III since The Human Prompt campaign?

“I learned about Pre-Release Capture when photographing some birds for the first time ever! It captures photos before you press the trigger, so it’s ideal for unpredictable subjects such as birds, but also sports!”

How did the camera help you to bring your vision to life?

“The Z6III is the perfect camera for sports. It’s light and compact, and the flip-out screen means I get all the angles without using the viewfinder. The buttons are all in the same place as the latest pro Nikon cameras, so there was no need to refamiliarise myself with it. It is super intuitive and I was able to get everything I wanted.”

Who would you recommend this camera to?

“I would definitely recommend the Z6III to any amateur photographers trying to get into photography, or professionals – it fits everyone!”

How can you make the most out of this camera?

“A lot of times I photograph in places where you have to be super quiet or go unnoticed when photographing, so I find customising my Fn1 button to be a Silent Photography mode is a really useful shortcut.”