I'm Jerry Lai, and I am a professional photojournalist and photo editor based in Chicago. After over 17 years in the industry, I want to share my experiences, and make you a better sports photographer.
I currently have a staff position with a large newspaper in the United States, covering pro and college athletics around the world. There are a lot of videos out there from seasoned professionals like myself out there, but few (if any) cater their knowledge to the students and beginners. And that's how I want to set myself apart. I want to provide to all of you FREE, FUN, and ENTERTAINING tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your gear - whether it's the top of the line model or an entry level kit, and produce results that look like they can belong on the sports page of any newspaper!
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Awesome video mate cheers. Ive been shooting news and sports for around 36 years back then it was on film cameras obviously haha today i use a 1dx love it to bits however one recently died it had been well used the second body is likewise well used but still functional im thinking about an upgrade to mark iii i dont fancy the mirrorless option only because im hard on my gear i know the 1dx line can handle it but not sure the R series could anyway liked and subbed cheers
hey jerry, i have a canon 70d and the only AF areas i have are, Manal selction:1 pt af, Manual select: zone af and Auto selection: 19 pt af. what would you recomend i use ?
Excelentes dicas ! Obrigado.
What a terrific and useful video.
Good educative video. Wish you had given some thoughts to Nikon also. I guess the Z9 with the 5.0 firmware and airplane auto detect is the best camera out there for airshow. 🛩
I'd recommend trying to memorize your dialogues, you're reading and it shows and slows you down.
I'm a bit sad, because of our country, photographers usually are not paid well... so you have to do some other jobs with it.... you are mostly outta free time... is that the same in other countries as well?
I enjoyed the video, thank you for taking the time to help others.
nice.
For Division I football, my favorite position is with the TV cameras on the camera deck five stories above the field. I have clear shots of the entire field and with a decent 400-600mm lens, I've been really happy with the results (plus, as Jerry says, sidelines, especially in football, can be hazardous especially if your camera is in front of your eye)
Hello, What case do you use? Peli ? Which model ? I need the same size for the same lens.
Won't need robots snapping pics or AI, or certainly any humans. It will just be stills captured from live video simultaneously being used for live coverage during the event, place in optimized full coverage positions an angles. Fully deep cropping available as well. Then the AI is just the culling staff to march through the footage. No great moment gets missed, 100% peak images if desired. "Generative Fill" for any "undesirable" ruining perfection, all done way faster. None of that tech is far off. Video doesn't just kill the radio star, it kills the sports event photog in the near future.
Just don't call them "Photos" Call them images
I got a 1DX MK1 and if you know how to handle it you will never need to buy another camera again. Everything else just ends up being G.A.S and overkill (look at all the PRO images that have been shot using 1DX over the years, just confirming the facts of the matter). We now have WAAAAY more than we ever need, but still some like getting "drunk" through by manufacturers feeding us new spec, new features, new this + that, faster this + that.... even though its not needed to shoot a great photo 99 times out of a 100.
Excellent explanations!!!!
I've been shooting my son's little league games for three years and it took me a few years of trial and error to figure all this stuff out. Thanks for the explanations!
Sunday will be my first American Football game photography. I will practice your tips
the higher res faster burst just makes your job a little easier to find the exact moment you were looking to get a camera is just a tool and even a bad photographer with the newest tech will take bad photos.
brilliant.....so clear
Wish to obtain a good copy of 1D iii Thx for sharing
Still...those ,old camera shots look better, like more realistic. When the cameras shoot better that we can even see , photos become too perfect to the point that they look fake, like AI generated. I'm all for the old gear and the realistic image.
Great job man. A very well detailed and informative video without dragging it unnecessarily long. 👍🏼👍🏼
wtf you so damn stiff! You sound like a AI Machine 😭🤣
Great video, thanks! I do disagree a tiny bit about the faster shutter speeds in baseball. Even the faster shutter images you showed looked better to me. But maybe I’m the only one.
Thank you for the tips!
I have been a pro motorsport photographer for 50yrs, I had the DCS520 before the 1D. Looking back at images using the 1D they almost seem sharper than using a 5Div. I did wonder if it was because the sensor was 4mp and the lens resolve 20mp! Now, using a similar lens the body is 30mp, who knows, only cropping with 30 or 50mp is a great bonus. I do know that these days the additional improvements, self cleaning sensors, better iso performance, even IBIS is a godsend.
Go wild cats!
No camera makes a photographer to take better pictures but it makes it a lot easier for us to get the right shot.
Yes, the newer camera didn't make you a better photographer, but that wasn't the original question. In fact you said simply that the ISO capability of newer cameras triumph older ones, so quality wise, newer cameras take better pictures.
Hello Jerry! I'm from Ukraine. Thank you very much for the interesting and informative video. All recommendations are very clear. We do not have such videos either in Ukrainian or in Russian. Very soon I will try your advice in practice))
perhaps a 24-105 len is a acceptable choice? but the aperture is truly a problem except for canno🤣
Great video, just what I needed to know. I am planning to do my very first game this month.
Wondering what the recent events at Sports Illustrated means for sports photographers?
I shoot travel baseball. One of my favorite positions is that I use a cannon RF 1200 mm lens, and I shoot from a tower located 465 feet in straight away center field back to home plate, and I get some green shots. I also shoot from inside and outside the first base position, and I do get some great shots.
Thanks Jerry. Good words.
Many thanks, Jerry.
Jerry, very thought provoking!
All right let me ask this: If a person should expect to earn $200/game -- whatever the level -- why do I see so many pictures of pro-level sports photographers carrying around $10k lenses on a monopod, draped over their shoulder?
You said one of the things you started with was volleyball. Volleyball is rough! The focus of attention moves around the room sooo fast. Volleyball has inspired me to go back and rework my approach or skills on mulitiple occasions.
Thanks Jerry. First of all: Inspiring photos as always. I went back and slowed down the video to 0.50 just to soak in a little about the composition, positioning and what your set-up and thought process might have been. Great stuff. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to really learn what motion blur looks like. It's not always a streak of blur across the screen. Often it's just a generalized blur that looks similar to focus or lens-quality issues. If you look closely at the slowest examples here you can start to see some of that. If you are just starting out, the best thing you can do for yourself is to go to a known venue and shoot a series across the full range of speeds your camera can produce usable photos in .... and learn from that. Maybe start out briefly at a 400th or even 1/250th and gradually increase from there over one or two games. You could throw away a game and a half to do that but you'll save yourself a lot of time in the "apprentice" box. And you will build some beginning insights into the true limits of your gear.
Yep. 70-200 was the first pro-grade piece of equip. in my quest to shoot gym sports well. It was first living on a Canon 60D crop sensor. Then a 5d (with a 1.4x when needed). Now an R3. Really glad I got the best available when I went for it: f2.8L usm III. It looks like it's going to be with me for a long. As clunky-looking as that thing is, it's amazing how many things you can use it for. Thinking about a good lens for football. Do you think a 100-400 is long enough? Their new 200-800 is a little hinky at f9.0 but it's affordable and sharp.
Thanks for laying this out. I can tell you've been there, done that. Honestly, I often get pretty good shots from a well placed location in the stands. That's not possible in every venue though. I really appreciate your thoughts on best lens. When an editor pointed out that end of court perspective was what he typically saw, I broke down and bought that high end 24-70 I'd been circling for a couple of years. .... except it really didnt work that well for the reasons you stated: Tiny people on the far end of the court, and honestly, more of a battle to lock focus. I ended up on the far right corner and remounted my 70-200 after a while and felt a little stupid doing so because I had heard 24-70 was the deal. I think you get a little bit tighter DOF with the longer lens, which helps drop out the crowd, and of course better chance of usable long shots. As it currently stands I sometimes pre-stage my gear to swap between these two lenses intermittently. (Maybe, in an ideal world where you can earn alot from sports photog, this would be a two-camera situation). Thank again for coaching us.
Very interesting and also thought provoking
Great information
old sensors look better, the new ones are too clinical
I’ve got a 1D Mkiii on a 300mm f2.8 lens. 1.4x and 2x converters. I’m only a poor amateur but I love messing around with it. Even stacking converters!!
Always fabulous content
This is perfect, as I've got a game tonight and my 24-70 just failed, so I was going to be back to just my 70-200. Thanks for sharing the info.
How'd it go with just the 70-200? Hope it worked out for you!
Thank you so much for the great tips!
Pray to the photography godz! 🙏📸