Sports Portraits: Tips and Techniques for Capturing Athletic Photographs

Setup

Setting up portraits doesn’t need to be difficult or time-consuming. There are two basic setups that I use over and over again, depending on the subject. The first is a more dramatic portrait shot against a black background, and the second is a softer look in which the subject is shot against a white or light backdrop. Both are basically the same shot with slight differences in where the lights are placed.

To create a portrait against a solid black background, you don’t even need a real backdrop if you have enough space behind the subject. Just follow these steps, and you will get the same results as if you had a black backdrop in place. If you have limited space and need to use a backdrop, the steps are the same. Just do the following: ...