Photography Distills the Essence of Youth Sports

Few things are more enjoyable for a parent than watching their kid participate in sports. No matter the level of competition, the camaraderie and the valuable lessons taught are enough to put smiles on the faces of mom and dad. However, because of work or other obligations, parents aren’t always able to make it a sporting event. Scheduling conflicts occur. Traffic shows no mercy.

Yet even in their absence, many parents still want to see their young ones in action. This is where photography comes in. Sometimes a team or a league hires a photographer. Other times a parent or friend can chip in with a few shots here and there. Regardless of the method, sports photos can be a very important part of the entire youth sports process. It’s the photo, not the dusty old glove, that ends up on the mantle for years and years to follow.

Coaches may coordinate with photographers and eventually email the final products to a long list of parents. However, an alternative and potentially easier option is to use a sports team website as a hub for photo galleries. The site can still provide all the usual pieces of information, such as the roster, contact information and the schedule. But through a few basic steps, it can also be the place where memories last in stillness.

Legendary sports photographer discusses the craft

Barton Silverman, a photographer with The New York Times who lasted for five decades, recently announced his retirement, the publication noted. And after all the visual glories and pressure-packed moments, he took some time to appreciate his form of art. The photos are hugely important and the process is rarely easy.

“You have to be quick or you’re dead,” Silverman often said, according to The Times. “You can’t ask ‘em to do it again.”

Finding the pith of the picture

Jim Krantz, a student of legendary photographer Ansel Adams, spoke with Red Bull about action shots in sports. He said that his job is to distill the quick movements of sports so that an important moment is properly captured.

“My job is to get to what the essence of this experience really is, and that essence is composed of very succinct little details,” Krantz said. “Those details have to be in a very specific composition. How do you put those details into something that is visually appealing? It has a sense of balance, intrigue, and mystique, and sometimes the pictures that are the best are a bit more challenging.”