Sports Photographer of the Year gives pro advice on shooting dramatic speedy action

Finn O’Hara submitted his photograph, titled ‘Mikaël Kingsbury, Olympic Freestyle Skier’, to the prestigious International Photography Awards, an annual competition that attracts entries from top professionals, amateurs and students worldwide. 

His skiing photograph was originally a commission from a client, however, Finn saw its potential and decided to follow his instincts. “I took it another step further by creating an image that I couldn’t take during the pandemic. I had imagined what it would be like if we had a skier flying through a cloud of coloured smoke, and how incredible that would look,” says Finn. 

Constrained by the pandemic, time and money, he decided to photograph skier Mikaël Kingsbury in a studio in Canada where he was based. The photographer’s point of view is crucial to showcasing movement in sport and action photography. “The skier is on his back on a waist-high platform so he can articulate his skis, poles and body. I’m on a 12ft-high platform above him, shooting directly down. He’s looking at a monitor that shows him what I’m shooting so that he can get his body positioning correct,” says Finn. 

Fast gear

Finn used a PhaseOne IQ3 100MP medium format camera with a Schneider Kreuznach LS 55mm lens to capture this shot, adjusting his camera settings to 100 ISO, f/11 and setting the shutter speed to 1/320sec. The combination of aperture and a fast shutter speed enabled him to freeze the movement. Since the photo was taken in a studio, artificial lighting played a big role in creating the shot. 

“Our lighting system is powered by five ProPhoto Pro-10 power packs. I took shots of the mountains to give the skier context, and then photographed green smoke from several smoke bombs but turned them red in post,” he explains. In post-production, Finn worked closely with a retoucher to seamlessly combine the elements that he had captured in the camera into one photograph.

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Finn's most used kit 

“The most used items in my camera kit are my Canon R5 and RF 28-70mm f/2L lens. With reliable autofocus and respectable ISO, they allow me to be flexible. I love my travel tripod with Gitzo carbon fibre legs and Manfrotto 410 geared head – it’s versatile and solid. But the tools I most rely on are my SanDisk memory cards and field SSD drives. I need them for every photo I take and they never let me down.”

When photographing in snowy conditions, Finn uses a hard shell backpack made by ThinkTank. He says, "It’s not only rugged but it’s waterproof too. Water can silently ruin camera equipment, so by having a waterproof and shockproof case, I never worry about my equipment.”

Pro Advice

Get ready for the perfect moment

1. Visualize the image 

“Think ahead and visualise your photo days ahead of time and circle back to those visualisations at the end of the day. Compare those visualisations to what you captured. Boom! You’re developing your mind’s eye.”

2. Speed up workflow

“I use a few custom button functions to make my workflow easier. I use back button focus which helps a lot when shooting high-speed sports. It allows me to be more reactionary to constantly changing subjects. I also have assigned a custom button on the back that resets the focus point back to the centre of the viewfinder.”

3. Embrace the unexpected

“Selecting an aperture of f/8 helps to keep the action sharp within the frame. Indeed, the popular saying ‘f/8 and be there’ still holds up. Don’t be overly concerned by the tech and technique, instead, pay close attention to where you are and who or what you are photographing.”

4. Follow a one-shot mentality

“When shooting athletes with strobes, I never shoot in burst mode. This is partially because when I shoot with a PhaseOne system, there is no option for burst mode, so I have to take my images one shot at a time. Athletes can only repeat their performance for so long, so I really have to nail it first time. Even when shooting athletes with the Canon R5 and a strobe, I still like shooting with the one-shot mentality. It keeps myself, the athlete and my client focused on what we really want, rather than just spraying the camera and hoping I get something.”

Finn O’Hara

Driven by a passion for storytelling, Finn takes photos that are intimate, situational and visceral. His most notable work includes projects for Nike, Adidas, ESPN and The New York Times magazine. Finn has won many international photography awards and was recently named Sports Photographer of the Year by the IPA. His images are held in the permanent collections of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.

This article originally appeared in Digital Photographer, a monthly magazine, and the kitbag essential for pros, enthusiasts, and amateurs alike!

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