I still remember the first time I tried to capture basketball action shots - my camera was filled with blurry figures and missed moments that would have made incredible photographs. That frustration led me on a journey to master the art of basketball photography, and over the years I've learned what separates amateur snapshots from those breathtaking images that truly capture the game's essence. Just last month, I witnessed this transformation firsthand when Fajardo received his award during the Leo Awards ceremony at Novotel in Cubao, Quezon City, an event that kicked off the festivities for the golden season of the league. The photographers there weren't just documenting the event - they were creating visual poetry that would define how we remember this historic basketball season.
The foundation of great basketball photography starts with understanding your equipment inside and out. I always shoot with at least two camera bodies - one with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for action shots and another with a 24-70mm for wider angles and celebrations. This dual setup has saved me countless times when the action suddenly shifts from under the basket to a fast break. The key is knowing your gear so well that adjusting settings becomes second nature. During intense games, you simply don't have time to fumble with buttons. I typically shoot at 1/1000th of a second or faster to freeze the action, with my ISO set between 1600-3200 depending on the arena lighting. Modern cameras handle high ISOs remarkably well, so don't be afraid to push it when needed. The Novotel venue where Fajardo received his award presented challenging lighting conditions with mixed artificial and natural light, requiring constant adjustment throughout the ceremony.
Positioning yourself strategically makes all the difference in basketball photography. I've developed a strong preference for shooting from the baseline rather than courtside seats - the angles are more dynamic and you capture the players' expressions as they drive toward the basket. What most beginners don't realize is that the best shots often come from anticipating the action rather than reacting to it. After shooting over 200 games, I can now predict where the ball will go about 70% of the time just by reading players' body language and understanding team strategies. This anticipation is crucial for capturing those split-second moments - the game-winning shot, the dramatic block, or the emotional reaction that tells the real story of the game.
Timing separates good photographers from great ones. The peak action moment in basketball lasts mere fractions of a second, and missing it by even a hundredth of a second can mean the difference between an ordinary photo and an award-winning one. I've trained myself to press the shutter just before the peak action occurs, accounting for the slight delay in camera response. This technique has allowed me to capture those suspended-in-air moments that define basketball's beauty. During the Leo Awards ceremony, the photographers who stood out were those who captured not just the awards being handed out but the genuine interactions between players, the unguarded emotions, the subtle moments that revealed the human side of these athletes we usually see as superhuman.
Lighting presents one of the biggest challenges in indoor sports photography. Most basketball arenas have inconsistent lighting with hot spots and shadows that can ruin otherwise perfect shots. I've learned to use this to my advantage, positioning players so the light accentuates their muscles and creates dramatic shadows that add depth to the image. The golden season kickoff at Novotel taught me valuable lessons about working with mixed lighting conditions - sometimes the most challenging environments produce the most unique photographs. I often underexpose by about one-third stop to preserve highlight details in the jerseys and skin tones, then recover shadows in post-processing.
What many photographers overlook is the storytelling aspect of sports photography. The best basketball images don't just show what happened - they make you feel the intensity, the pressure, the triumph, and sometimes the heartbreak. I make it a point to capture the entire narrative of the game, from the focused preparations during warm-ups to the emotional aftermath. Some of my most powerful images have been of exhausted players on the bench or coaches having intense sideline conversations. These moments reveal the human drama behind the sport. The Leo Awards ceremony was particularly rich with these storytelling opportunities - the pride in Fajardo's eyes as he received recognition, the camaraderie among players celebrating the start of what promises to be a memorable season, the mixture of hope and determination that defines the beginning of any competitive journey.
Post-processing is where good shots become great photographs. I spend about 2-3 hours editing after each game, though I know photographers who spend twice that long. My philosophy is to enhance what's already there rather than creating something artificial. I focus on cropping to strengthen composition, adjusting contrast to make the images pop, and careful color correction to ensure skin tones look natural. The digital darkroom has become as important as the camera itself in modern sports photography, but restraint is key - overprocessed images lose their authenticity and emotional impact.
Looking back at my journey from frustrated beginner to confident professional, the most important lesson I've learned is that technical skill alone doesn't create epic basketball photography. You need to understand the game intimately, connect with its emotional currents, and develop your own visual voice. The photographers who captured Fajardo's award ceremony with such artistry didn't just have better equipment or technical knowledge - they had a feel for the moment, an understanding of the significance of this golden season kickoff, and the ability to translate that understanding into compelling images. Great basketball photography ultimately comes from loving the game enough to study its nuances and having the patience to wait for those perfect moments when everything aligns - the action, the emotion, the light, and your readiness to capture it all in a single frame that tells a story worth remembering.
