\n\u00a0
\nIt could be said that photographing sporting greatness is no less challenging than the feats themselves. The athlete\u2019s keen mind for strategy is met by the artist\u2019s creative eye; a broad choice of strokes is paralleled by varied photographic techniques; both individuals possess a heightened sense of foresight, timing and intent.<\/p>\n
Much like a sportsperson, the image maker\u2019s skills are built over years of hard work. Alex Denham \u2013 a talented motorsport photographer, who has more recently set her sights on the squash world \u2013 has been honing her craft for a decade, with the foundations of her career tracing back to school.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudying photography was cool \u2013 we got to learn a bit of everything. We\u2019d do a module on fashion, property, landscape, portraiture and so on, so we developed a broad range of skills. It\u2019s easy to learn what you\u2019re passionate about that way,\u201d Alex begins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last module of the whole course was sports photography. I\u2019d never done it before, but had always been around classic cars and racing through my mum. She invited me to the circuit to make some photos, and I fell in love with the genre there and then. It truly clicked.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Image\"](\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/X-STORY-ALEX-DENHAM-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2023 \u00a9 Alex Denham | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, 1\/640sec at F2.8, IS0 2500<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Alex pursued her passion as a professional freelance creative, but hit a major stumbling block when Covid-induced lockdowns began. As sporting events were postponed for an uncertain extent, opportunities to document them were naturally quashed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I could face rebuilding, but knew there was nothing else I was interested in doing as a career,\u201d she muses. \u201cI decided to make a change and happened to see a job with the PSA World Tour. I thought squash would be exciting, presenting a different set of challenges to motorsports. I was hired, then went on my first trip to Philadelphia immediately. With every event I photographed, I loved it more and more. The sport is so interesting to document and it\u2019s a great community of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
With one of Alex\u2019s most recent outings came an opportunity to trial a new camera system. FUJIFILM X-H2S<\/a> in hand, she flew to New York to cover the illustrious Tournament of Champions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a very cool one,\u201d the creator enthuses. \u201cThe glass court was built inside Grand Central Terminal. That\u2019s so unique \u2013 few other sporting events could be held there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Photo 2023 \u00a9 Alex Denham | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1\/1000sec at F2.8, ISO 4000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Beautiful as it was, the setting was not without challenges. Outdoor sports photographers are at the mercy of changing elements, but indoors, there\u2019s no brighter scene set to be revealed from behind a cloud. Image makers must adapt to what\u2019s before them \u2013 and quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing I do in any setting is gauge ISO. The Tournament of Champions was quite dark, with very warm lighting, so that was more difficult than usual. ISO had to be slightly higher to compensate. Typically, I\u2019ll be around ISO 1600, but pushed to ISO 2000.<\/p>\n \u201cFor shutter speed, I\u2019d say 1\/640 sec is a good minimum for a sport of this pace,\u201d Alex continues. \u201cOnce I get into detail-focused images, like a close-up of a racket hitting the ball, I\u2019ll opt for a faster shutter speed up, just to make sure the motion remains frozen.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond shutter speed, a rapid frame rate is a must for these fractional moments of action. Ready for anything, X-H2S is capable of burst speeds up to 40fps, allowing Alex to select the perfect moment from a key sequential moment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Photo 2023 \u00a9 Alex Denham | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1\/800sec at F2.8, IS0 3200<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI use F2.8 on almost all lenses, or wider if it\u2019s a faster lens. I also prefer the shallow depth-of-field, because the players are always close to one of the glass court walls, and it helps keep the focus of the image on them, not the surroundings \u2013 though you can include more context at times.\u201d<\/p>\n With a minimum speed dialled into Shutter Priority mode, the next significant challenge is focusing. In Alex\u2019s experience, manual focus shouldn\u2019t be ruled out \u2013 unlikely as it seems \u2013 but an advanced autofocus system will be relied upon often.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring one of the matches, I wanted to photograph the tournament\u2019s 25th anniversary sign, which was on the back wall of the court, with the players caught in motion blur in the foreground. In cases like that, autofocus would be pulling away from the subject you\u2019re most interested in. But when actual play is happening, it\u2019s all autofocus. Players are moving all over the place at high speeds, there are lots of different colours and points of contrast \u2013 so there\u2019s plenty for the camera to get wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Designed with this kind of challenging situation in mind, Alex was well-equipped with X-H2S. X-Processor 5\u2019s AI-based subject detection ensures fewer critical moments are missed. For fast-paced sporting action, it\u2019s the perfect companion.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Photo 2023 \u00a9 Alex Denham | Photo 2023 \u00a9 Alex Denham | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1\/800sec at F2.8, ISO 4000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI\u2019d never used a mirrorless for sports because they were less able to meet those needs \u2013 and squash is a perfect test, because of all its variables. Part of me was trying to find fault,\u201d Alex jests, \u201cbut it surprised me \u2013 the tracking especially. It wasn\u2019t trying to move away from the players towards the better-lit crowd. And the burst speeds are incredible. It\u2019s a huge benefit to have all the features needed to facilitate your approach. You don\u2019t get moments twice in sports photography.\u201d\u00a0 While some sporting locations \u2013 like the racetracks of Alex\u2019s former years \u2013 present picturesque backdrops, it\u2019s not the case for all events. Grand Central Station is a standout, but what of sports halls or arenas, which prioritise function over aesthetics?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll definitely take the opportunities beautiful spaces provide, and create more wide-angle frames,\u201d Alex notes. \u201cElsewhere, I choose to focus on closer compositions of players, details of the game, or the crowd. When you have limited surrounding interest to include, you can still be creative by using techniques like slower shutter speeds, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n Motion-blurred panning with a sharp central subject is a staple of many sports photographers. It\u2019s one of many ways to inject life into a static frame, but is not easily done.<\/p>\n \u201cAcross all sports, I\u2019d advise beginners to start with a faster shutter speed than they need, just to get used to it. When I was learning, I\u2019d photograph exclusively at one shutter speed, then when I felt like I\u2019d nailed it and all the images were sharp, I\u2019d drop it down one stop. Even if it takes months, work your way down.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nThen there\u2019s the choice of lenses. How best to complement such a well-equipped camera\u2019s abilities? Alex selected a trio of professional all-rounders. With XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR<\/a>, XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR<\/a> and XF50-140mm R LM OIS WR<\/a>, she was able to move seamlessly from wide, atmospheric scenes to detailed close-ups. Adding even greater benefit, each lens is built with a powerful linear motor-driven focusing system and delivers weather-resistance for outdoor ventures. The longer zoom adds OIS to X-H2S\u2019s in-body stabilisation system \u2013 perfect for handheld demands like Alex\u2019s.<\/p>\n