SmugMug Development Lab

Have you ever noticed that some of the most impactful images feature a contrast of some kind? Maybe it’s the use of contrasting colors or two elements that seem to oppose yet complement each other simultaneously. These images use an element of composition called juxtaposition; if you’re looking to create strong and compelling images, you’ll want to master this practice.

What’s the definition of juxtaposition?

Juxtaposition is placing two or more objects or concepts close together to contrast them or create an interesting effect. For example, a photo showing a sunny, green field backed with a black, stormy sky juxtaposes both color and weather. Juxtaposition often occurs naturally in shots but can also be created by strategically staging the scene.

Knowing how to identify juxtaposition naturally will help you compose your images and take stronger photos. Using juxtaposition isn’t just about having contrasting elements in a photo; it’s also about the story those elements tell.

Let’s look at some examples of photos that use juxtaposition effectively.

Examples of juxtaposition.

The best way to learn about using juxtaposition is to see some examples of how it can be used. Here are photos where contrast is created in a variety of ways. Sometimes contrasting colors are used, while other times the subjects tell contradictory stories.

1. Modern versus old architecture. This photo uses the contrasting architectural styles of the buildings to create juxtaposition.

2. Contrasting concepts. This photo shows a contrast between the ancient stonework and the ultra-modern smartphone.

3. Death versus life. This photo not only has contrasting colors but contrasting subjects as well. The bright, vibrant flower is juxtaposed with the dead bloom.

4. Large versus small. The comparison between the looming, out-of-focus buildings in the background and the sharp, tiny bird in the center of the frame make a perfect juxtaposition of size.

5. Old versus young. This is a contrast that evokes emotion showing both the early stages of life and its later days.

6. Natural versus man-made. This composite image juxtaposes natural and man-made objects, combining them into one image.

7. Wealth versus poverty. A powerful juxtaposition often used for social commentary. It makes the viewer stop and think, evoking an emotional response.

Juxtaposition is all around. Learning how to see it and use it will help you to create images that are not only beautiful but powerful as well. Using contrasting elements can create images that tell stories and give more meaning to your photos.

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Event photography seems simple enough: Your job is to take photos of a special occasion. Where it gets tricky is in reflecting the actual experience from the participant’s perspective, whether it’s a professional conference for business owners, a product launch cocktail hour, or a wedding’s late-night dance party. Of course, the basic lighting techniques still apply for every event—adjusting shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for correct exposure—but utilizing the advanced lighting techniques listed below can take your event photography from pretty good to print-worthy.

First things first: Do your research.

As part of your pre-shoot preparation, think about the vibe and location of the event itself, as well as who the participants are, then plan some shots accordingly. For example, formal events (trade shows, conferences, business meetings, speaking events) might require crisp, clean images that reflect the scene as accurately as possible, while more personal events (weddings, family reunions, cocktail parties) might allow for an artistic approach and more experimentation. Communicate with your client about their expectations, and how your photographic style and vision for the event will fit.

Identify potential ambient light sources.

The sun, windows, streetlights, tabletop candles, colorful strobes, a stage spotlight, lamps, sparklers, neon signs, and overhead lights can all be used on their own to create interesting exposures. Look up images of the venue and talk to the client about what ambient light sources there will be, and have an idea of how you might utilize each of them. 

One important advanced lighting technique is knowing how to balance artificial lighting with the ambient lighting of any given scene. For a sunset cocktail hour, you might use a soft flash to highlight people having a good time while preserving the rich colors of the sky in the background. A live concert might require direct flash on the lead singer to freeze her jumping in mid-air, but with a slow enough shutter speed to include stage lighting that highlights her bandmates.

Choose the right external flash—and know how to use it. 

There are countless options when it comes to supplemental lighting for event photography, but what’s most important is thinking through what the pace and location of the event will be, then picking out appropriate equipment for the event. Will you have an assistant to operate an off-camera flash, or are you on your own? Is the event fast-paced with unmissable moments, or is it a bit slower with more time to set shots up and play with lighting? 

In addition to those factors, make sure you have full mastery over whatever lighting equipment you’re using. Event photography is all about real people (not models!) experiencing one-of-a-kind moments, so you’ve gotta be ready and have all your settings dialed for those split-second opportunities.

Pro-tip: Once you have the external flashes, practice photographing friends in a space similar to the event so you are ready for the big day.

One advanced lighting technique for event photography is to utilize multiple external flashes to provide a key light and fill lights for specific exposures. Knowing how your flashes can work together to layer the light in a frame will take your imagery to the next level. Here are a few things to consider with artificial lighting:

• On-camera flash: No, we’re not talking about the built-in flash that comes permanently attached to your camera (which is practically useless). Instead, we’re talking about a speedlight that mounts to the hot shoe on top of your camera and has adjustable settings. These are portable and inexpensive, and they provide endless versatility for whatever lighting conditions you might encounter. If you’re trying to isolate a subject or create close-up images that make the viewer feel like they’re part of the scene, tilt the light down toward the subject for hard, direct light. To add a touch of fill light, point the flash in a higher direction for a softer look, keeping in mind that the light will bounce off whatever is nearby, like the ceiling, wall, or a mirror.
• Off-camera flash: These are speedlights, strobes, ring lights, or other artificial lighting equipment that are remotely triggered. If the event photography job includes head shots or professional portraits, consider setting up a small photobooth with a nice backdrop and pre-arranged lighting so you can grab subjects when they have a spare moment. This will ensure continuity and quality for the images, as well as peace of mind for you as the photographer. One advanced lighting idea for events that have a party-like atmosphere would be to set up a strobe to backlight a dance floor and capture interesting silhouettes of high-energy dance moves. (Think feet jumping, hair waving, and clothes swinging!)
• Flash modifiers: DIffusers, soft boxes, bounce cards, honeycombs, and color filters/gels add another layer of versatility to any lighting equipment you already have. Diffused light will provide a softer look that’s great for nostalgic, intimate, and romantic moments, while direct or hard light can provide a more dramatic look with bold shadows and enhanced texture. Adding a color gel to your flash can create warm or cool tones, depending on what type of mood you’re going for.

Be creative and think outside the box.

With event photography, you have the benefit of being present for a special time in a person’s life—after all, it’s an event that stands out so much from daily life it warrants hiring a photographer! You’re there to document the people, the place, and the moments in a cohesive way that reflects the feeling, meaning, and importance of it all, beyond simply taking photos. Event photography is a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Great event photography captures the essence of the experience, not just the facts.

Here are a few last ideas to try: silhouetting people against a bright background (look for interesting body positions), using a slow shutter speed for motion blur in the background with a flash to freeze the action of the subject, and painting with light (slow shutter speed + moving light source) to highlight a place setting or write something meaningful (like a wedding date + the couple’s initials). Be creative and think outside the box for how you can use advanced lighting techniques, and you’ll create images your event photography clients will cherish for years to come.

Sports photography is about capturing “the moment” and all of the raw emotions that come with it.  Whether the moment is a loss, a win, a goal, or a save, sports bring out the full spectrum of human emotion. There’s passion and intensity with every move, so it's important to be ready to “tackle” everything that comes your way.

Below you’ll find 6 things to know and keep in mind that will help you capture the perfect sports photography shots, whether you’re wanting to immortalize your kids’ tournaments, sell to sports fans, or you’re simply doing it for the love of the game. 

Use the right camera modes and settings.

The right camera mode and settings are crucial for all forms of photography, but maybe even more so for the fast-paced world of sports photography, where every second counts. The most important settings and functions to understand and know how to use when shooting motion are aperture priority, burst or continuous shooting mode, shutter speed, and ISO.

• Aperture priority mode allows you to set the aperture (the size of the hole which light passes through to the camera sensor) on your camera while the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed for you. Because you are shooting things moving quickly and trying to capture as much as possible, the less fidgeting with your settings the better.
• Burst or continuous shooting mode will take anywhere from 3-8 frames in one second, depending on your camera. The benefit here is pretty obvious—just make sure you have a sizable and fast memory card.

• Understanding shutter speed as a function is important when shooting quickly moving targets. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t be shooting slower than 1/1000 of a second, unless you’re going for some motion blur (which a lot of sports photographers are!). A fast shutter speed (1/1000 and above) is how you can capture an athlete as they’re kicking a goal or catching a ball, or a gymnast breaking from a twist mid-air while coming off the vault.
• Your camera’s ISO refers to the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light. The lowest ISO – usually 50 or 100 – is going to be the least sensitive setting, and good only in bright overhead sunlight. You can set your camera’s ISO to auto, but if you’re shooting indoor sports, we recommend manually setting it before the game so that you have more control. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is, meaning the more range you have to adjust and change your aperture and shutter speed. We recommend having your ISO somewhere between 500-1200 while shooting motion.

Do your research.

You’re likely already watching videos of the sport you’re about to photograph, but have you considered going to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to study videos of key players, and to get a better understanding of the game? By watching videos the athletes post of themselves, or that fans post from the sidelines, you can learn what parts of the game are important and worth looking out for.  

Being familiar with the game is important. Without knowing the game, you won’t know where to stand or what the right angles are—and knowing the behaviors of the players themselves will give you a better chance at knowing where to be at the right time.

Practice shifting depth of field without looking at your camera.

Professional photographers adjust and shift depth of field with muscle memory, but not all of us are pros. And even pros can be caught off-guard with sports photography because they cannot control where athletes are on the field, how a coach instructs their team members to form, or when a cyclist is about to sprint. They could want the subject in sharp focus and the audience in the stands blurred, but another object coming across their path will throw the entire capture off.

The first step is to create a list of situations with shots you’d love to capture, and the depth of field required as the scene could change. Next, watch team practices and scrimmages to get a feel for the distances you’re photographing at. Last is to set up at a location with tons of unknowns (local tracks are great for this) to get some practice adjusting your depth of field in real time.

If you don’t have an extreme team sports venue like BMX tracks or roller rinks, head to a location where the captures on your list could happen and see if you can develop muscle memory to hit the exact depth of field.

Depth of field and sports photography take practice, and when shifting camera settings becomes second nature, your photography will climb to new levels.

Have a friend or two mimic the game for practice.

Much like the athletes themselves, being prepared for game day as a photographer is all about practice, practice, practice. Get a couple of friends to rehearse some specific plays and moves for you, and experiment with your positioning and angles while they “play.”  

Now position yourself about the same distance from where you’ll be when you’re at the event, and try capturing the right moment without knowing what they’ll be doing.

Ditch the flash.

Stadiums, coaches, and even players may ban flash photography from sporting events. Flashes can distract the players and negatively affect the game, not to mention it’s an extra piece of equipment that can delay your ability to capture the action quickly. See if you can visit the arena, track, or venue during events with the same types of lighting that will be available when you’re there, and practice shooting with the ambient light available.

Play with angles.

Photography is full of surprises, and sports photography is one of the most surprising subjects to shoot. Someone could dive for a catch, or spring higher off a trampoline because of adrenaline, or launch further from a platform. Look for “action angles” where you can capture the distance, height, or a measure point to drive home the impact of the moment.

Try lowering your tripod or taking a shot from the ground up. See if you can access the roof and focus downwards to the field. Maybe you noticed a signature emblem or static team memorabilia like a championship flag in the background, and the athletes will be crossing by during the event. By lowering your camera even a foot you can capture the action with this signature symbol in the frame.

These angles help you capture a miraculous moment and gain recognition in the field with unique work. By standing out and being original, you can make a name for yourself. 

Sports photography is all about practice, and these six tips will help you up your game.