Shooting unrepeatable moments

A little blog post to share how I took these shots from a title-winning celebration, and hopefully help you to be a little better prepared if you ever find yourself in the situation.
Some very clear things to keep in mind before starting.

Prioritise what shots you want.

When you know what shots you want, you can choose your location with conviction and no regrets. I was one man with one camera, not part of a wider media team where you can split up and cover different areas of the pitch.

It wasn't about getting photos of key moments of the match. For me, it was about capturing people's emotions as they celebrate. I was very clear headed about that. I had to be in the right place at the right time for when a celebration might spark off. I'd normally position myself next to the goal where the strongest team is attacking, to get the players face on as they score. This was a typically cagey affair as nobody wanted to be held responsible for any mistakes with drastic consequences (potentially losing the league). The 55-210mm allowed me to get closer to the action and a few suspect tackles were captured. The away teams fans came in numbers and needing only a draw to secure promotion and the championship, it was a safer option to stay closer to their fans.

Accept that you aren’t in control.

You can’t control if the team scores. In the 82nd minute, they scored, easing nerves (slightly). As I waited for the full-time whistle, it was important to remember that these will be unrepeatable scenes.

You can't ask someone to celebrate and look in a certain direction, to keep in mind where the sun is coming from, or to get closer as they're not in the frame. You don't have time to change lenses or chimp (check your shots on the screen of the camera).

Get your lens and settings right well ahead of time

From the goal onwards I stuck with 18-105mm. Great flexibility and time saving option. Staying at 18mm, 1/500th, and high-speed shooting mode (11 frames a second), wide range focus points, and continuous autofocus. This ensured I wouldn’t lose a single moment, get as many people possible in frame, and in focus. If they aren’t all in focus, it really isn’t the end of the world. You’ll see some when the fans jump on to the pitch where everyone isn’t in focus, but it just adds to the chaos of the moment, as blurry as many of the memories.

Know where your light is coming from

The sun was on its way down, so chose to have it shine into their faces where possible, to avoid losing facial expressions in dark, contrasting shadows. Being tall, I had to shoot from quite low down to not cause my own shadows, defeating the purpose of having the sun shine on them. If you’re brave enough to enter the changing room too, you might have to adjust the shutter speed slightly to allow for more light to enter the sensor. You should definitely get in the changing room. You might come out smelling like beer but they are unrepeatable shots that the players, staff, and their families and friends will cherish forever.

Kit
Camera: Sony a6500
Lenses: 18-105mm F4.0, 55-210mm