Aug. 10, 2004

The five W's apply to the sports side of the photo desk, too

From the Birmingham News
Who, What, When, Where and Why: These still matter in sports pictures and covering sporting events!

Who: Who are the teams, specifically, who are the players? Verify verify verify! This is not a time to be guessing. Unless you are 100% sure and cannot get it verified DO NOT USE THE PICTURE. It does not matter if it is the best action picture you have ever shot. NO GUESSING!

Other tips for sports captions

___Pre-write as much of the caption in Photo Mechanic before the event takes place. This includes all of the header fields and basic information. This frees up more time to write better and more specific captions before you transmit.

___Do as much editing and captioning as possible at the site where the pictures were made. The event is still fresh on your mind and other people there can verify IDs (coaches, SIDs, other photographers, reporters, and on a few occasions, parents or cheerleaders). A downside to this is that it is easy to be distracted by crowd noise and obnoxious fans. If the ID is not positively verified, the picture doesn't get sent.

___Reread caption after it is written. After all captions are written, but before pictures are transmitted, reread the captions again in Photo Mechanic.
There are some things that will help you keep track of IDs:
  • "Chimp" to make sure you can see the number. If not, shoot another picture immediately of that player so you can see the jersey. If it is too late to shoot the jersey picture, then immediately find someone in charge that can tell you who is in your picture. NO GUESSING!
  • When there are no numbers on the uniforms, ask the coaches who their best players are and just shoot them during the action. Coaches want to win and the best players will be involved in the outcome of the game.

Using both of these methods will mean that you are going to miss picture opportunities. One good picture and correct caption information in hand is worth more than a great picture with an incorrect cutline.

What: What is going on in your picture besides the obvious? Is this a picture of the star of the game? Is the catch in the third quarter the one that put the team ahead? Was this a record breaking home run?

When: When was the picture taken during the game? Again, you are looking to add information to an image that is not obvious. (E.g., The coach reacts to the game winning touchdown in the final few seconds of the game.)

Where: Where was the picture taken during the game? During the third quarter, with the ball on the 17-yard line, the quarterback is tackled behind the line for a loss of ... etc.

Why: Why is this picture important to our game coverage? Emotions run high as "X" team unexpectedly won the game. John Doe reacts after a record-breaking high jump.

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