Settings For A Swim Meet

andrea

Hi there, I'm looking for tips on how to take good pictures at an NCAA swim meet.
Thank you in advance.

cbuckridge

Hi. I'm a swim parent and formerly a professional photographer. For the best quality you will need the longest, fastest lens you can afford, a monopod and a powerful flash. Flashes can be used only after the race starts. If you are not photographing for the team you will not be permitted on the pool deck, so shoot from an area as close to the pool as possible but not the railings by the galleries (you will be promptly asked to move or yelled at by other spectators). Recommendations for lenses f/2.8 200mm or larger with image stabilization. For a flash find one that has the highest guide number you can afford and shoot with a high ISO but not so high as to introduce a lot of noise into the images.