Sports photographer Andrey Golovanov's top tips for taking sports portraits

Good sports portraits combine the passion and emotion of sports photography with the composition and lighting of a standard portrait. The difference between other portraits and a sports portrait is the ability of the photographer to express an athlete's energy and chosen discipline through props and posing, and often in short timeframes.

Russian sports photographer and Canon Ambassador Andrey Golovanov has more than two decades' experience shooting every type of major sporting event. Here he shares his top tips for taking sports portraits, from lighting and backdrops to poses and props.

2. Adapt to outdoor lighting

If you're shooting outside, you can't always rely on a perfect cloudy sky to diffuse the light on your subject. On bright, sunny days, Andrey uses his Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT (now updated to the Speedlite 600EX II-RT) to combat harsh shadows.

"I place the sun behind me, so that my subject is lit broadly and brightly. Then I might place the Speedlite behind the athlete, or off to one side at an angle, to highlight the shape of the body. If the sun is making the athlete squint, I either ask them to look in a different direction – usually off to one side – or to shut their eyes until I'm ready."

If he has the option, Andrey will move his subject into a shaded area. Or, if he has time to set up a stand or has someone to hold it for him, he'll use a reflector to bounce natural light into shadowy areas. Most of the time, though, he relies on his Speedlites.

"I have three Canon Speedlite 600EX-RTs and they can be integrated into their own wireless network. I'll trigger them either with a Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT or by placing a Speedlite 600EX-RT on my camera to act as a master trigger. My default lighting technique outside is to place one camera-left and one camera-right, setting one brighter than the other to highlight one side of the subject. If I need to emphasise the contours of the body, I'll place another light behind the athlete."

4. Have subjects strike a pose

If time is short, Andrey asks his subject to stand naturally and try some poses. Then he guides them into something that looks a little more considered. "First I ask the athlete make a three-quarter turn to one side. That gives them personality and avoids that glaring 'passport photo' look, because it adds dimensionality. They look more natural and relaxed.

Andrey also uses subjects' distinctive physical features such as tattoos in his portraits, to portray an athlete's history or background. "I take some time to look at the person to see what stands out. A boxer might have bruising, or a rower might have calloused hands; these convey the effort they've put in to be where they are. I saw Russian artistic gymnast Artur Dalaloyan performing on TV and noticed a tattoo of an Armenian cross on his arm. I discovered that Artur considers this tattoo as a source of support and a symbol of protection. Clearly, it has a lot of meaning for him, so when shooting his portrait, I wanted to include both his face and the tattoo. We tried a few options, but the shot above was my favourite."

5. Use props

It's not just about the body positioning and the subject's pose. "I also like athletes to do something meaningful with their hands," explains Andrey. "The arms shouldn't just be hanging at their sides. I use standard poses, such as folded arms, when time is limited, but if I have the chance, I draw shape from their sporting equipment, such as gloves or helmets."

"I had seen the synchronised swimmer Natalia Ishchenko doing a routine where she leaps out of the water with her arms in the shape of a flying bird. I knew I wanted to emulate this, so I asked her if she could do the same with all her medals hung over her arms. I lit her with a studio light and it worked excellently."