Quote Originally Posted by Richard Lane


Although, these shots were taken with the 70-200mm f/2.8 I feel that this focal length doesn't obliterate the background like the 300mm or 400mm does, but this zoom is definitely very flexible if you can move freely up and down the field. The 70mm range works great along the line of scrimage, plus or minus 5 yards, and then the 100mm-135mm works great at around 10-15 yards off of the line and the 200mm range works nicely from about 20-25 yards off of the line of scrimage. Other factors will also depend on if the ball is placed at the nearer or farther hash mark.


When shooting with this focal range you tend to shoot across the field more (from sideline to sideline) which causes you to get the team on the sidelines in the shot, as well as spectators in the stands. This example is visible in the third shot. When using a longer lens like a 300mm or 400mm, you can shoot farther away ( approx. 30-40yards off of the line of scrimage) and aim the lens more downfield or upfield which gives cleaner backgrounds, as opposed to shooting across the field with shorter lenses. The other nice thing with the super-telephotos are that they really compress and obliterate the background more than their shorter counterparts do.


Try lowering yourself, so that you're "shooting upwards". You'll get more sky in your backgrounds, giving you more area that's beyond DOF. As a side benefit, you'll make the background players look shorter, making your subject stand out a little more. Bryan has a review of a "WalkStool" that might do the trick well for you to stay comfortable.