Generally photographers prefer shooting with the sun at their back. This puts the light directly on the subject’s face making it not only easier to expose the photo, but also providing better color and detail. Unfortunately, we’re not always able to get in a position to put the sun behind us. Thus was the case for half of my matches at the state tennis tournament.

The matches were played at Ohio State’s 12-court outdoor facility. The courts were arranged in rows of four aligned from east to west, so depending on which court the local kids were playing on, I either had to shoot across three courts to keep the sun behind me, or I could stand on the other side and shoot directly into the light.

Shooting into the light has its benefits too. Depending on how low the sun is in the sky, it can provide a nice rimlight around the players. Things like smoke, and in this case tennis ball dust, will show up better when backlit as long as the background is dark. Getting the correct exposure in this situation is the hardest part. Cameras will almost always underexpose the subject when metering automatically. Spot metering on the shadow side of the player’s face and setting the camera to manual exposure is the best way to get around this.

Here are two examples of the difference between shooting into the light and shooting with it behind me. Note the clean backgrounds, which make or break a tennis photo.

CAPTIONS:
(above) Gahanna Columbus Academy singles player Will Petrie returns a forehand shot during his first round match against Warren John F. Kennedy’s Michael Fredericka during the state tennis championships at Ohio State’s Stickney Tennis Center on May 30. Petrie won the match 6-3, 6-0.
(side) Gahanna Columbus Academy singles player Andrew Enslen tosses up a serve against Cincinnati Country Day’s Joey Fritz during the first round of the state tennis championships at Ohio State’s Stickney Tennis Center on May 30. Enslen lost 6-2, 6-0.