How I Photograph a Boxing Match from Ringside

We all have different objectives when photographing something. When I photograph boxing events I try to cover the sport in a documentary style. This is not the same as shooting from the typical sports photographer perspective. Boxing is not a predictable sport. It was designed that way. Boxer's are trained to catch their opponent off guard. Therefore it is difficult to figure out the timing of the fighters. Basketball, running, football they are slightly more predictable. When photographing a boxing event, it takes a lot of shots to get the hero image.

A lot of otherwise great shoot will be spoiled by the lack of sharpness of the images. You will not be able to get them all because of the unpredictability of the action therefore my camera preference for shooting a boxing match from ringside is my Canon EOS-1Ds Mark lll. It is fairly lightweight which allows me to move around to capture the angles I want. I shoot with a prime lens the majority of the time and in this case it is no difference. I use an 85mm f/1.8 prime lens. I choose this lens because of the low light and generally they are at least a stop faster than zoom lenses.

I set it at f/1.8 and 1/320 second because I am trying to capture as much speed as possible. The thing which makes shooting from ringside in such low light tricky is balancing the camera's f-stop, shutter speed and ISO. I am generally going to print large format prints of my best photographs so I want to keep the ISO as low as possible. I usually can get a way with shooting at ISO 800.

I do not use a tripod as it weighs me down and interferes with my mobility. Depending on the venue, the ring will be between waist and chest high. I like to shoot boxing matches handheld. I rest my elbows against the mat and use the ring to brace myself. During the fight it is important to keep both boxers in the frame, otherwise the photo does not tell the whole story. I view the entire fight through my camera, shooting constantly whenever the fighters are in contact with one another, maintaining my point of perspective on their upper torso.

I have no real secrets for photographing a boxing match other than being there to capture the action. I only photograph amateur events. The participants are great customers for the best photo of them in action. It takes a lot of frames to capture that one best hero image.