Here are some general thoughts and a helpful equation for where your aperture, shutter Speed, and ISO settings should be while shooting CrossFit photography (especially indoors):
First, an introduction to the Sacred Trinity:
What olympic lifting, gymnastics, and the metcon is to CrossFit – aperture, shutter speed, and ISO is to photography. It’s the bread and butter. The Sacred Trinity of Photography deserves a post of its own (and realistically, probably many more) but I can give you an overview because 1) you probably just want to take nice photos in a CrossFit gym and 2) if you’re reading this very niche blog article, you probably already have some experience with a camera.
Every photograph ever taken is an exposure. Exposed to what you may ask? Light. Too little light, it’s too dark. Too much light, it’s too bright. So you, as the photographer, want your camera to properly expose your image, i.e. get just the right amount of light. To achieve this balance of proper exposure, your camera and lens have three settings for you to control how much light reaches its sensor: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
What is aperture?
Aperture is how much light the lens lets in (almost like how your pupil dilates to let in “the right” amount of light). If you’re looking at your camera screen, it’s shown as a letter/number combination – for example: f/2.8.
The lower the f/ number, the more light that comes in. How low your f/ number goes depends on your lens (it’s also referred to as “fast” as in “how fast is your lens?”). For example, if you have a 50mm f/1.8 lens, it can go as low as f/1.8.
What should my aperture be while shooting indoor CrossFit photography?
Assuming you’re in a gym, your biggest problem is that there isn’t going to be enough light. CrossFit gyms are typically in warehouses, don’t have mirrors, and weren’t thoughtfully planned out for your photographing pleasure. So, generally, you want your aperture to be as low as it goes.*
*If you want to leave it at that, we can leave it at that. But here are some more nuanced considerations that are worth knowing:
Out of your control: Although most lenses allow you to control the aperture (some don’t), you are at mercy of the range your lens comes with. For example, you may have a lens that only goes down to f/4. You’ll probably live at f/4 when you’re shooting CrossFit.
Probably best not to push it: I don’t have a good explanation for this, so you’ll just have to trust me. But cameras and lenses don’t like to be pushed to their limits. If your lens can shoot f/1.8, you might be better performance shooting at f/2.8, f/4, or other “stops.” I personally find this to be true. Just because your equipment “can” do something, doesn’t necessarily means it was “made” for it.
More bokeh, more problems?: A lower aperture means a lower depth of field, which means those blurry backgrounds (called bokeh). Generally, bokeh is favorable, but when you’re photographing a fast-moving subject, you’re more likely to get your subject out of focus (which, generally, ruins the photo)
Length matters: Everyone loves a wide aperture, but often overlook the lens’ focal length. It has a big impact on the amount of bokeh and increases your chances for getting a shot out of focus. For example: if you’re shooting with a 24mm at f/2.8, you’re much more likely to get the shot in focus than a 135mm f/2.8. Shooting with a wide-angle lens is much more forgiving than a telephoto for getting your shots in focus with the same aperture (What is the best focal length for CrossFit Photography?)
Is that the image you want? Your aperture affects how blurry your background is – so as the visionary genius photographer you are, ask yourself: do I want the background blurry? I generally think bokeh gets too much love. So if you have a certain vision for your photos but still want proper exposure, you may have to buy your extra light from somewhere else, which brings us to…
What is Shutter Speed?
Shutter speed is how much time you let your camera sensor is exposed to light (you can almost think of it of your camera “blinking”). If you’re looking at your camera screen, it’s usually represented as a fraction, i.e. 1/100 (which means 1/100ths of a second).
The lower the shutter speed, the more time the sensor would be exposed to the light and the more motion blur there will be in your photo. The higher the shutter speed, the less time the sensor would be exposed to the light and the less motion blur there will be in your photo (really “freezing” your image). Generally, you want your shutter speed to be low enough to let in enough light but high enough to stop movement.
What should my shutter speed be while shooting indoor CrossFit photography?
Subject not moving (think: at the top of a deadlift): 1/50
Some movement but A) either not moving fast or B) arm/legs are moving fast but face/body isn’t (think: power clean): 1/125
Subject moving fast (think: butterfly pull-ups): 1/320 *
*If you want to leave it at that, we can leave it at that. But here are some more nuanced considerations that are worth knowing:
Much more in your control: Most CrossFit photos that freeze movement are probably taken between 1/250ths – 1/1250ths of a second. Many of the DSLR and mirrorless cameras will allow for that range of speed, so you should be in full control (my Canon R6 can shoot at 1/8000ths of a second, which would be absolute overkill).
When in doubt, higher is better: Really, to get 90% of your shots frozen, you should shoot for 1/250. Anything lower starts to exponentially risk your photos having too much motion blur and look soft and blurry.
Practice, practice, practice: CrossFit has dozens of movements, there really is no better way to understand what shutter speed to shoot at than just getting your reps in.
Length matters: If you’re shooting without a tripod/monopod, here is an important rule of thumb: to prevent hand-shake, shoot at double your focal length. For example, if you have a 24mm lens and are taking photos with your own two hands, its best to at least shoot at least 1/50 (24×2=50). This will prevent any shakiness/blur due to the fact that you have a pulse. That means if you’re shooting with a 135mm lens, you should be somewhere north of 1/250 no matter what.
Is that the image you want? Your shutter speed affects how much motion blur there is – so as the visionary genius photographer you are, ask yourself: do I want some motion blur? I generally think it’s risky – but when you get a sweet motion blur photo, it does pay off. But for all intents and purposes, unless your playing around, it’s best to stick to a high shutter. So you may have to buy your extra light from somewhere else, which brings us to…
What is ISO?
ISO is your camera’s sensors sensitivity to light (I sorta hate that explanation, but for ease of understanding, we’ll stick to it). If you’re looking at your camera screen, it’s the option that looks like ISO___ and usually varies from 100-100,000.
Being more sensitive to light might seem like a good idea, but there’s a catch: the higher the ISO, the less quality the image is. It starts to look grainy and just, well, not good. Ask many photographers, and most will say to get your ISO as low as you can get it – 100, 200, 400 for color shots, nothing north of 1600 for black and white.
What should my ISO be while shooting indoor CrossFit photography?
I won’t drift too far from the advice of a typical photographer: as low as you can get it. But, if anything, I would also tell you to feel free to push your limits on how high you go because a high ISO is better than an underexposed photo.
How high? I think ISO6400 is probably the ceiling.
*If you want to leave it at that, we can leave it at that. But here are some more nuanced considerations that are worth knowing:
Again, most CrossFit gyms are not well-lit: So you need to get your proper exposure levels from somewhere. Aperture and shutter speed has their limitations, and pushing the ISO is better than tinkering with either of those.
Because you can edit high ISO: Well, at least you can touch it up. You can not touch up an out-of-focus subject, unwanted motion blur, or an underexposed photo. Those are the risks when you become so dead-set on not pushing your ISO over 400.
It’s not that serious: As a photographer, you should practice good habits like keeping your ISO low. But in general, most of your CrossFit photography will be shared on social media, maybe some websites, maybe in some other harmless form. It’s not the end of the world to have a slightly wonky image.
Equipment matters: There are better-suited lenses and camera bodies for high-ISO performance. The best practice is to practice. Get to know your camera. How high can you push the ISO and still feel comfortable sharing your work?
Is that the image you want? Intentional high-ISO images will probably never be in style (I know, I’ve tried). It’s probably not a great idea to turn your ISO all the way up indiscriminately unless you’re taking photos only for yourself. Which isn’t a bad thing. But sharing is cool, too. So keep that ISO low enough to share it.
Overall, here’s my best equation for indoor CrossFit Photography:
Aperture: To taste and dependant on the lens, but probably low. Preferably a stop above its lowest capability.
Shutter Speed: Somewhere around 1/250 is safe. 1/320+ to freeze, but a well-timed shot at 1/50 is possible.
ISO: As high as proper exposure allows for. But if over 6400, find creative ways or change your angles to add light into the picture.
What do YOU think?
Tell me about your experiences shooting in an indoor gym!
What questions do YOU have?
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