Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Randy Johnson is a passionate and skillful photographer pursuing wildlife, music concerts, and travel photography. When Johnson retired from Major League Baseball in 2010, he returned to his photography major (photojournalism) from 1983 to 1985 at the University of Southern California.

“Well, after I retired, I just traveled,” Johnson tells PetaPixel. “I went to Africa and brought my camera the very first time I went there. “I thought it was a really enjoyable place, and it embodies, you know, needing a camera and taking pictures of the wildlife.

“And I thought it was one of the greatest places to bring a camera. And because it’s unpredictable, the animals are unpredictable, and they won’t pose for you. What you get is what you get.

“I’ve been [there] five times and still looking all the time for the perfect picture from Africa. I just got back one month ago. But the first time was in 2010 or 2011; after that, I went…seems like every other couple of years.”

Johnson, a Hall of Fame pitcher, shares his forty-year passion for photography in his first solo show, Randy Johnson: Storytelling with Photographs, at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The exhibition features 30 large prints of wildlife and people he captured during four separate trips to different regions of Africa, including trips to Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Separated from Elephants by a Few Blades of Tall Grass

Johnson (born 1963) has researched and admired many photographs of large-tusked elephants at Amboseli National Park, crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya. The more he looked at the photos, the more he wanted to be there in their midst, capturing their majestic images. He was also there as recently as one month ago.

The name “Amboseli” comes from a Maasai (local ethnic group) word meaning “salty dust,” and it is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close.

“It was my dream after seeing so many other photographers that had been there,” explains Johnson excitedly. “They obviously had opportunities, some opportunities greater than mine. But I just wanted the same opportunity, a different perspective with my camera, and the freedom to get out of my car safely and take a picture.

“And nothing be in between me and the elephant, [just ’a few blades of tall grass between me and four to five tons of elephant, all in the name of getting a photo’ as he writes on Instagram]…You can tell when you’re in a car and when you’re not.

“I got out of the car. And then there are times when I’m kneeling down. At other times, I’m lying on the ground on my stomach, and I may have a longer zoom lens. And because it might be safer to be a little bit distant…maybe 20 or 30 feet. And then there were times where I might have been, you know, five feet or ten feet away, and [you] just got to be prepared to get up and move quickly [if the situation demands it].

“Well, being motionless is important, but they’re aware that you’re there. Elephants are very smart. But when they see you, they usually avoid you and don’t walk toward you unless you’re inhibiting their space. And they’ll let you know that you’re too close by flapping their ears and giving you [an indication to] back up if you’re not a threat. They’re not going to walk towards you. Probably, they’re going to avoid you or walk around you.

“There were opportunities and times where I would lay down when they walked towards me. And I wanted to see if they would continue to walk towards me so they could get closer, and my picture would be more dynamic from that [low, close] angle. But looking through the viewfinder, I could see that they must have realized I was there. They would stop 40 or 50 feet away and just look at me. And then, when they continued, they would divert from me and walk away. They wouldn’t continue to walk straight. So, they’re very smart.

Some photographers feel that the sound of the shutter can alert elephants, but Johnson disagrees.

“I don’t think the shutter…the sequence of picture taking bothers them. I don’t believe it bothers them that much.

“I never really, unfortunately, got to see the elephants I wanted to see in an environment where I could get close. There are a couple of pictures on my Instagram with elephants — one is called Craig. See how big [he is]. There’s a black and white picture. And there’s a colored picture of him I posted, two photos. You can see how big his tusks are.

“There are pictures of photographers that I follow on social media. And they’ve been to Africa and been lucky enough to get very close to him [Craig]. And where they might be 10 feet away, five feet away, lying on their stomach. And when you see a picture at that angle with an elephant that big, it’s so much more dynamic to see a picture shooting up at the elephant than being in the car and 20 feet away.

“Yes, I hoped that I would be able to get something dynamic and different. I did, but not as great as I wanted it. But I’m fortunate that I was able to experience it to some extent.

“If you don’t have access to certain opportunities, you won’t get those pictures you may want. I was inspired because I saw other people’s photos. I tried to get similar images, but I didn’t. I just didn’t have the same opportunities as they did. It’s kind of close, but not the same. So, access and opportunity are pivotal.

“And my [guides, but no photo assistants in Africa] are telling me if I’m getting too close or starting up the car and keeping a good eye on me.”

Elephants will pick up dust with their trunk and throw it on their body. And that cools them off. It makes for a fantastic picture if you can get [it right]…I couldn’t recreate what I’d seen, but I tried.

“I just follow various photographers. I don’t have a favorite photographer. I just appreciate all wildlife photographers for what they do. I know it’s not easy. You’re dealing with an animal you can’t control in the wild. Sometimes, some photographers can make incredible artwork by taking photographs, and I get great inspiration from seeing other photographers. I like going to Africa because I will see their work. And I think it’s so great that I tried to take my own photographs.

“I have visited Africa about five times now. I just got back one month ago. I went there for three weeks to Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Before [I have traveled to] Rwanda, been down in Cape Town [Capital of South Africa] and Namibia.

“And so, a variety of places in Africa. It’s not just about the animals. There’s so much more to see. So that’s when research comes in. It helps to appreciate other photographers because many can inspire you based on what they’re photographing. And many times, I’ve gotten great ideas for travel based on some of the photographers I’ve seen.

“I probably won’t go again for a couple more years. I like traveling, but I’ll give Africa a rest and see someplace else. I will go back hopefully again later.

“I don’t know [where I’ll go next]. I just got back. I’m still going through all my photographs that I took for three weeks, like getting caught up now. Now that I’m back home, I’m busy with family and my children. I’ll start thinking about where I might travel when I get closer to next year. There are so many beautiful places that I would like to visit, but I get inspired usually by just getting on social media and looking at people’s photographs.

“Wherever I went, I went there for a reason…because I went to a specific area in Africa to see and take pictures of something in particular. And that’s all based on research before I go. I’ve enjoyed it everywhere I’ve gone in Africa for different reasons. I don’t have a favorite place. I’ve gone back many times, but when I go back, I go to other areas to see different things.

“Elephants and lions, I enjoy seeing so much; they’re fun photographing. And, like anything, it’s challenging. The elephants will allow you to photograph them much more easily than lions. Lions are harder just to find. First of all, during the day, they’re usually sleeping. So, it makes for a difficult photograph.

B&W vs Color

“The way I see something when it goes to black and white from color, I think you made the picture more desirable. I believe, in some cases, that makes it look timeless. You could have taken the photo in the ’70s, ’80s, or ’90s — you never know. I think that’s the beauty of a little grain and a black-and-white photograph. Certain pictures dictate whether they should be color or black and white. That’s just my theory.

“I’ve been tempted [to buy a Leica monochrome camera]. I do have a Leica M240. I have several different types of cameras. It’s a rangefinder, but it’s not a monochrome. I don’t have any monochrome cameras.

“After I download photos, one of the first things I do with specific pictures is look at it in color and then in black and white. Which is more pleasing to the eye? And that is usually my first start in post-production.

My Favorite Photos

“Two of my favorite pictures are in my house. And the images are rather big. They are around 30×40 inches and framed. One picture I took with my Pentax 67 [released in 1969 and called 6×7 before 1990] And it’s a picture of Seattle back in the early 90s. It was around 1991-92 when it was snowing in Pike Place Market. And back then, I enjoyed shooting black-and-white films.

“There was an old newsstand/magazine stand. I had my back up against the far wall. So, I could see the gentleman selling [the newspapers]. And that was half the picture. The other half of the picture went out to the street, where you could see the snow, the stop sign, and a couple of people walking. It is just a timeless picture because it’s black and white. It didn’t snow in Seattle very often in that area anyway. One of the gentlemen walking down the sidewalk has an oversized black trench coat and a big hat. It looks very ominous, with the slow shutter speed making him slightly blurred. It’s one of my favorite photos to this day. I still have it in my house. I miss film.

“There’s another picture I took even before that. I was in college, walking down an alleyway behind some fraternity houses. I saw this old Mini Cooper car sitting in a dumpster! It looked like there must have been a dozen kids that probably picked it up the night before when they were partying and must have thrown it in the dumpster as a joke. Maybe it was somebody’s car, and it was a joke or something, I don’t know. But that was black and white. And I still have that in my house. So, two of my favorite photos are from the 80s and 90s. And they’re framed, and then I have a couple of animal pictures from the 2000s and from 2022-2023 in Africa.

Film vs Digital

“I’ve scanned [and printed] several pictures that started back in my college days. Then, all I shot was film because that’s all there was. I was working for the college newspaper. Most of those pictures I have are old concert pictures. I still have some of those slides and negatives. I’d have to get them scanned.

“The two pictures, one from Seattle [bookstore] and the Mini Cooper, were scanned. And those started originally on black and white film. And then there are other digital pictures that I take, and I enlarge those as well. I wish I had more film pictures from back in the 80s. But unfortunately, I had a career after that in baseball, and of course, many of them [photos] got misplaced, destroyed, and thrown away. Still, I’m thankful I had an opportunity to have film cameras and shoot things back in the day. It was a lot of fun.

“If you shoot film [today], you obviously are shooting it for a reason. It takes more patience and time; you don’t have instant gratification. It takes time to take the picture, and you hope and pray that the exposures are correct. And then you have to get the film developed. And that takes a little while unless you have a darkroom. And it’s just a longer process.

“So that’s probably one reason people don’t do it as much. And then everything that I just said are some of the reasons why people still love film photography. I love it because it just has a different look. You can’t recreate film photography, even with many apps like Photoshop and Lightroom. When you see someone’s picture from the 70s, you don’t need to know it’s film; it’s just that look. And it’s kind of grainy and has that great, timeless look.

The Gear Behind the Photos

“In Africa, I have used Canons. I don’t remember which Canon I took the first time I went in 2010. I’ve advanced in different camera gear since then, better Canon cameras and different telephoto lenses. There’s been a natural progression over time, and we’re talking 13-14 years. I’ve advanced in picture-taking and gotten better cameras over time.

“The last few times I’ve been there, I had the Canon 1 DX Mark II. And this year, back in spring, I bought a couple of new Canon cameras, their mirrorless Canon R3. Yes, and so I brought it to Africa this year. I’ve shot primarily with Canon, but I also have a Leica, but I don’t bring it to Africa, and I have a film camera, the Pentax 67, which also I don’t bring to Africa as it’s too big and bulky.

“Cameras kind of dictate when I’m going to use them. If things are fast [moving] and I need quick images like at motorsports or Africa, I use my new purchases because they’re fast with autofocus.

“If I’m out in the desert here in Arizona, the Grand Canyon or something? I might bring color or black and white film [on Pentax 67] because nothing is moving. The images are just there – cactus, the trees, the hills, and I can just take my time.

So, what was in Johnson’s camera bag on the last trip to Africa?

“I had an array of lenses for the three weeks I was there, based on any situation and circumstance I may need. Not everything is close. That’s why I brought so many different lenses from experience.

“I have a lot of faith that the lenses I use the most are the ones that most photographers use — the 24-70 and the 70-200. I’m lucky enough to have many big lenses, too. I have the 400 and 600. But you don’t need those very often. But when you go to Africa, it’s nice to have them. I got them because I went to Africa more than once.

“I shoot in RAW. And I do that because it doesn’t matter how much information the file takes. I bring multiple CFexpress cards. Depending on how big of an image I plan on enlarging, it’s also essential to have a big file for editing.

“Everything that you see on Instagram I’ve edited. But there are a lot of times when I may on more important photos, have someone take a look and do something that may need to be done. I don’t do Photoshop, just Lightroom, and basically, all I do is sharpen the picture and turn up the clarity a little bit, straighten out the horizon line, or turn something from color to black and white. That’s all I do when it comes to editing.

“Some of the photos [in the Fenimore Art Gallery in Cooperstown] I had someone help me edit. Because there were things that I needed kind of cleaned up a little bit and sharpened, and they were going to be presented as large photographs, and I wanted to make sure that everything would be presentable in a gallery.

“Everything that I have is in folders in my Lightroom. And I think it goes back to about 2010 to the present. So that’s 13 years. I probably have around 100,000 photos… of wildlife, concerts, landscapes, motorsports, drag races, NASCAR, and all my travel worldwide.

“On the Pentax 67, [using 120 film] I use Delta 400 ISO [Ilford] and the HP5 Plus [400 ISO Ilford] for black and white and Ektar Kodak [100 ISO] for color. I don’t know how good the film is [looking inside his fridge in the basement]. It seems like a little over a year and a half old.

Getting Started in Photography

“I enjoyed it at a young age. In high school, I took some classes. Then, when I went to college, I studied photojournalism in 1983 at the University of Southern California. I worked for the Daily Trojan, the college newspaper, where I would get assignments and then be able to go into the darkroom and develop the film, make a proof sheet, and then work with the photo editor. And that was just the beginning of what I inevitably would enjoy. And now it’s become a passion. Obviously, after college, I went on and played baseball. So, this ball took up much of my time because I was trying to perfect my craft and understand pitching. And I was very fortunate to play for a long time. But when I retired in 2010, I picked up my camera again, started traveling, and enjoyed retaking pictures.

“I had a couple of different film cameras. I had a Canon A-1 and a Pentax K1000 [made between 1976-97 and sold over 3 million]. I don’t have either of those cameras anymore, but I still have a medium-format Pentax 67 film camera. I take that when I want to take pictures of landscapes like the desert where I can just take my time and get the exposures correct, and I’m not rushed.”

Johnson has photographed top music concerts and artists like Aerosmith, U2, KISS, ZZ Top, Elton John, Billy Joel, Judas Priest, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Guns N’ Roses.

So, we ask him if he had to choose between shooting Aerosmith or Africa, which would it be?

“At this point in my life, I would probably go back to Africa,” says the 6-foot-10 “The Big Unit,” [nickname] whose fastball has been clocked at 102 mph and even killed a bird in flight (which ended up on his photography logo)!

You can see more of Randy Johnson’s work on his website and Instagram.

Randy Johnson: Storytelling with Photographs at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, is open till December 3^rd, 2023.

About the author: Phil Mistry is a photographer and teacher based in Atlanta, GA. He started one of the first digital camera classes in New York City at The International Center of Photography in the 90s. He was the director and teacher for Sony/Popular Photography magazine’s Digital Days Workshops. You can reach him here.

Image credits: Header pitching photo by Cathy T and licensed under CC BY 2.0. All other photos by Randy Johnson.

My name is Simon Wiffen, and I’m a Leeds, UK-based photographer specializing in family, lifestyle, portrait, commercial, and event photography. In this article, I’ll share my 6 best tips for better event photography to help you achieve the best results.

Whether you’re shooting a family event, business event, conference, or awards ceremony, event photography can be challenging. These tips will help to take your event photography to the next level.

Table of Contents

1. Understand Your Equipment

This first tip should go without saying and is really true of any commercial photography work but for events photography especially, I can’t stress enough how important it is to fully understand your equipment.

You’ll need to work fast and respond to situations as they happen (often in the dark), so it’s important you understand how to get the best results with the equipment you have, and to be comfortable enough with your camera to be able to quickly adjust the settings on the fly.

Shooting photography for any kind of event is a big responsibility. The organiser is relying on you to deliver results and there are no second chances. If you’re familiar enough with your equipment then you can concentrate on the job you’re there to do – capture the event!

2. Learn to Shoot in Low Light

Let’s get this out of the way straight away – with event photography you’ll often be working in challenging conditions and low light. It does depend on the type of event of course but in general, everything that makes a venue look fantastic, moody, and cool can often make it a challenging situation to photograph well.

The word photography literally means ‘drawing with light’ so when you don’t have enough to work with it’ll always be difficult. I could write a whole article on working in low light, but I’ll just touch on the main points here.

Aperture

As photographers, we often refer to fast lenses. That’s to say lenses that have a nice wide aperture. The wider the aperture on your lens, the more light goes in and hits your sensor and the easier it is to get great results.

Shooting an event with an f/4-5.6 kit lens isn’t impossible but it’ll make your life much, much harder. Generally speaking, you want to shoot as wide as you can. An aperture of f/2.8 or faster is a great place to start.

ISO

Modern cameras are really effective in low light. It wasn’t all that long ago that pushing your ISO above around 1600 would start to introduce a lot of noise but you can push modern cameras much further to 3200, 6400, or even higher and still get acceptable results.

When it’s critical you get the shot I’d always prefer to shoot at a higher ISO and make sure I’m capturing sharp images then introduce the risk of camera shake. You can always remove noise in post if you need to but generally, today’s cameras will handle things pretty well.

Shutter

As a general rule, to avoid camera shake you want to use a shutter speed roughly equivalent to your focal length. For example, if you’re shooting on a 50mm lens you’d be aiming for a shutter speed of around 1/50 or faster. Similarly, if you’re shooting at 200mm you’d be wanting to be at 1/200 or faster. The longer the lens, the less forgiving it is because every movement is effectively magnified.

Some cameras, and lenses, include stabilization which can really help reduce camera shake, especially if you have a good hand-holding technique. With that said, I usually find when working quickly and reviewing images it’s often quite hard to spot minor camera shake on a camera monitor so I like to try and stay safe by keeping the shutter as high as I possibly can.

Flash

Using a combination of aperture, ISO and shutter can allow you to work with natural light, in fact, you might find yourself in a situation where flash isn’t allowed so you’re going to have to manage as best you can. However in reality, if you’re going to shoot event photography you’re going to have to learn to master flash eventually.

Again, I’m not going to go into detail on the use of camera flash in this post. If you’re coming in cold I’d strongly recommend you head over to Strobist for a wealth of information on how to use flash effectively.

Whereas in a studio setting, you might work with strobes, softboxes, etc, at an event you’re going to be on the move so you’ll usually have to manage with on-camera flash.

Now the problem with on-camera flash is it’s just not all that flattering. It’s a small, harsh light that produces harsh results so the trick is to make it bigger. The normal strategy here would be to bounce the flash off the ceiling or a nearby wall. This will give you a much bigger effective light source and more flattering results that’ll improve your event photography instantly.

It’s not a magic wand though. If the walls in your venue aren’t white then any colour will be introduced into your reflected light which can bring a really unpleasant colour cast into your photographs. If the walls are dark, they’ll just suck in all the light you throw at it and you’re back to square one.

Similarly, depending on the venue, you may find the ceilings are so high they don’t really allow you to bounce the light which can limit your options. In these instances, it’s a case of getting the best you can with the conditions you have. If you can’t bounce your light there are other ways to soften it – you can fit diffusers or bounce cards to your flash to help spread the light in a more flattering way. It’s not as effective but anything you can do to spread the light will help, even if it’s just a little bit.

Finally, be aware that if you’re working with flash for event photography, you’ll almost certainly be competing with the existing practical lighting in the room. Unless you want the contrast for creative effect, you may want to gel your flash to match the ambient lighting for more natural results.

Where I have to match flash to ambient light I find the magnetic Godox AK-R1 round head accessory kit perfect to use with my Godox V1 on-camera flash. It contains a number of color correction filters plus the dome head or bounce card (which can be attached in combination with the filters) are really handy to help soften the harsh light where you can’t bounce the flash effectively.

3. Get Involved (But Don’t Get in the Way)

OK, now we know our equipment like the back of our hand and we understand how to get good results in low light we’re ready to start concentrating on actually capturing our event!

I always think the ultimate aim of good event photography is to make the viewer feel like they’re part of the event. If you’re new to event photography you might feel a bit self-conscious but you won’t get engaging images by standing on the edge of the event, you need to get involved and put yourself in the heart of the action.

That’s not to say you should put your needs ahead of the guests. Your job as an event photographer is to blend in as much as possible. It’s not easy. Sometimes the room is busy and it can be hard to move around, especially with camera in hand.

It gets easier the more events you shoot. People will realize you’re there to do a job, but you have to balance it with allowing guests to enjoy their event.

Event Photography Etiquette

A few quick tips to help things go smoothly:

1. Spaces can be tight in busy rooms. If you need to squeeze past, ask politely. Never barge through.
2. Be careful when moving around not to knock any of the guests, especially when carrying your camera. Accidents happen – If you knock someone, apologize!
3. Be courteous to staff and let them do their job. If you’re in the way, move, let them pass, and then carry on.
4. If you have to position yourself where you’re blocking someone’s view then be mindful of that. Sometimes it’s unavoidable but shoot what you need and move on as soon as you’re able. Guests will understand you have a job to do but they’re not there to look at the back of your head.
5. Sometimes you might find yourself shooting where you might be preventing someone else from doing their job. For example, if there’s a sound or lighting desk or if you’re working alongside a videographer. If you feel there’s a chance you might be in the way then ask. If you’re asked to move, then do it. I often find myself shooting alongside videographers and it’s always good to chat with them and understand their needs. For example, they might want to capture you at work as part of their shot. Other times they’ll be trying to keep you out of the frame. If you understand what they need and work together you can make sure neither of you prevents the other from doing their job.
6. Don’t photograph people if they’re eating. Instead, concentrate on documenting the experience. Capture images of the service and the food itself. I usually start shooting again once guests are onto coffee or drinks after the meal.

4. Keep Your Eyes Open and Your Camera Ready

Photography is about being in the right place at the right time but that’s not to say you have to be lucky. You can make your own luck.

When I’m shooting event photography I’m always looking for interactions and moments that show people are engaged and having a good time. The secret is always to be ready to shoot and to keep your eyes open.

With experience, you start to anticipate when shots are likely to present themselves. Be on the lookout for people laughing and having animated conversations. These can give you a good few minutes to get yourself into a better spot so when the next laugh or smile comes you’re in the best position to capture it.

I find when I’m shooting event photography I spend a huge amount of time scanning the room, watching, and looking for opportunities. If you can spot these and anticipate them early enough to get where you need to be then that’s half the battle won.

5. Recognize Your Stakeholders and Their Needs

If you’re commissioned to shoot an event, it’s imperative that you understand all the stakeholders that are involved. Before you even arrive at the event you should already have a good understanding of the brief. If not, don’t be afraid to ask!

A lot of work goes into putting on an event and if you want to provide an excellent service, you need to understand everyone’s different needs. Make sure you capture the room, not just during the event but beforehand when it’s presented at its best. Look for details that show the attention to detail that the event organizer has put into the planning, whether that be food, refreshments, table settings, entertainment, etc.

If the event has particular VIPs make sure you know who they are and that you capture them in your images. If the event has speakers or panels make sure you capture the whole panel together plus everyone in action individually, speaking and engaging with the guests. Similarly, if guests are interacting with speakers capture that too from the speaker’s point of view.

If you’re shooting a corporate event make sure you’re composing your shots to maximize visibility of their branding or the branding of key sponsors.

Sometimes your brief will give you a specific list of required shots like these. Other times you may be working to a looser brief but being able to understand the different elements that go into a successful event and capture them effectively will make for very happy clients.

6. Be Prepared to Work Hard

Finally, event photography is hard work. As we’ve discussed, the conditions can be challenging. It can be difficult to move around effectively. There are a lot of things happening in different places and your job is to capture everything with no second chances. It’s not a job for the faint-hearted!

I’ve shot events where I’ve covered 13km jumping between two keynote stages and if you throw into the mix that I’m often shooting with a 70-200mm lens and flash attached to my camera, that’s a lot of weight to be carrying.

Be prepared to work hard… and wear comfortable shoes.

I really hope you find these tips useful for your own event photography.

About the author: Simon Wiffen is an award-winning photographer, husband, dog owner, record collector, and dad of three. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find more of his work and writing on his website and blog. This article was also published here.