“Two faces and a ball” (sports photography rule)
“Two faces and a ball” is a sports photography rule; a good sports shot usually shows an offensive player, the ball, and a defensive player. The shot is also better if the players’ eyes can be seen. The rule is mainly for sports such as basketball and football and not necessarily for golf.
“Anything with two faces and a ball” was cited in print in 2004. “There’s an old sports photography saying that goes, ‘All you need is two faces and a ball’” was cited in 2008.
SportsShooter.com Message Board
Your favorite sport to shoot
G.M. Andrews, Photographer
Mobile | AL | USA | Posted: 1:13 AM on 03.13.04
->> Anything with two faces and a ball…
Seattle (WA) Times
October 27, 2008 8:26 PM
Seahawks: Missing the Shot and Saving Your…(Asterisk).
Posted by Rod Mar
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There’s an old sports photography saying that goes, “All you need is two faces and a ball”. This one has ball, but ain’t got no faces.
PhotoShelter
How to Photograph Football
Posted by: Allen Murabayashi Date: December 8, 2009
(...)
Football 101: Two Faces and a Ball.
The essence of all sports photography can be captured in an old adage, often repeated by crusty old wire service editors to young wannabes:
”Two faces and a ball, kid. Two faces and a ball”.
You get two good faces and the football in your frame, and you very likely have a usable photo. However, that’s harder to achieve than you’d think.
Why? Because players wear helmets. They duck their heads. Often, a player is getting tackled and his head is twisted away from your camera. Anyway, however you slice it, two faces and a ball is a good place to start.
Remember – the eyes have it. If you can see their eyes, your photo is better.
SportsShooter
Posted 2009-12-28
Decade Collection: Rod Mar
‘That sense of anticipation is important, because in so many ways, all of sports and sports photography is about anticipation…’
By Rod Mar
The oldest sports photography cliché in the book says that a great sports photo should have two faces and a ball.
Record Photographer Clifford Oto’s Blog
Numbers game
By Clifford Oto | Published: February 16, 2011
There’s an old adage in sports photography of “two faces and a ball,” meaning that’s what most sports pictures boil down to. You want to get two opposing athletes in action over whatever ball they use. I also try to include jersey numbers to help with identifying them later.
Seattle (WA) Times
March 2, 2011 at 5:00 AM
“Two faces and a ball” sports-photography rule
(Photo shows two basketball players, but the ball is not visible—ed.)
“Two faces and a ball.” This is the mantra of sports photography. Photojournalist Dean Rutz shows this rule is meant to be broken. Boys and girls high school basketball playoffs are in full swing.