Photographing Golf with the Japan Society

Golf was a new sport for me to photograph but it gave me an opportunity to experiment. 1/2000 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

Golf. Not something I thought I’d be photographing anytime soon and yet as I have said before, volunteering can take you to places you wouldn’t otherwise go. After starting to learn Japanese I joined the Japan Society in order to learn more about Japanese culture whilst living in the UK. Having met with some of the leadership during last year’s Christmas party I put myself forward to volunteer my time as a photographer to help them get their message out to a wider audience.

My first job of the day was to get a successful photo of the competition shield. 1/1250 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

I photographed the golfers as they were coming in to finish. 1/1250 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

Going into the sand set up this dramatic shot with plenty of energy. 1/1600 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

From what I now understand golf is a popular activity in Japan, especially amongst businessmen and so it makes this event a no-brainer for the Japan Society. The tournament was held at Maidenhead Golf Club which has strong connections with the Nippon Club, a social club for Japanese ex-pats. Golf is quite different to the other sports I have photographed, there’s certainly not a constant frenzy of action, just key moments that are gone in a flash. Given that I also took the train I couldn’t be hauling around masses of heavy gear, so I limited myself to three lenses and I ultimately just used two of them. My 105mm and 58m F1.4G lenses.

Closing in on the final holes. 1/2000 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

I tried to get creative by framing shots with the other golfers. 1/6400 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

Discussing the drive. 1/1600 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

Predominantly I used the 105mm outside and the 58mm inside. Neither are particularly fast focusing, but they performed fine given the nature of golf and using a polarising filter I could happily shoot at F1.4 to dissolve the background with plenty of bokeh, even in bright conditions. I spent some time waiting patiently in the clubhouse before catching the golfers on the final two holes so I could get shots of both putting and driving without wandering too far into the line of fire. First up though I had to get a shot of the plate presented to the winner, which proved to be a challenge whilst I worked out which backdrop was most suitable. In the end leaning it against the flagpole of the final hole proved to be the winner.

Lining up the hole. 1/1250 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

The moment every golfer hopes for. 1/1250 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

Those with carts on wheels had a much easier time hauling around their gear. 1/1250 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

At least golfers are fairly predictable, it’s quite clear when something is about to happen and I did my best to position myself to capture the best of each hit, as well as try to introduce some interesting framing with the other golfers. The 105mm lens meant I could stand a good distance back so as not to disturb them but at the same time not standing too far away that I would miss things. Capturing the driving was straightforward as they all stood in roughly the same spot. The difficult aspect was capturing a shot with the ball as they struck. Sadly, the 7fps of my Nikon D850 wasn’t really up to the task but I did manage to capture a couple which was enough for what I needed. A Nikon Z8 or Z9 would be pretty handy in this situation.

The driving produced some of the more energetic shots. 1/1600 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

A better attempt at framing using the other golfers. 1/1250 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

Keep your eye on the birdie. 1/2000 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

So, what could I do differently next time? If I was photographing professional golf, I would definitely be standing much further back and likely have a more fixed position. In that situation my big 300mm F2.8G lens would probably work fairly well on a monopod. However as with the football the ideal lens for an amateur tournament like this would probably be a 70-200mm F2.8 for its sheer versatility. Using the long end at 200mm would also give more bokeh and compression although that doesn’t always produce a better look than the 105mm lens at F1.4. Furthermore, as I had plenty of space and time to move around, zooming in and out with my feet was not very difficult.

Getting out of the grass. 1/1250 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

One of the only shots I managed to capture of the ball being hit during the driving. The ball remains heavily blurred from motion despite the high shutter speed. 1/2000 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

The final hole brings the players back to the clubhouse. 1/8000 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 with polariser.

All-in-all I am happy with the results and would almost certainly use the 105mm F1.4G again. Perhaps there are some clever things I could do with a wider lens but at the same time I wouldn’t want to disturb the golfers. As it stands, I’m not about to pick up a 70-200mm F2.8 lens for my F mount cameras, but I do look forward to the day I have a Nikon Z8 with native glass in my hands. Though that won’t be coming just yet.

The day ended with a two course meal before the trophy presentation. 1/250 58mm F1.4 ISO 200.

Event organiser Hans-Joerg Hinkel missed the memo that he wasn’t supposed to win. 1/4000 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.

If you’d like to learn more about the Japan Society, then you can do so by clicking here. I can highly recommend it for anyone based in the UK (particularly around London) who are interested in Japan and Japanese culture.

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