The challenge of gym lighting
Volleyball gyms are notoriously difficult to photograph in. The combination of mixed lighting sources — overhead fluorescents, skylights, LED banks — creates color casts and uneven exposure across the court. Lighting levels that look fine to the human eye are often too dim for fast-moving action photography without the right settings.
The result if you're not prepared: blurry players, odd yellow or green color casts, and images that are too dark to fix in editing. The good news is that modern smartphones and cameras handle gym light better than they used to, and a few setting adjustments make a significant difference.
Smartphone settings for action shots
If you're shooting on a smartphone, turn off auto-HDR mode for action shots — HDR processing creates motion blur on fast-moving subjects. Use Burst mode (hold the shutter button on most phones) to capture multiple frames per second and pick the sharpest one afterward.
Most smartphone camera apps let you tap to lock focus on a specific area of the frame. Lock focus on the court area where you expect the action to happen — around the net during blocking sequences, or the back row for serve receive. This prevents the camera from hunting for focus mid-rally.
If your phone allows manual shutter speed control (many Android phones do; iPhones in Pro mode), set shutter speed to at least 1/500s to freeze motion. Increase ISO to compensate for the darker exposure — your image will have more grain, but sharp grain beats blurry clean any day.
Positioning on the sideline
Where you stand matters as much as what camera you use. The best position for volleyball action is at court level, near the end line, slightly to one side. This angle gives you clear views of spiking, blocking, and setting without the net blocking your subject.
Avoid shooting from the bleachers directly behind the court — you'll be shooting through the net for most plays, and the perspective flattens the action. Side bleachers give a cleaner angle but put you further away. For phones and basic cameras, closer is almost always better.
Be aware of tournament rules about sideline positioning. Many events restrict spectator access to court level for safety reasons. Know where the designated spectator areas are and don't wander into the team bench area or the referee's line of sight.
What to capture beyond the action
The best tournament photo albums tell a complete story: the action shots your athlete will want to show teammates, and the quieter moments that capture what the day actually felt like.
Look for: the team huddle before the match starts, your athlete's face when a big point is won, the bench celebration after a close set, the handshake line at the end. These contextual images age better than pure action shots and mean more to athletes when they look back years later.
After the match, grab a team photo before everyone disperses. These are harder to organize than they sound — get it done while the team is still together near the court, even if lighting isn't perfect. An imperfect team photo from the actual event beats a perfectly lit shot that never happened.