Sports photographers often return to the same venues repeatedly — logging what settings actually worked for a specific venue's lighting builds a fast, reliable reference for next time.
Log venue, time of day/lighting, and the settings that produced consistently sharp results, not just a general session summary.
Note any venue-specific quirks (flickering floodlights, mixed lighting) that affected results.
Tips for this niche
Compare entries across multiple visits to the same venue to build a reliable starting-point setting for that specific location.
Record settings for both daytime and evening events at the same venue separately, since lighting can differ dramatically.
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Want the full lesson?
This topic is covered in depth in Lesson 5: Advanced Focus & Motion Techniques.
Example scenario
After several visits to the same indoor arena, the diary shows a consistent pattern of ISO 6400 and 1/1600s reliably freezing fast action under the venue's specific lighting — a starting point ready before arrival next time, rather than re-metering from scratch.
Common mistakes
Not distinguishing between different lighting conditions at the same venue. a venue's daytime and floodlit evening settings can be dramatically different — log them as separate entries rather than one general note.
Only logging the final settings without noting what didn't work. a note on which shutter speed was too slow for a specific fast sport is just as useful next time as the settings that did work.
FAQ
Why keep a settings diary for sports venues specifically?
Sports photographers often shoot the same venues repeatedly, and a venue's specific lighting quirks are worth a reliable, reusable starting point rather than re-solving exposure from scratch at every visit.