My step by step guide to taking the perfect jump shot photo. One question I get a lot from people who see my Instagram, is “How do you jump that high?!”
Well, at the risk of shattering the illusion that I missed a career opportunity as a basketball player, I’m going to share my secrets on how to nail the perfect jump shot no matter your athletic ability.
(Fun Fact: I actually trampolined competitively for 7 years).
Introducing… my step by step guide to taking the perfect jump shot photo.
1. Find the Backdrop
The most effective jump shots are on a plain background. Busyness and pattern distract from you, the focal point. Blue sky and an empty beach or open landscape will give the illusion that you are a lot higher than having buildings or a monument in the background.
2. Use a Low Tripod
In order to take a perfect jump shot photo, you need to capture yourself against the sky or top of a building rather than a wall. To do this, you need to angle the camera upwards. Position your camera low to the ground and point it skywards to get the most effective framing. This is the tripod I use.
In front of buildings vs above buildings. Same height different angle:
3. Get Close
Jumping near to the camera puts you higher above it than a zoomed out picture far away. It takes practice and depends on your lense, but if you feel you don’t look high enough, try again closer.
4. Use Video Instead of Photo Mode
Perhaps it’s a cheat for a “perfect jump shot photo.” but you dont need it to be a photo at all. By taking a video of your jump and then capturing a still image from it, you can be sure to freeze the frame at the highest point. No more 1,2,3..jump! required. I love GoPro for this.
5. Get Your Legs Up
Star jumps are cute, but not effective. Jumping with straight legs will still look like your feet are barely off the ground from most angles. Try to bend your knees as much as possible and kick your butt to make visible space between your body and the ground.
6. Run Into It
Starting stationary makes getting height challenging. I didn’t do well in physics, but running before jumping definitely generates more energy. The beauty of working with video instead of still is that you can start off frame, run and jump when you’re in front of your camera.
7. Have Patience
It’s probably not going to happen first time. Generally, I will take 3-5 videos from different angles and 2-3 jumps in each. If you’ve gone to the effort of setting it up you may as well gather a bunch of options the sort through later and select the best angle.
