Last Saturday, November 29, I photographed my first professional football match: Real Madrid Castilla vs. Barakaldo CF. The changing light forced me to constantly adjust my camera settings, turning theory into real practice. A 2:1 win and a goal celebration right in front of the lens made the experience both challenging and unforgettable.

During the first half, we were positioned behind the visitors’ goal to get the best possible shots of Real Madrid’s young talents. However, Barakaldo CF was the more dominant team for most of the first 45 minutes, so we had to make the most of the few chances that Castilla created. Nevertheless, I was able to get some satisfactory shots of the players. The light was in our favor, as the sun was shining directly on the players’ faces.

Hoping that Los Blancos would have more possession in the second half, we switched sides during the break to take photos from behind the visitors’ goal again. In fact, the young players from Madrid did create more scoring chances and provided us photographers with more subjects. However, we now faced another hurdle: the sun was shining behind the players and directly into the camera lens. It was therefore important to adjust settings such as ISO so that the photos would not be too bright. Shutter speed and aperture also play an important role here. The conditions forced us to apply the knowledge we had gained in lectures and experience the effects of camera settings in practice.

Real Madrid Castilla secured a 2:1 victory in a match that grew increasingly intense and heated in the second half. The players even celebrated a goal directly in front of the camera. Overall, my first experience in sports photography proved very successful, supported by ideal weather conditions.