I had the chance to photograph the FIBA 3x3 World Tour and Women's Series Amsterdam stop a few days ago for the International Basketball Federation. What made it special is that the event was part of the Urban Sport Week Amsterdam (USWA), where besides the 3x3 tournaments, the world parkour championship and breakdancing competitions were also organized. BMX riders, skateborders and graffiti artists were also present, and we also had a wide selection of street food all around. All this was very well organized and a real family event.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much time for other sports, but when 3x3 stopped for a few minutes, I tried to photograph other things to get the atmosphere of the whole event. On the second day, when a two-hour break hit me unexpectedly, I decided to have a quick run around (strictly underdressed for the weather) before lunch and take some pictures of the venue. After my tour outside, I quickly popped into the old industrial hall, where most of the activities were taking place, hoping for something spectacular to shoot. However, I didn't get much further than the free-use basketball hoops set up near the entrance, where I bumped into familiar faces.
Two players from Germany, Amelie Kröner and Luisa Marie Nufer, who finished fourth at the FIBA 3x3 Champions Cup in Bangkok, were in a one-on-one game on the concrete. The stakes of the match were probably who was having more fun. It was a pleasure to see the two professional athletes enjoying every moment of the play with huge smiles on their faces. Of course, I stayed and started to take photos of them, so it was clear immediately that my lunch is cancelled and it was almost guaranteed to catch a cold. It didn't take long for the other two players (Helena Linder and Laura Zolper) from Cologne's team to join, and the full squad, who had arrived for the Open 3x3 basketball championships of the Netherlands, were on court.
A bit later, the first little girl arrived, brave enough to ask if she could join them. And the big ones welcomed her with love. From then on, it was only a matter of minutes before the next boy joined, made it two teams of three. But there was no stopping, more and more kids came. It was a pleasure not only to take photos, but also to watch the athletes and spectators, who have never met before, spontaneously start playing basketball together. You rarely see something like this in professional sports, but if anywhere, it can happen in 3x3. And it makes this sport so magical.
And speaking of photography, I'll also explain why this situation was interesting from a photography point of view. Since I went mainly to shoot the location, I had the NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S on my second camera in addition to my base NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens. If I knew where I was going, more than likely I would not have chosen these two lenses. The 70-200 was not a winner in most situations because of the small space, the crowd and the not so bright surroundings, but the 14-24 put me in a particularly interesting situation. I got as close to the action as I've ever gotten to photograph basketball. Sometimes I was essentially inches away from the action rather than yards. And although the context is very different, I remembered Robert Capa's famous saying: 'If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough' - I presume that couldn't have been an issue here. It was an interesting and very enjoyable challenge to take photos without disturbing the game, without risking injury to anyone (and preferably without damaging my camera gear). In a real game situation, obviously, something like this is not viable at all, but like the girls, I really enjoyed the fact that it was all about having fun. If it hadn't, I certainly wouldn't have stayed 25-30 minutes on a secluded court, but would have gone out for lunch at least on this one day. Of course, I don't regret my decision, and I learned that if the situation allows, it's always worth trying new angles and different tools than the usual.