Real-Time MLS Soccer Coverage With the Sony a9 III and PDT-FP1

Get an inside look at what it takes to cover an MLS soccer match at the Seattle Sounders, featuring Sony's flagship a9 III global shutter full frame mirrorless camera, and the PDT-FP1, an all-new portable data transmitter for creators.

I recently shot my first professional MLS soccer match at the Seattle Sounders, using Sony’s flagship global shutter-equipped a9 III and their powerful portable data transmitter for broadcasters and photojournalists, the PDT-FP1.

I was super excited to capture the 50th Anniversary Sounders game, especially since it was a very special occasion and the realization of a longstanding goal that I’ve had since the start of my career as a photographer.

As a former player and fan of the game, it's been a lifelong goal of mine to become a professional sports photographer, and I'm super grateful that I finally had the opportunity to realize my dream of documenting a pro MLS soccer game.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the gracious support of our team here at Fstoppers (Alex), the office of The Mayor of Seattle (Pedro), (Lori) and the team at Glazer's Camera Rentals, and the gracious communications team at the Seattle Sounders (Kelly).

Thank you all for giving me an opportunity to showcase my love for the game of soccer.

Needless to say, I had an incredible experience at the game, fell even more in love with capturing pro sports, and have since attained representation in the press to become a fully credentialed pro sports photojournalist.

Be on the lookout for much more in the world of professional sports photojournalism from me in the near future!

The Backstory

I was inspired from a young age by my father to play and love the game of soccer. I grew up on the sidelines while he played NCAA soccer for the OSU Beavers and the UW Huskies. My love and passion for the game intensified as I matured, leading me to play competitively as a youngster in Holland, progressing to becoming a provincial champion as a teenager in Canada, and eventually playing on our championship base team in the US ARMY.

I’m now many years removed from playing the game due to age and a myriad of injuries, and have subsequently transitioned to becoming a full-time professional photographer and filmmaker.

I've come to realize that I bring two very unique perspectives and strengths to the table when I'm capturing soccer and professional sports: awareness of the game as a former player, and the photojournalistic creative eye of a filmmaker and visual storyteller.

Having these insights gives me the ability to follow the pulse of the match and the experience to tell the visual story of the game creatively.

My Setup

With this being my first professional MLS soccer opportunity, I knew that I had to choose a wide range of versatile gear to properly cover the game. Soccer moves incredibly quickly, and I needed a setup that could keep up with the action on the pitch. I tried to prioritize being nimble enough to quickly move around the field, while also having enough diversity in my focal lengths and cameras to tell a complete visual story from various perspectives.

I also wanted to showcase the power of real-time broadcast photojournalism with the Sony PDT-FP1, so I partnered up with my friends at Seattle's Glazer’s Camera Rentals to rent some additional gear, and to have them help me with the live-blogging of my images that I was capturing on the PDT-FP1 during the game to our combined audiences.

The gear I rented from Glazer's included a secondnd Sony a9 III body, the 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, Sony’s 1.4 & 2X teleconverters, and some additional Sony CF-Express Type A Tough Cards. Being that my a9 III can capture 120 photos per second, I needed to make sure that I had plenty of memory cards, especially since a9 III's pre-capture and “Speed Boost” capabilities can quickly fill up my cards when I'm feeling my way through a game in burst mode.

To round out the rest of my kit, I used my own Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and 70-200 f/2.8 GM II lenses to complement the 300mm GM from Glazer's, along with Sony's Xperia 1 MK V for capturing some EVF recordings, the PDT-FP1 for real-time image uploads to our team at Glazer’s, and some additional action cameras that I was using for BTS footage. 

I used the Insta360 X4 and GO 3 to capture BTS footage while I was shooting the game, the iFootage Cobra Strike monopod for my camera support, and packed everything into my trusty Vanguard VEO Adaptor R48 backpack.

Why I Chose Sony's a9 III to Capture the Game

There’s little doubt in my mind that Sony’s a9 III is the reigning king of fast action photography. It introduced the world’s first full frame mirrorless Global Shutter sensor, which has big implications for the world of sports photography.

I'm glad that I can finally say goodbye to any warping or banding from slow Rolling Shutter sensor read-out speeds, and say hello to tack-sharp images with perfectly straight lines, beautiful color, and balanced exposures.

Global Shutter in a9 III allowed me to perfectly freeze the action during the game in both stills and video. I had no issues with the flickering and banding that are typically present with the artificial lights on stadium billboards.

I also experienced the speed and accuracy of a9 III's amazing autofocus tracking capabilities at a professional level, which really validated for me why the Sony a9 III is such a pivotal camera for the future of sports photojournalism.

It was the perfect camera to cover my first professional soccer game thanks to its Global Shutter and the plethora of other invaluable features that enabled me to capture decisive moments like never before. I managed to capture both of the goals that the Sounders scored, and it was all thanks to amazing a9 III features like pre-capture, speed boost for 120 fps bursts, AI-based subject detection autofocus, Dynamic Active image stabilization, and more.

a9 III also paired beautifully with all of the latest Sony G Master lenses that I had in my kit, giving me its full 120 fps burst performance, accurate autofocus and tracking, and the maximum image stabilization possible when shooting handheld at longer focal lengths.

There are so many reasons why a9 III is the ideal camera for professional sports photographers, and I’m only skimming the surface of its capabilities in this article.

I will personally continue to rely on a9 III as my main camera for shooting professional sports, especially as I head into the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

Why the Sony PDT-FP1 Is a Game-Changer for Broadcast and Sports Photography

The combination of a9 III and PDT-FP1 was a dream setup to shoot with as a sports photographer covering a professional game. I now have a much greater understanding of how fast things move on the pitch, and how all of my creative and technical skills need to keep up with all of the changing conditions during the game.

PDT-FP1 has a ton of amazing technologies built into it that make broadcast and editorial sports photography workflows like this very easy. The robust antenna design goes all the way around PDT-FP1, intelligently looking for the strongest signal to transmit your images.

It also includes cellular signal redundancy with multiple SIM card slots, where you can have a backup of your 5G signal on two different cellular networks, so if one is stronger than the other in a particular location, PDT-FP1 can prioritize the best signal.

Strong network connectivity, combined with direct integration into Sony Alpha cameras, makes PDT-FP1 an extremely beneficial device for broadcast and real-time sports photojournalism.

Unlike the other shooters on the field who had to take their images off of their camera, put them onto their computers, tag them, sort them, and then upload them via congested WiFi signals to their awaiting editors, I was able to easily tag my images using an IPTC metadata template on PDT-FP1 using Sony's Transfer & Tagging app, uploading my images to the team at Glazer’s in real-time, while sharing all of the action at the game as it was happening.

Our team was picking and choosing selects, sending updates to our audience, and sharing highlights immediately at halftime, while everyone else on the field was running back to their computers in the photography room to download, tag, and upload their images.

The significance of how advantageous it is to have direct real-time FTP uploads on a dedicated portable data transmitter with IPTC tagging during gameplay is hard to understate. Sony has provided a huge advantage for Alpha sports photojournalists with PDT-FP1, and I look forward to pushing its limits even further when I attend the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

My Key Takeaways and Advice for Aspiring Sports Photojournalists 

I learned a lot during my first experience as a professional sports photojournalist. I also realized that it was super helpful to have an understanding of the game of soccer, the flow of the action, and how to anticipate key moments.

For anyone who inspires to be a sports photojournalist, I recommend that you intimately study the game that you want to specialize in. It's pretty difficult to be really good at something when you're unfamiliar with it, but if you have a strong passion for learning about the game, and put in the time to practice your craft, you can become really amazing at whatever you set your mind to.

You will undoubtedly have challenges when first starting your journey as a professional sports photojournalist, but you should look forward to those challenges since learning from that adversity is what will make you better.

The key to success, in my opinion, is to do your research, be well-prepared, have the right gear, and sharpen your technical and creative storytelling skills.

Having those things squared away in advance will ensure that you're ready to focus on capturing decisive moments and to avoid being bogged down with the wrong tools or lack of knowledge.

I'm personally excited to continue my journey as a professional sports photojournalist and to follow my beloved hometown Seattle Sounders on the quest for their next MLS championship!

Learn more about the Seattle Sounders here, and hopefully, look for me on the pitch at the next game!

Images used with permission of Reza L Malayeri & Seattle Sounders FC.