Just as it goes for athletes, it’s the small things that separate successful photographers from the rest. And many of these traits overlap between sport and picture taking. Accuracy, dedication, creativity, style… they can all be found in the work of Sonia Cañada Ramos, just like the icons and serial winners she captures.

Having graduated in 2006, Sonia now works for some of the biggest names in sports photography including Real Madrid, Getty Images and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), a range of clients that’s been built from those aforementioned skills, as well as her belief in dedication and curiosity.

Working in a style that’s increasingly rare in sports photography, Sonia’s portfolio includes a superb array of monochrome portraits, striking in their power and presence. “For me, working in black & white is the purest way to show the emotion of sport,” she confirms. “Without the distraction of colour, it lets me cut to the heart of a moment.”

“When I started working, there were very few photographers making sports images in black & white anymore,” Sonia explains, “and everyone said I needed to make pictures in colour. But people see colour every day. It’s how we expect to see the world and it’s ubiquitous. Black & white has that greater sense of authenticity and surprise. And it takes viewers right back to the classic moments in sport.”

Particularly favouring a high-contrast look in her black & white images, Sonia has naturally developed an eye for moments and locations that work without colour. “In many of the venues I work at, the light is like a theatre,” she explains, “so it suits the simplicity of monochrome. The athletes are spotlighted, and the audience falls away into darkness, while that style of illumination also produces dramatic shadows on their faces.”

Of course, alongside their monochrome finish and artistic power, Sonia’s portraits need to tick the same boxes as other great sports images: sharpness and perfect focus. And for that Sony’s Alpha 9 series are her cameras of choice. “The Alpha 9 series are the ultimate professional camera for sports,” she enthuses, “where you need a super-fast and reliable body that can work at very high ISOs. Working at these events, where the light is sometimes not good, I regularly work at ISO 3200, ISO 5000 or even higher. My Alpha 9 II produces brilliantly low-noise images, and what grain there is often complements the black & white look, too.”

The Alpha 9 II’s legendary autofocus is also vital for Sonia’s portraits, locking on to her subject’s eyes for the most compelling connection. “Sony’s autofocus performance was the reason I joined the system, just in time for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. It’s so accurate and tenacious, that it can lock on and stick with a subject through almost any distraction – even millions of pieces of confetti fluttering around a podium. That’s super important for a sports photographer, because I want to choose between maybe 50 or 60 photos to get the right pose, and I want all of those choices to be in perfect focus.”

Sonia also likes to shoot in full RAW quality to make monochrome processing easier and higher in quality – something which her Alpha 9 II can do at 24fps. “I always shoot in RAW,” she confirms, “as it gives greater control over the high-contrast look I want. I have a preset for my black & white shots set up in Capture One, to keep the look consistent, and to make sure the images are available for clients immediately.”

And with her portraits often having frame-filling impact, what are Sonia’s favoured lenses for her work? “In basketball,” she explains, “you work a lot closer to the players than in some sports, so for me, the FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II is my favourite. I use it probably 75% of the time, but in some situations, like presentations or podium shots, I switch to the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II for a wider view. And for getting in even closer, I’ve been really happy with the new lightweight FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS. As portraits are my speciality, this lens is fantastic for me.”

“Sony’s Alpha 9 series and its exceptional lenses make you more comfortable as a working photographer,” Sonia finishes, “because you know that the photo will be technically perfect. Then it’s up to you to match it with creativity and dedication. You have to dare to try new styles and be curious enough to investigate what photographers do in other sports, because we can always improve. If you can dedicate yourself to that and build a portfolio that’s surprising and distinctive, you’ll be a winner.”