Image Focus

“Sport is competitive and so is sports photography. The players have their goals, and so do I.” So says Nikos Karanikolas, a veteran of multiple international tournaments including the Paralympics, Asian Games and European and World Athletic Championships. Recently, he was invited to cover the progress of Greece’s national basketball team at EuroBasket 2025.

“Basketball is a new subject for me,” Nikos begins, “but like most Greeks, I’m a huge fan of the sport. Whether it’s basketball, chess or WRC, I have the same approach. It’s emotion I look for, something which comes from starting out as a photographer in theatres and dramatic productions. I want to make pictures that stand out and for me, that comes from the human side, the moments of pain and the ecstasy in the middle of the action.”

“But you have to fight for the right to do it,” Nikos continues. “At most events, and particularly ones where the playing area is small, like basketball, it’s a contest for the photographers to get the best spot. Once the game starts, there’s no freedom to move around. And all the while you’re shooting, players are thundering past, inches from your position. So, you must work hard to get the pictures you want.”

In his dramatic, detailed portrait of Greece superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikos found one of those dramatic moments. “I’d been trying to get a portrait like this for several games,” he explains, “and every time there was a break in play, I’d grab my Sony Alpha 7R IV and FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS to go hunting for it. Giannis was playing through pain and giving everything for a medal in the championships. But this was a quiet moment of calm in the middle of struggle. He’s taking a breath, composing himself and letting it all sink in.”

With his cameras in manual mode and exposure set for the court lighting – his second body, an Alpha 9 III toting an FE 50-150mm f/2 GM lens was set up almost identically – Nikos was ready to take his opportunity. “People think the lighting of indoor sports makes it hard,” he explains, “and you do need to push the ISO, but in reality, lighting in larger venues is consistent and that makes it easier in some ways. I set the ISO at 1600 and the lens wide open at f/2.8, giving me all the shutter speed I needed.”

“You know that with cameras like the Alpha 7R IV, those higher ISOs will still give you great quality,” Nikos continues, “and the combination of the eye-tracking AF and the speed of its burst mode meant every shot from that sequence was perfect. All I needed to do was choose the one I liked best.”

“The FE 300mm is a lens that can bring all the emotion home to the viewer,” Nikos finishes. “It’s a very long lens for indoor sports, but when you can fill the frame with drama, it's ideal. That’s always my goal and my Sony kit helps me to achieve it.”