“To compete at the very top level,” says pro sports photographer Salih Zeki Fazlıoğlu, “you must constantly improve yourself. That’s as true for photographers like me as it is for the athletes I shoot. We both need to prepare ourselves before the competition or there is no point in participating. And we both need a determination to learn and apply new techniques.”

Starting his career in 2001, Salih has shot all manner of sports in his two decades at the top, but like a veteran sportsman, his commitment is just as fresh as it was at the beginning. “Sports photography will always be special for me,” he explains, “because along with the athletes, I’m part of a high-stakes situation. They have only one chance to win. And I can capture ‘the moment’ only once.”

“You have to be fast, and you need to make sudden decisions,” he continues, “and so you need to stay in the moment, almost breathing along with the athlete you’re tracking, so when the best position or the best expression comes you’re right there with them. It’s always exciting to see what you can achieve if you push yourself.”

Getting to know particular sports helps a photographer to pick out the moments that matter, he says. “It’s different for each, of course,” he explains, “but for example, when photographing football, I look for the moments of battle and struggle as tackles fly in, or for the joy of a goal celebration. In the pool, it’s about picturing the swimmer in a way that feels like you’re powering through the water with them. In tennis, I look for the extension in players bodies, their power and their expressions as they volley the ball away.”

In the hunt for those precise moments, it’s no surprise that many of Salih’s fantastic images are taken with very fast shutter speeds, like 1/8000sec or even faster, using his Sony Alpha camera’s electronic shutter at the likes of 1/16,000sec or 1/32,000sec. This freezes the effort on an athlete’s face, the ball as it rockets through the frame, or perfect water splashes around a swimmer. And to do that, he’s comfortable using higher ISO settings like ISO 3200, while working at the maximum apertures of his lenses.

But his images also stand out from the crowd with their variety. “I often use slow shutter speeds and panning shots in sports photography,” he explains, “because moving the camera to follow the subject at shutter speeds like 1/25sec or 1/30sec can add a beautiful sense of flowing motion and energy to photos.”

“To be successful, it's also important not to think of a competition only in terms of the event itself,” he adds, “so I make sure to photograph all the vibrant colour and pageantry of the fans, as well as the athletes’ preparations, and their emotion and exhaustion after competition is over.”

With the high level of competition in sports photography, Salih is keen to stress the importance of embracing new technology. That’s the reason he chooses to work with Sony gear. “The tech we use for sports is always developing,” he says, “and when you open yourself up to it, you automatically become more competitive. It’s no different from a cyclist using a new generation of carbon fibre frame to knock fractions of seconds off their lap.”

“In recent years, Sony has made great strides for sports photographers,” he continues, “and since the Sony Alpha 9 it’s been at the front of the pack. The Alpha 9 series lets us shoot with full reassurance that moments won’t be missed and Sony’s advances in autofocus and shooting speed are a big part of that. The recent Alpha 9 III can capture 120 frames per second, which is quite astounding. And as for the speed and stability of focus, with these cameras, you won’t miss opportunities. It’s all matched by the comfort in handling and the ease of using the menu, which is simple and straightforward.”

The same is true when it comes to lenses, he says, and it’s in his choice of FE models that Salih also finds ways of challenging himself to be more creative. “Sports aren’t like other subjects,” he explains, “because you can use all types of lenses, from wide-angle to telephoto. I love my FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS and FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS, but for closer subjects, I have the FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II and FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II. Sometimes I might even have a fisheye to get an interesting view. I dream up what I can achieve and turn that into reality with the equipment at my disposal. Sony plays a crucial role in helping me realise those dreams.”