2015 Italian Beach Volley Team – Marco Caminati, Enzo Rossi

Shot this with the Canon 5D Mark II paired to the EF 100-400—reliable combo when you need to stay off court and still frame clean, controlled tension. This isn’t peak action. No sand flying, no bodies mid-air. But it’s still competition—quiet, simmering, focused.

Marco Caminati holds the ball like it weighs more than it does. Not physically—psychologically. Shoulders squared, gaze dropped. The light from above slicks off his skin, catching just enough detail in the sweat without turning it into gloss. I didn’t correct the warmth much in post. The yellowish cast from the stadium lighting is honest, and artificial as it looks, that’s what the court gave me.

Enzo Rossi’s half-turned, blurred, walking away. But his presence is necessary—he balances the frame, pulls the eye across it. I shot this wide open to blur the background, and the 100-400, even stopped down slightly, still separates beautifully. The narrow depth isolates Marco, but the outlines of scaffolding, fencing, and the rainbow-striped backdrop place us squarely in context.

What I like here is the narrative rhythm. You know they’ve just lost or won a point. You know the next serve is seconds away. That micro-pause, that locked-in mindset—they wear it across their posture.

Technically, it holds. ISO was cranked to avoid motion blur in low light, but the 5D Mark II’s sensor held enough detail in the skin tones and shadows to make it work. I didn’t chase perfection—I chased presence.

Sports photography doesn’t always need to shout. Sometimes it’s about the breath between points.