How I got the shot: Matt Dutile on capturing New York City's dynamic spirit

Tell us about this image.

This is a shot of a tournament game at a basketball court — colloquially known as ‘The Cage’ — in Greenwich Village neighbourhood. It’s a dynamic scene, and one I felt really captured the energy of the game. I showed up around mid-afternoon as I was meeting an art director for a dinner later that evening. It was pure luck a game was happening — I only intended to scout out the location for a little while. But the end-of-day light was great, and the hosts said I could take as many photos as I liked from inside the court. After moving around the back and sides of The Cage for a bit, I decided this was the shot I really wanted: the leading lines from directly behind the hoop were just too good to pass up.

How did you achieve the shot?

I captured this on my Nikon z9 and the sharp, flexible Z 24-70mm f/2.8 lens — I shoot 90% of my images on it. I used a fixed high shutter speed of 1/1600s and a relatively shallow f-stop (a camera’s light-gathering ability) of f/4.5 to semi-isolate one player. I set my focus for wide area and 3D tracking, too. The Z9 is great to follow a subject in fast-paced action. 

I also set my ISO to floating as the clouds were coming in and out, changing up the exposure every 30 seconds. I didn’t want to worry about that and knew I could adjust it easily if it missed the mark. 

What were the challenges at play?

There were only a few angles I could work around. Anywhere a foot or two behind the line at this end of the court was fair game, but I couldn’t work around to either side; the games can be physical, and the refs don’t want players crashing into you if it comes to that. I captured some frames behind the fence, but the tight chain-link meant I’d always get a bit of it in the shot. Great for a fun perspective, but I didn’t want every photograph to be about that. 

What elements did you seek out on location to achieve this shot?

After moving around the back and sides of The Cage for a bit, I decided this was the shot I really wanted: the leading lines from directly behind the hoop were just too good to pass up. I pulled back to 24mm to get as much of the crowd on either side and just the top of the hoop, fixed myself at a kneeling height and simply waited for the right moment. I shot a number of great frames from this spot, but this is the one where the action felt perfect — each player mostly defined within their space, and the light coming in at a pleasing angle adding that glow of brightness. A little bit of the crowd at each edge helped give it a sense of place, but your focus is still drawn to that great jump shot.

What’s most rewarding about photographing a city like New York?

New York has so many different tales to tell. You could do 10 features on its high-end dining scene alone. And how about its cast-iron buildings, and the people keeping them alive? Or its artists, from emerging talent to established icons? The convergence of so many stories in this one city — that’s what makes it such a dynamic place to live and visit. It was the first question I asked when approached with this assignment: what New York story are we telling? I love the directions that was picked.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in travel photography?

Understand what you want to create. You need a point of view, something you want to express that has to be recognisable to a viewer. Whether that’s a singular idea, an aesthetic approach, a colour palette — there has to be an element that ties your photos together into a cohesive story. It’s what elevates a bunch of images taken on a trip to professional travel photography.