Most event photography gives you some control over pace. A wedding has a schedule. A property walkthrough happens on your terms. A polo match does neither. That’s become clear from a recent shoot covering polo matches at Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, where we handled photography and videography at the same time, and it’s one of the few jobs where the brief and the reality of standing pitchside turn out to be genuinely different things.
Why polo doesn’t shoot like other events
A polo match is split into chukkas, periods of play that run about seven and a half minutes each, with most matches at four to six chukkas. Players swap to a fresh horse after every chukka, so the pace resets constantly, and within each chukka the ball and the horses covering it move faster than most people expect the first time they’re standing next to the field rather than watching from a stand. There’s no equivalent of a couple waiting for a photographer to reset. Play doesn’t pause for the shot.
That combination, constant fast movement plus zero control over timing, is closer to shooting motorsport than it is to shooting a typical event. The difference is you’re allowed to be close enough that reach isn’t your only problem, positioning and reaction time matter just as much.
What we actually shoot with
For photography, we run a Sony A7 IV paired with a 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II and a 100-400mm. The 70-200 covers play when it’s happening reasonably close to our position, and the fast, fixed f/2.8 aperture keeps shutter speeds high enough to freeze a galloping horse even in flat daylight. The 100-400 comes in when play swings to the far side of the field, since polo fields are large enough that a fixed 70-200 alone would mean losing a meaningful chunk of the action entirely.
For video, we run two Sony FX3 bodies simultaneously rather than trying to cover both photo and video off the same body. One is set up on a 16-35mm f/4 for wide, establishing shots that show the scale of the field and the pace of play. The second runs a 70-200mm f/2.8 for closer action, and we shoot a portion of that footage in portrait orientation specifically for social and reels use, since that’s increasingly where event coverage like this actually gets watched.
What we prioritize covering
The whole team, photographers and videographers, stays connected in real time through a Hollyland Solidcom setup, so whoever’s nearest to where the play is heading can flag it to everyone else before it happens. Action on a polo field doesn’t stay in one place, it can be right in front of one photographer, then closer to a videographer’s position, then back in front of a second photographer within a matter of seconds, and that constant back-and-forth over Solidcom is what lets the whole team reposition and stay ready instead of each person just reacting to whatever’s happening in their own frame. Goal attempts and near-misses are the most obvious priority, mallet-on-ball contact close enough to see the ball actually being struck, and moments where two or more horses converge on a play. Sponsor branding matters too since most matches at this level run under a title sponsor, so jersey logos, branded saddle pads and pitch-side banners need to show up cleanly in at least some of the coverage, not just the action itself. And the match doesn’t end when the final chukka does, the trophy presentation and post-match handshakes are usually part of what a client expects in the final edit, even though nobody’s on a horse anymore by that point.
Being close to the horses and players changes how you shoot
Unlike a lot of sports photography, where access is restricted to a fixed sideline or a media pit, we’ve been allowed to work close to the players and horses at Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club. That’s a genuine advantage for the work, tighter, more immediate shots than a long lens from a distant stand could ever produce, but it also means positioning has to account for horses moving unpredictably at speed in a way that a football sideline or a basketball court never asks of a photographer. You’re reading the play to anticipate where it’s heading, not just to get the shot, but to make sure you’re not standing somewhere a horse and rider are about to arrive at speed.
Shooting around Dubai’s light and heat
Most matches here run into the late afternoon specifically to avoid shooting through the middle of the day, when the sun is high enough to flatten everything and hot enough to be genuinely hard on both the horses and the crew standing pitchside for two hours. That timing works in our favor, the light gets warmer and lower as a match runs toward its final chukkas, which is exactly the kind of light that makes both the photos and the highlight reel look better without any extra work. It also means the last chukka, when the light is best, tends to be when we’re paying the closest attention, since that’s often where the strongest images in the whole set come from.
Running photo and video at the same time is its own logistics problem
Most of our shoots are either photography or videography, occasionally both but usually with some separation in setup. Polo doesn’t allow that. Because chukkas are continuous and swapping equipment mid-play means missing action entirely, both disciplines have to run in parallel, which in practice means two shooters, four cameras between them, and a shared understanding of who’s covering which side of the field before a chukka starts rather than reacting to it live. Get that positioning conversation wrong before play starts and you end up with two cameras pointed at the same third of the field while the other two-thirds goes uncovered.
Same-day turnaround isn’t a luxury for clients, it’s the point
On one shoot, the client wanted the video and photos live on social the same night, not the next day. The match wrapped around sunset, and by 9:30pm that evening they had an edited highlight video and a selected set of photos in hand, ready to post while the match was still fresh for anyone who’d been following along or was there in person. That kind of turnaround only works because the shooting side is already organized during the match, not sorted out afterward, knowing which clips and frames are worth keeping happens in real time, not during the edit.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a polo match actually take to shoot? Most matches run four to six chukkas at roughly seven and a half minutes of play each, so a four-chukka match runs about 90 minutes including breaks, and a six-chukka match closer to two hours. We’re shooting continuously across all of it, not just the highlights.
Do you need different gear for polo than for other sports photography? The core idea, fast glass and enough reach to cover a wide field, is similar to motorsport or football photography. The 100-400 specifically earns its place because polo fields are large enough that a 70-200 alone leaves gaps in coverage when play moves to the far side.
Why shoot with two FX3 bodies instead of one? Chukkas don’t pause for a lens change. Running a wide FX3 and a long FX3 simultaneously means we get establishing shots and close action from the same passage of play instead of choosing one and missing the other.
Why shoot some video in portrait mode? Most people watching event highlights afterward are doing it on a phone, through Instagram or TikTok rather than a horizontal video player, so shooting a portion of the coverage vertically from the start gets a usable result instead of an awkward crop after the fact.
Is it safe to shoot that close to polo horses? It requires reading the play constantly, not just watching it. Horses at speed change direction fast, and part of positioning well is making sure you’re never standing where the play is about to arrive, not just where it currently is.
Do polo shoots include sponsor branding as part of the coverage? Yes. Most matches run under a title sponsor, so jersey branding, saddle pad logos and pitch-side signage are part of what we make sure to capture, not just the play itself.
How fast can you turn around photos and video after a match? On one shoot the client had an edited highlight video and selected photos by 9:30pm the same evening, with the match having ended around sunset. That pace is achievable because we’re already identifying the strongest clips and frames during play, not starting that process after the final chukka.
Whether it’s polo, endurance racing, automotive launches, corporate events or luxury brand activations, we provide professional photography and videography across Dubai, with rapid turnaround when clients need content the same day. Get in touch about your next shoot.