Sports Photography Tips

Sports Photography Quick Tips

Taking pictures at sporting events is always an exciting challenge, and there is a LOT of information on the web to help you capture great shots. If you need a few quick tips to get you started, here are my “shutter thoughts” – things I’m always keeping in mind while shooting sports and events.

1. STAY OUT OF THE WAY!

This means don’t block spectators’ views, and don’t get in the way of the action, ever! The safety of the athletes is your top priority. I always try to introduce myself to coaches and officials before each game, and make sure we’re all okay with the pictures, and where I am allowed, and not allowed.

2. The sports photographer’s mantra:

“Two faces (or just one depending on the action) and a ball”! Action coming at you is best, and the closer, the better. Don’t forget about the emotion of the game, and keep your attention on the bench during time-outs, and after-the-game jubilation shots. Also, if you show your pictures on the web, you may want to think about posting just those pictures that are flattering to the athlete/team – I don’t post shots that are awkward, embarrassing, or that show a team in a bad light.

3. Compose well and don’t cut off limbs!

One of my early bad habits was concentrating so much on getting a face in the picture that I was putting the faces in the dead-center of the frame…leaving a lot of boring, empty space in the top half….not pretty. Generally, I focus, literally, I put the autofocus on the stomach – it’s easier to track, and you usually end up capturing everything, including the athlete’s feet and outstretched arms, rather than cutting them off at the elbows or the knees.

4. Watch your backgrounds!

Nothing ruins a great action shot like garbage cans, utility poles, signs, cars, colorful fans, etc., in the background. But what do you find at sporting events? All of the above! Using a wide aperture opening, meaning a low f-stop number (think of the f-stop as a 1/fraction to help you get the “lower-number-really-means-a-bigger-opening” thing) will help blur the background, but always be on the look-out for distractions, and move to a different spot if you can, and stay low.

5. Keep an eye on your exposure and white balance.

I use manual exposure settings, and when there is a break in the action, I’ll quickly review my pictures – using the histogram view for accuracy. Do not rely on the camera’s monitor, as it’s probably going to look pretty dim, especially when you are wearing sunglasses. This is more important when taking pictures outside when the sun is setting or if clouds roll in, as the lighting changes will affect your exposure and white balance. In gyms, you don’t need to worry as much about exposure after you do your initial test shots, but in those tighter quarters, you DO need to be careful about getting smashed by a ball, or worse, a large athlete speeding directly towards you (and they are fast!).

6. Check your battery and number of shots remaining.

If your battery is getting low, change it; if your card is filling up, change it. Don’t wait until the last minute; because you will miss a great shot (or several) while fumbling around your bag for a battery, or a new memory card – trust me, it’s happened to me more than once!

7. Stay relaxed and have fun!