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With the Olympics just around the corner I thought it might be fun to do a feature on Sports Photography to help those attending the games capture the best action sports shots, but also help the rest of us who will be watching along from home who will no doubt be inspired to improve our own sports photography.
Some of the following sports photography tips and resources are specifically for 'Digital' photography while others are more general in their nature but just as relevant for Digital Photographers wanting to improve their shots.
Also check out Digital Photography School for more free Digital Camera Tips on All Topics.
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'Most all dramatic sports photos are shot with the lens wide open or one stop from wide open. This is done for two reasons. First you need all the shutter speed you can get, which means shooting wide open, but just as important, it has to do with isolating the subject. As the aperture on a lens opens up, less and less of the photo is in focus. The longer the lens, the more dramatic the change. The larger the distance between the subject and the background the more out of focus the background will come. If you use a long lens and a fast aperture, then your subject will stand out and the background elements will have less impact on your photo.'
He has eleven great tips written under the following headings:
- Master your craft and your equipment
- Use Your Vision
- Be Prepared
- Get in position
- Focus (he suggests four techniques)
- Timing
- Pay Attention
- Take a Chance
- Stick with the Stars
- Write Good Captions
- Keep it Simple Stupid
'Each sport has its story. Take photos that describe the beginning, middle and end of an event. will use a sprinter for an example. The sprinter stretches their legs before the race. The sprinte places themselves in the starting blocks. At the crack of the gun, the sprinter launches themselve from the starting blocks. The sprinter than dashes down the runway, breaking the tape at th finish line. After the race, the sprinter stands exhausted, unable to catch her breath.. The sprinte congratulates other runners. The sprinter smiles and waves on the podium, collecting their medal The sprinter then poses for pictures with their medal, surrounded by family and friends. Ever step of this story is potential for a outstanding photograph.
'In sports photography, Bergman believes that "reaction" pictures are as good as, if not better than, the action pictures that capture "the moment" in the game when the momentum shifts. To illustrate the concept, Bergman recalls a playoff game in which the Miami Heat lost to the New York Knicks. As the Knicks started celebrating on the court, a lot of photographers shot pictures of the Knicks celebrating, what Bergman calls the "obvious shot." Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat was walking off the court, looking especially dejected. Bergman chose to focus on Mourning, framing the shot to include the Knicks' celebration in the background.'
'The magazine expects both staffers and freelancers to shoot in RAW+JPEG mode whenever possible and RAW with cameras that can't shoot both simultaneously. Other recommended settings and practices have been developed in an ad-hoc fashion, says Jache. They include formatting CF cards in camera before each use, setting custom white balance with a gray card, limiting the EOS-1Ds to ISO 800 or lower, and limiting the Nikon D1X to ISO 640 or lower. (The photo department's web site, www.siphoto.com, offers settings recommendations for several Canon and Nikon digital SLR cameras.)
The magazine also likes both Canon and Nikon cameras to be set for the Adobe RGB color space: Color Matrix 4 on the EOS-1D and EOS-1Ds, and Color Mode II on Nikon digital SLR models. They also recommend normal tone compensation, rather than auto, for Nikon cameras, and sharpening off for all cameras. Many of these settings can be changed at the RAW conversion stage, acknowledges Jache, but he says that setting them correctly in-camera can prevent errors of omission further down the workflow.'
'Professional photographers don't just control the blur in their photographs, they also create some blur with a technique called panning. Panning's easy to do and the result can be very cool looking. Start by setting the camera's shutter speed to something slow, something like 1/15 of a second or slower, then start to follow your subject before you are ready to take the picture. Right before the action heats up, press the shutter and then follow the subject until the shutter closes.'
There are two ways to depict fast action. First, you can "freeze" the action at its peak. Second, allow the action to blur in the photo to show the speed of movement.'
'The photographer who understands the game and has knowledge of individual players' styles will find it easier to anticipate the action and will know where to be positioned for good photographic opportunities. Effective camera angles will not only include key elements in the composition, but will be chosen for lighting that works to your advantage.'
If you have an online sports photography tips resource or a tip that you've found helpful please leave it below in comments.
Check out some of our other Digital Camera Tips:
- Digital Photography Composition Tips
- Night and Low Light Digital Photography Tips
- Macro Digital Photography Tips
- Taking Images with Camera Phones Tips
- Depth of Field Tips
- Introduction to Photoblogging and Moblogging
- How to Choose a Digital Camera
- Digital Camera Care Tips
- Cleaning your Digital Camera Image Sensor
Posted by Darren in our Tips category on July 19, 2004