Action and Sports Photography Tips

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Action and Sports Photography Tips
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Lighting

• Lighting is the biggest problem. No two
  situations are alike.
• You can control the direction of sun and angle of
  your lighting.
• Keep the sun at your back
• Use a flash if possible or in doubt
• Set camera to Aperture Value and choose its
  maximum aperture. Make sure you have selected a
  fast enough ISO to get a shutter speed of at
  least 1/800 to freeze action. These are good
  starting points. You may have to adjust once you
  start shooting your pictures.

Here are two examples of how light (or lack there
of) took away from the picture. A different angle
and the use of a flash would have helped each
picture respectfully.
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Planning and Location

• Visit the location and plan out your possible
  angles.
• Anticipate where your pictures may be coming
  from.
• Get as close to the action as you can or are
  allowed to.
• Know what will be behind the subject in the
  background.

Here are four examples of NOT planning your
shots, getting TOO close, poor anticipation and
not having a good background.
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Whats your Angle?

• By knowing your sport, you should know what is
  the best angle for interesting freezing the
  action photos.
• Try to isolate the subject in the frame and
  capture the emotion of the moment with the face.
  Back shots are BORING!
• Shots taken on the opposites side of the field
  will have the subjects blending into the
  background. Try to wait until the action is on
  your side or in the middle.
• Allow your subject to move through the frame. If
  going from left to right, allow more room on the
  right before taking the photo.

The top two photos show how being at a good
angle, anticipating when to freeze the action
and how showing the faces help to add character
and composition to your photos.
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Equipment and Settings

• Best bet for most sporting events for lenses are
  70300mm zoom.
• Wont reach much past the middle of a kid soccer
  or football game. Will have to wait until action
  comes to your side.
• Most economical if the average price of 600 is
  economical!
• Aperture should be set at f/2.8 or f/4. Or a good
  rule of thumb is to keep it as wide open as you
  can while still having usable shutter speed.
  Depending on locations, you may not need a fast
  shutter speed due to lighting.
• Keep the ISO up! Poor lighting like high school
  football games will warrant a high ISO. Move this
  setting up before you lower your shutter speed.
• Almost all settings are variable. The best
  settings are found by practicing in the
  conditions you will most likely be photographing
  in.