Photography is an art that captures light using a camera. This is often done with the help of a digital film or sensor, and the aim is to create an image. Photography is a dynamic field, with different types for enthusiasts to explore. One of the types of photography that is lucrative and worth exploring is sports photography.
The aim of this article is to provide a detailed guide about sports photography and useful tips to help beginners take amazing pictures. What are you waiting for? Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this read.
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Table of Contents
What is Sports Photography?
As the name suggests, it is a type of photography that involves capturing exercises, games, sports, and other related activities. Sports photography is a very broad term, but it is most related to photojournalism.
In general, the photographers in this field are workers for magazines, newspapers, wire agencies, and other similar agencies. There are different positions for these photographers to fill in these agencies, and it ranges from freelancers to photographers.
The photographers usually stay in strategic areas or even in VIP areas and shoot from a distance. In other cases, they stay at the sideline and capture closer sporting actions on the field. The position of the photographers usually depends on the type of sports, but the most common thing is for the photographers to stay somewhere between the spectators and the sportsmen.
Apart from the photographers that take live pictures on the field, there are also a few other groups of photographers that sell their pictures online. They mostly do this on stock websites. This is also good and useful for different advertising purposes and makes it a lot easier for people to build their brand.
One thing to note about sports photography is that there are different photography fields that are included. As a sports photographer, you’ll need to incorporate action, group shots, and portraiture into the pictures you take. You’ll also need to be creative and capture different behind-the-scenes actions.
The need to be creative as a sports photographer cannot be overemphasized. Unlike other types of photographers where you have full control over the background and foreground, in sports photography, you have no control over this. Therefore, you’ll need to know how to properly use perspectives and camera angles when taking pictures.
Camera Equipment
Like other types of photography, a camera is also an important tool in sports photography. The most commonly used types are mirrorless and DSLR systems. However, as a cameraman and sportsman, the best thing for you to use are action cameras. This is because you can place them on your body to show your paths, as well as your surroundings.
For you to be able to capture different sports with your camera, it must have certain qualities. This includes a high-burst and continuous shooting mode and the al-servo mode. These two features are important because they will make it a lot easier for you to capture fast-moving objects.
Now that you know what sports photography is all about and the importance of the camera in this photography field, we now continue with useful tips for beginners. Be rest assured that these tips will make you take pictures like a pro, so read on.
12 Sports Photography Tips
As we have mentioned above, sports photography involves different light conditions, constant actions, and even the fans. With this, you have very little control over the background of the pictures that you take. This can be challenging if you don’t know what to do or if you are new to sports photography.
However, veteran and professional sports photographers have already developed different strategies that they use daily, which makes them seamlessly overcome this challenge. We’ve put together their best tips and strategies for beginners.
Tip 1: Learn the Sport
As a sports photographer, this is the most important thing to do. You need to fully understand all the rules and regulations of the sport. This will help you know how to anticipate the action and when to be ready to take amazing pictures. Fortunately, you can easily learn the rules of any sport by simply searching the internet.
When learning the rules of the sport, it is important to look at different picture examples. Doing this will not only give you ideas on where to expect amazing sports action, but it will also help you learn from the photographer that took the picture. You can easily see their camera angle and even where they are positioned when taking the picture. With this, you can come up with a plan to help you get compelling pictures.
Tip 2: Know the Game Venue
Apart from fully understanding the game, you also need to be familiar with the venue. This is the only way you can know the best position and angles to use when taking your photographs. You can visit the venue beforehand to plan yourself. While at the venue, you can consult referees and coaches to know places you can go and where you can’t.
At the venue, it is also important for you to check the lighting and its source. You can take advantage of this when choosing a position to take pictures.
Tip 3: Be Ready for Action
After getting a suitable position, and you’re fully set up, you need to be ready for action. Anticipate the action, and not only react to it. Reacting to the action will only make you miss the shot. You need to know how to identify the action from the player’s movement.
This is another reason why it is important to learn the sport before you begin. Learning the sport will make it a lot easier for you to be able to identify action from the player’s movement. You’ll easily know the cues to look out for, and with this, you can be sure of taking amazing pictures.
Tip 4: Know your Camera
You can’t call yourself a photographer if you don’t know your camera. By default, you need to know everything about your camera, including its ability and features. The best way to go about it is by considering the camera as another part of your body.
As mentioned earlier, sports photography happens quickly, and with that, you can’t afford to spend so much time thinking about the next camera setting to use. The bottom line is that you should know everything about the camera before you start taking pictures. You’ll need a lot of practice before the event.
Tip 5: Understand Exposure
To understand exposure, you need to know about the effect of ISO, aperture, and shutter on the images you take. These are the three elements that influence camera exposure. For sports photography, you’ll need a different ISO depending on the light condition, an open aperture with a smaller f number, and a fast shutter speed.
It’s not just about having these features, but you also need to know how to use them and adjust their settings when taking pictures.
Tip 6: Utilize Aperture Priority
One way to adjust to different light conditions is by making changes to the aperture settings. You can do this by adjusting the f stop on the camera. In general, a wider aperture will have a lower f number, and this implies that more light will be able to pass through the aperture.
The aperture size you use will depend on the angle you’re snapping from. This also determines if you’ll open or close the aperture. Most cameras come with a semi-manual mode that allows the camera to automatically adjust with respect to the surrounding light. If you use such a camera, all you’ll need to do is to adjust other important settings while the camera adjusts the aperture size for you.
Tip 7: Utilize Faster Shutter Speed
One of the features that influence exposure is the shutter speed. For sports photography, you’ll need fast shutter speed, and this can be anywhere between 1/500s and 1/2000s, depending on the type of sport. Today, cameras are designed with a priority speed setting, and you can apply this when taking pictures.
Tip 8: Manually Set the ISO
In addition to the shutter speed and the aperture settings, the ISO is also an important component that influences exposure. ISO setting is related to the light sensitivity of the camera, which is why you’ll need to adjust it with respect to the type of surrounding light.
On a cloudy day, or if you’re taking pictures indoors, you might want to set your ISO between 800 and 1,200. However, for a sunny day, the ISO setting should be set at 400. This is only a recommendation, and you’ll be the judge of the ISO setting depending on the lighting at the sports venue.
Tip 9: Utilize Continuous Autofocus
This is a feature that will help you keep different subjects in focus, regardless of their changing position. As a sports photographer, this is the most important tip you need because it will help you to get sharp and clear images. With this, you need to continuously focus the camera as the players move.
There are so many settings to make on a camera, and one way you can increase your efficiency is by freeing up some of these settings. With continuous autofocus, you’ll be reducing your workload. Remember that sports action happens really fast, and as such, you’ll need help from your camera.
Tip 10: Wide Angle Lens
Combining a zoom lens with a wide-angle lens will give you greater coverage of the sporting action. You can use this to wide shots as the team collaborates on the field. Taking pictures this way gives the viewer a sense of belonging.
Tip 11: Use Burst Mode
This is a setting that allows the camera to take multiple images in a sequence. To activate this mode, you only need to press the shutter button and hold. What’s certain about this is that you’ll get a focused image from the image series. Using the burst mode is not only important for sports photography but also for other photography genres.
Tip 12: Tell a Story
One common thing with the different photography genres is that they all involve storytelling. Using the pictures you take to tell a story is a compelling strategy that most photographers use. You can take these pictures to show the joy of victory or agony of defeat, especially from the facial expression of the players.
Your pictures also serve as a means of showing the hard work of these players. This includes their endless training hours and preparation for sporting events.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the tips to start with as a beginner. As you explore sports photography, the most important quality you need is an endless desire to learn. That is the only want to improve your skill in the field of sports photography.
We mentioned earlier that there are sports photographers that take pictures and post on stock websites. These pictures come in handy for people who want to brand their organization or other purposes. PhotoAC is one of the most reliable websites to use if you want really awesome pictures taken by veteran sports photographers. Here, you are given free access to these photos, and you can download them and use them for different purposes.