7 Keys to Great Sports Photos

August 12, 2010, By Jonathan Wylie 0 comments

Sports photography is harder than it looks. Your subject is often moving, you are usually not as close as you would like to be and your chances of you missing "the" shot are greater than with almost any other type of photography. However, if you follow the advice below, you can tip the scales back in your favor.

1. Focal Length. Beg, borrow or steal a long lens, or a camera that has one, to help you get close to the action. Filling the frame with your subject will be a lot easier with a longer lens, and it will instantly make your photos look more professional. Take a quick browse through the photos in Sports Illustrated and you will soon see how close the pros get to their subjects. If your camera lens is not long enough, you won't be able to get those close-up action shots.
2. Shutter Speed. Set a fast shutter speed on your camera to freeze the action as it happens. Ideally, you should be looking at speeds of 1/640 second, but depending on the sport, you may need to be even faster than this. Anything slower, and you risk blurring the action. If you cannot set the shutter speed on your camera, then set it to sports mode. Almost all digital cameras have this setting.
3. Continuous Shooting. Set your camera up to take pictures in its continuous shooting mode. When set like this, your camera will take a continuous set of photos for as long as you hold down the shutter button. Check your camera manual to see how many frames per second that yours can shoot, and then set your camera to its highest setting. You will greatly increase your chances of improving your sports photography when you are firing off 5 or 10 photos at a time. You can delete the duds later.
4. Orientation. Remember that your camera can shoot vertically as well as horizontally. Some sports lend themselves more to one orientation than the other. For instance, shooting basketball vertically will often fill your frame better and focus the viewer's attention more on your subject. However, with motor sports or horse events, you are more likely to be shooting horizontally to match the proportions of the vehicles (or horses).
5. Positioning. Press photographers get a lot of the best pictures because they are close to the action. So, whenever possible, get into a position that is as close as you can get to the action. If you are sitting with other spectators, sit near the front, and if you get the chance to wander the touchline, then take that opportunity. If you are shooting a children's sports event, take your pictures when kneeling or crouched down in order to capture the action from their level, as opposed to towering above them.
6. Indoor Events. Indoor sports photography is harder for your camera because there is generally less light. However, there are a few things you can do to help maximize the amount of light that reaches your camera's sensor. Set your camera to shoot at a wide aperture, (a small f number like f2.8 or lower), and you will let more light enter the camera. If your photos are still blurry or a little dark, increase your ISO settings. This will allow yet more light into the camera, but be wary of digital noise. The higher your ISO number, the grainier your finished picture will be. Most modern DSLR cameras are good to ISO 3200 or beyond, but compact digital cameras tend to be noisy from ISO 800 upwards.
7. Continuous Focus. Many digital cameras have a continuous focus setting, and/or a subject tracking mode. If yours does, you should make sure that you turn these on before shooting any sports action event. This will help your camera focus quickly on moving subjects and helps ensure that your photos are sharp and in focus.

With these tips in mind, you increase your odds of taking great sports or action shots. Your photos will be sharper, more dynamic, and something that you will be proud to show to your family and friends. 

Jonathan Wylie is a certified teacher and freelance writer. He is a contributor to Six Apart Media.