My photography journey began on the sidelines of my children’s sporting events.  Through the years, I have logged in countless hours shooting a long list of different sports, in a huge variety of venues and conditions, and have worked hard to hone my technical skills behind the lens.  I have learned a thing or two along the way, and am excited to be offering mentoring to teach others who want to learn to take better sports pictures of their young stars in the making.  In the meanwhile, here are some general tips to help you along the way.

Understand, sports photography is especially challenging because of the fast action and lack of control the photographer has, but that makes it all the more exhilarating and rewarding.  The natural drama and emotion surrounding sports makes a virtual canvas for compelling pictures, if we keep our eyes open and the camera ready.

How do I know WHERE stuff is going to happen?

1.  FOLLOW THE BALL:  If you are shooting a sport with a ball involved in the game, keep your camera to your eye, and for the most part, keep your camera pointed and focused on where the ball is.  That is where the action is happening.
   

   Baseball is a repetitive sport, which gives you many chances to get the timing right, because sometimes you know EXACTLY where the ball is going.  In this shot, I had my camera focused on the catcher during a pitch.  When the hitter fouled off the ball, I just followed his movement and snapped him making a diving attempt to grab the out.

    

2. STAND SO THE ACTION IS COMING TOWARDS YOU:  Action can be tough to freeze.  I will talk a little later about ideal camera settings, but remember a runner coming towards you is easier for your camera to freeze than one moving away.  Generally, it also makes for a more interesting picture when you can see the subject’s face, though some of my favorite images are from behind my subject.

 

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   This photo is an exception to the rule.  I am not a stickler for the “you always have to see the subject’s face” narrative. No faces are seen here, but I love the respect and emotion this quiet photo conveys.  Also notice that I didn’t focus all the way through the netting, so that those lines are still visible.  It provided framing and context to the shot.

2.  KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE SPORT YOU ARE SHOOTING:  There is some luck involved with shooting sports, because there is no directing the action.  But we can give ourselves better odds of grabbing the moment by understanding and anticipating where action might take place.  For example, when shooting baseball, if there is a man on first and he is taking a big lead, I know the pitcher is likely to throw over, or the runner is likely to attempt a steal.  I focus on players accordingly.  It also helps to know the players and coaches.  Using the previous example, if I know a runner is fast, and that the coach usually sends him on the first pitch, I am ready to follow my focus on him. 
   

   In shooting cheer, it is especially helpful to know the routines and athletes.  For this shot, I knew that the boys would be tumbling from the right to left corners, so I positioned myself to capture them spinning.

    

3. DON’T STOP SHOOTING WHEN THE ACTION STOPS:  When I first started shooting, one of my best photog friends, Will Bratton, who has been published in Sports Illustrated, warned me,  “Don’t drop your camera when the action stops.  Keep shooting.  That is when some of the best moments happen.”  He was right.  It is tempting to look at the back of the camera when the play is over to see if you got the shot, but follow the players through.  Those raw displays of emotion are an important part of the story.  And don’t forget the quiet interactions or moments of reflection that are present in every game, from players, coaches, and fans alike.

Ok, you say, I know where to shoot, but my pictures still come out blurry!  Plus, the officials won’t let me use a flash.

I can help here too, but this is when you have to understand camera settings and how that relates to speed and light.  I know this sounds dangerously like physics and math, or something.  TRUST me, I am NOT a science or math person, so hang with me.  If I can get this, so can you, and in my classes, I will be teaching about this and other techniques I use to get sharp photos.  I will go over the basics here, not in overly technical terms, but in real every day person talk.  Let’s go:

There are three things about how a camera works that I need you to understand.

1.  Shutter Speed:  This setting determines how much time it takes your camera to snap the picture.  The HIGHER the number, the FASTER it snaps.  The FASTER it snaps, the more likely it is to freeze your subject in the moment.  It stands to reason, that if I want to freeze action, I want to have that shutter speed as high as I can, because I want my camera to move faster than my athlete.  Shooting high school and college sports, when I want to freeze action, I like to keep my shutter speed at least at 800, but will try to push it to 1,000 or higher.  Younger kids move slower, so my shutter speed can be slower too.

BUT…  you knew there was a but in there, didn’t you?  The higher the shutter speed, the less light the camera takes in.  Think of it this way, at a high shutter speed, the camera is faster than the athlete, but now it is faster than my light too, and less light makes it to the picture.  (No, that is probably not true physics, but it is a true illustration).  The faster the shutter speed, the darker the picture will be.  If I am shooting outside during the day, it won’t matter much.  Once I start shooting at night, or indoors, I have to learn to make other adjustments so my pictures aren’t too dark.

2.  Aperture:  This setting can get confusing.  Look on your lens.  Do you see a number that says F2.8 or F5.6, or something like that?  That number is your lens’ F-stop, or your aperture.  The aperture controls how much of your picture is in focus.  Think of it like you’ve drawn a circle around your picture.  The higher the number, the bigger the circle;  more of your picture is included in the circle.  For us, that means more of the subjects in your picture are in focus.  This is called a slow aperture.

The smaller the number, the smaller the circle.  That smaller area is what is in focus in your picture.  You know those photos you see where the subject is really clear, but the background looks fuzzy?  Those are shot at what’s called a fast aperture.

Don’t give up on me!  Forget the lingo for now and just remember this… if you want MORE of what is in your picture to be in focus, choose a HIGH number.  If you want LESS of what is in your picture to be in focus choose a SMALL number.

BUT… here is that but again.  High numbers mean darker pictures.  They are perfectly ok if you are shooting outside in the sun.  For shooting indoors or at night, I like to  shoot at about F2.8.  Shooting at that fast F-stop, I have to keep my focus on the subject, because it is easy for the camera to make a mistake and focus away from the action.

It does take practice to get a technique that works, and unfortunately, those fast lenses, especially the ones with a lot of zoom to get you closer to the action, are expensive.  But don’t get discouraged as you shoot.  Sometimes even the best photographers, with the best equipment miss, so don’t give up!

 

3.   ISO:  You’re almost there.  Don’t let your eyes glaze over just yet.  Do you remember the days of buying film for cameras?  When you could buy film for indoors, or film for outdoors, and the box would have a number on it, like 400 or 800?  That is exactly what ISO is!  ISO controls how much light the camera lets in, regardless of shutter speed or aperture.

If you want more light, choose a higher ISO number.  If you want less light, choose a lower number.  It is that simple.

BUT… you knew there was a catch.  The higher the number, the more noise, or grain there is in your picture.  It reduces picture quality.  So we want to choose the lowest ISO we can, based on the shooting conditions.  I move my ISO as a last resort.  If my shutter speed is as low as I can put it without getting blur, and my aperture is at the most my lens can handle, but my pictures are still too dark, THEN I start raising my ISO.  I would rather trade a little quality than miss the shot.

For shooting in sun, I will start my ISO at 100 or 200.  My camera handles high ISO’s really well so I can bump it to 2000 or 2500 or beyond in most situations.

The biggest and best advice I can give you is to practice with purpose.  Read up, watch tutorials, take my class (yes, shameless plug), and think while you are shooting.  Make mistakes, understand why, and try to correct them the next time.

And of course, like I have told all of the athletes I have coached through the years, have fun!  The work is worth it!

 

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