Sports photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports. In the majority of cases, professional sports photography is a branch of photojournalism, while amateur sports photography, such as photos of children playing association football, is a branch of vernacular photography. The main application of professional sports photography is for editorial purposes; dedicated sports photographers usually work for newspapers, major wire agencies or dedicated sports magazines.
- Plan & think about your composition., include horizental & vertical shots for creating strong composition
- Use DSLR Camera which allows to mange shutter speed
- Have zoom lens at least 200mm plus, you can use 300mm, 400 mm to get close to the action
- Keep your lenses clean & dry. Avoid direct sunlights on to your equipments
- Do not use full automatic mode, make use of semi manual mode
- Use fast tract shutter speed i.e. 1/500th – 1/1000nd of a second to freeze the movment
- Use Aperture priority mode for shooting use small f stop number such as f/2.8 or f/4
- Use ISO setting range between 400 to 1200 mark for good quality images for indoor you may go up to 3200
- Format your memory cards, it should be of higher capacity & speed. Always have some spares memory cards with you
- Make sure that your batteries are fully charged & always keep some spare batteries with you
- Adjust your focus to maintain perfect clarirty even on fast moving subjects. Get clsoe to action by using right focus
- Fill the frame with your subject – get a powerful images
- Use fast burst mode or contineous tracking & shooting mode to capture the definative moments
- Find the right spot. Position yourself correctly & know your sport movements, vary & play with your angles – try to keep the athlete & the ball in the same shot
- Take lots & lots of Pictures. Shoot, shoot & shoot some more..
- Shoot from a low angle, such as knee angle & suggest to use Monopod
- Zoom in on Faces, Don’t always focus on action, capture the emotions expressions & feel
- Reaction among players make for great candid photo
- Capture sports gears on/off the field.. it adds up
- Tell a story, look at the shot that tells a story of the event – Try something different
- Show the deep concentration during action
- Don’t forget the sourindings, if it is not good than blur the Background
- Don’t Chimp i.e. you should not look into your LCD screen as you are likely to miss action
- Avoid using a flash in sports photography – for indoor Sports you can use mounted heavey duty flash lights but please check with Coach/Referee/Sports Officials, if it is permissiable. Alternatively Compensate for low light
- Perfect your white balance, while shooting indoors
- Shoot in RAW to recover shadows, if any
- Step away from the Crowd, secure your backpack & lens kit
- Don’t stop once the whistle blows. Get into action …
- Take athletes candid portrats during the mid game. It gives a punch
- Sport shooting is quite exciting & fast paced. Your have to be energetic & enthusiastic to enjoy. Sports Photography is a rewarding experience
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