Four Tips For Great Sports Photography

Sports photography is a big topic and would require an extensive review to really do it justice here. However, a quick overview of how to take the best sports shots can be found in these four handy tips. Grab your camera and get ready for some sport because I'm going to show you how to get shots that the papers love

1. Don't forget the camera

I often find that film cameras are the best for sports photography. Obviously, sports photography is action photography, which means you'll need good reflexes to capture that once-in-a-lifetime shot. I recommend film cameras because digital cameras often experience what's called shutter lag, or the time between pressing the button and the camera taking the picture. For "happy shots" this doesn't matter because your subject is usually standing still for longer than the shutter lag time. However, in sports photography, quick timing is everything. Point and shop cameras tend to have the longest shutter lag  and rangefinder cameras have the shortest shutter lag of any digital camera. However, the shutter lag on film cameras is negligible

In general, the longer the focal length of the lens, the wider the field of view. This is taken into account when photographing sports, as football and soccer fields can often require a long lens focal length

2. Avoid background noise

Look at any good sports photo and you'll notice that background noise has been reduced. The shot on the other side of the field often contains spectators, commercials, and other distractions that can ruin your great shot. If it is impossible to distinguish the subject of your shot from the background, the shot may not pay off. However, remember that if you have no other choice, this may be your only option

3. Shot placement - rules to keep in mind

The Rule of Faces: A subject's facial expression can make or break a shot. If you're planning to sell your sports photos, keep in mind that many editors want to be able to see the emotion on the athlete's face – meaning that a photo of the game from behind may be omitted in favor of a photo of the same game. from the front, showing the player's face. If it's not possible to get a shot of the player's face, a "back of the head" shot may be your only option, but be prepared to be rejected by some of the top photo editors.

Rule of Thirds: Centering the subject of a photo can often be helpful, but many photographers live by the "rule of thirds," which dictates that important compositional elements of a photo should be located at one of the intersections between an imaginary vertical and horizontal plane. lines dividing the photo into thirds. Proponents of the rule of thirds argue that this technique creates more energy in a photograph than a centered shot

4. Blur is good

Beginner photographers are almost always instructed to minimize blur in their photos. In non-action photography, blur can be bad. There is nothing worse than getting your photos back from developing only to find that the subject of the photo is indistinguishable from the background due to blurring. However, in action photography, blur can be good because it implies movement. When you see a soccer ball gliding through the air, your eye doesn't perceive the image as still, just like your photograph does. Practice using different shutter speeds to achieve optimal blur. It could make or break your shot