Sports photography is about capturing thrilling moments of action on the field, court, or track. Beginning photographers may find this genre both exciting and daunting; so this article provides basic tips on camera settings, gear selection and composition that should help get you underway with sports photography! We hope these will get you going!
Photo By Gentrit Sylejmani.
Understanding Camera Settings
Establish a fast shutter speed to capture action shots quickly. A shutter speed of at least 1/500th of a second should do the trick for most sports activities; try using your sports mode or shutter priority mode (S on your camera’s dial) for optimal performance and ensure every important moment is captured sharply.
Aperture: Opening up your lens wide allows more light in and helps your subject stand out against its background, blurring it further to draw the eye inwards. Be careful with depth of field though – too wide could miss some action, making f/2.8-5.6 an optimal range for sports photography. Check out this free camera basics article on aperture for further insights into this concept: its meaning, how it affects our photos, measurement methods used and control methods available to you.
ISO: For best image quality in outdoor sports photography, typically 100-400 ISO settings work well. In indoor or low light situations however, 800-1600 ISO settings might be needed in order to maintain fast shutter speed and avoid motion blurring.
Photo By Sven Kucinic
Focusing: For tracking moving subjects, continuous autofocus (AI Servo on Canon cameras and AF-C on Nikon cameras) should be used. This feature ensures your subject stays in focus regardless of their proximity or distance from your lens.
For a comprehensive rundown and better understanding of how to set up your camera to capture moving subjects and objects, download this free guide here.
Essential Gear for Sports Photography
Professional photographers typically utilize high-end gear; however, you can achieve impressive results even with just basic kit!
Sports photography requires the use of either a DSLR or mirrorless camera, however advanced compact and bridge cameras can also do an outstanding job.
Lenses: For maximum effect when shooting from afar, consider investing in a telephoto lens with at least 200mm focal length – this allows you to capture distant action as though you were right there! Image stabilization may prove helpful when shooting handheld.
Photo By Jannes Glas
Tripod or Monopod: When shooting with heavy telephoto lenses, stability is of utmost importance. A monopod can offer more mobility while a tripod guarantees rock-steady shots – to help you select between these options, take a look at this helpful article on selecting either type!
Memory Cards: High-capacity and fast memory cards are essential to taking multiple shots quickly without delays.
Christina Harman offers valuable guidance in this helpful article on identifying what camera gear you require vs what gear is desirable.
Photo By Maarten Duineveld
Now let’s dive in with some practical advice to improve our sports photography abilities! Let’s go over some practical techniques that could help sharpen up our photography abilities!
Anticipate the Action: Get familiar with the sport you’re shooting before beginning to photograph it, learning key moments and positions of players so you can anticipate where the action may unfold. If you want to learn about capturing sports photography, this piece provides helpful tips for shooting outdoor sports!
Focus on Faces: As faces can convey emotions and intensity, make an effort to capture expressions on athletes that capture either elation at victory or determination to score – these could make powerful images that represent these emotions perfectly.
Continuous Shooting Mode: For unpredictable action and unpredictable moments, use continuous or burst shooting mode on your camera to take multiple shots quickly in succession to increase your chance of capturing that perfect moment.
Composition: Be mindful when framing. Keep your subject within the frame, consider the rule of thirds and don’t be afraid to break these rules if it leads to more dynamic shots. Author Jo Plumridge wrote an informative article on this composition rule and how we can apply it in our photos.
Photo By Joppe Spaa