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Sport Photography - part 2 of 1 2

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It is essential that you are familiar with the sport, knowing the rules David Kennedy is not enough, you need to know what to expect so study the sport well in advance. This also means knowing where to position yourself for the best action. Not only does it matter with the subject, but also the background. Look at what is going to be behind your subject. While we will try to minimize the impact that a background has, it will still be unavoidable.

So you need to position your self where the background is the most pleasing, using wider apertures thus throwing the background at of focus will help, though is not a complete cure - your positioning is therefore essential to the end result.

Capturing the Decisive Moment

No use waiting for the action reply or the player to do it again, you have to be 'bang on the button' to capture that decisive moment, so concentration on the action is essential.

George ThompsonSports photography is all about timing and your reaction, it's also about being in the right place at the right time. You can with practice anticipate the moment/ There is a saying in sports photography 'If you can see the action the you have missed it', this means that when you the player dives to head the ball and you see it shoot towards the goal, then by this time the moment will have gone, you need to be on the trigger sooner. So practice, practice, practice.

What Equipment to Use

Digital SLR cameras have given the sports photographer a huge advantage over using film. Due to the vast capacity of memory cards as apposed to say 35mm film and the editing facilities then then the photographer can shoot away capturing thousands of images.

Costas KyriakidesIt is essential that your camera has the facility to change lenses as you will require long telephoto lenses to get close to the action.

Different sports require different lens lengths, and a zoom telephoto is obvious advantage.

Lens speed is also a critical factor, while the faster the lens the more expensive it will be it will yield far better results, essential especially if you wish to sell or enter in competition the results of your work

Virtually all digital cameras are autofocus, while this is good in many circumstances it may also prove a disadvantage if the camera is 'hunting' while trying to focus. So a good clear pentaprism is essential and a manual focus option in order that you can control the camera.

Electronic flash is of little use in field sports as it will over-expose the foreground, using the Mark Loveloc available light with a high ISO setting on the camera will have positive advantages.

Other items of equipment for you to consider are tripod an/or monopod, remote triggers a stool for you to sit on and a sturdy camera bag.

But most important of all is enjoy your sport and get some great pictures.

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