Sports PhotographyLearn Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for the student Sports PhotographerSports photography is something that all photographers, whether as an amateur or professional photographer, can pursue for fun and profit. If you’re like me, you might have a kid or two that have become involved in various sports thought the years. And as a photography enthusiast, it has given you the excuse and / or opportunity to invest in and practice with some really nice sports photography equipment. I am a professional photographer, but not a professional sports photographer. In reality, I happen to shoot food for a living. Food is a far stretch from shooting sports photography, but it’s amazing how many of the principles and techniques span the two specialties. In this web page, I will share with you the things I’ve learned over the years shooting various sports including soccer, lacrosse, motocross, wrestling, and football, to mention a few. I’ve even been on the sidelines of a Steeler Game. So feel free to poke around and see what you can learn about sports photography. |
|
|
|
What makes sports photography good?If we’re going to talk about how to become a good sports photographer and make great sports photography, it would probably be a good idea to talk about what it takes to make any kind of good photo. Yes, sports photography has a few more elements to consider than the “typical” photo, but basically, what makes a good photo also tends to make a good sports photograph. Like any other types of photography, sports photography must have the basics of good photography: good composition, good exposure, good sharpness, good color, good lighting, interesting subject matter, and good technical image quality. Having said that, we’ve all seen “good” photos that do not contain ALL of those elements, but they had to contain at least a few of them. |
|
|
|
| The really “great” sports photos (and all great photos) need to contain as many of these elements as possible. The really “good” sports photos can get by with just a few of these elements. We should strive to master our hobby (or profession) so that we can attain as many of these goals as possible every time we shoot, but in reality, many of these elements will be out of our control when shooting sports photography. But for the things that are in our control, we need to do our best and to continue to get better every time we shoot.
While I think it’s important to continue improving at sports photography, I think that it’s interesting to realize the most “good” photos are considered “good” because of one dominate element. Not all good photos have the same dominate element, but each photo is considered good because of it’s own dominate “special” thing. In one photo, the player may have a really cool expression that makes that photo special, but the next “good” photo may have a really cool lighting effect that you find appealing. Other sports photography my look really cool because of a motion effect, while another may stand out because of its gorgeous colors. Yet another photo may appeal to you because of its rich grainy look. There are all kinds of things that make a photo attractive to us, and if you read on, you’ll learn how to make the right choices, use the right camera settings, and anticipate the action so you consistently create “good” sports photos and occasionally, great sports photography. |
|
Determining the best Point of view for your youth sports photography
Technical issues and camera settings for digital sports photography
Capturing the action in sports photograph
Didn't find what you were looking for? |
|
