Sports Photography/Sports Events
The Decisive Moment
Sports and Action photography is all about timing. It’s about reacting. It’s about being in the right place
at the right time and it’s about executing the photo. These are all qualities of the athlete and those of
the photographer as well. Each sport has predictable and unpredictable moments. Under "Knowing
your Sport", you will learn about these moments for individual sports. For instance, in basketball, you
will have opportunities to photograph layups, jump shots, free throws, etc. Understanding the timing of
these predictable actions allows you to capture the peak moment, when the action is most dramatic.
By knowing these moments you can anticipate the action. This helps in two ways, one it helps you
with focus which will be discussed in a later segment, and secondly it helps you snap the shutter at the
right time. The saying goes "If you see the action you missed it." This basically means if you wait for
the soccer player to head the ball then press the shutter release, the ball most likely will be sailing out
of the frame. You have to push the button before the action so that the mirror has time to flip out of the
way and the shutter open and close. There is a delay between the image hitting your optical nerve and
the shutter closing. You have to, through experience, learn what that time is and adjust for it.
Location, Location, Location!
You can only photograph things you can see. The closer you are to someone, the better you can see
them. Sports are no different. You have to get as close to what you are shooting as you can. Typically,
for a photographer with a press pass, you can get to the sidelines or other similar locations. You
generally will not be permitted on the playing field. Depending on the sport, you most likely will be
limited to designated locations. For instance, at most Division I football games, the media cannot
shoot between the two 35 yard markers. For most people, the situation is even worse. You probably
don't have press access and are stuck in the stands for your shots. Get as close a possible. Even if
you make it to the sidelines, you will be jostling for space with many other photographers, both still and
video who have worked hard to get there and have the same job to do that you have.
You also have to be familiar with the sport to be able to capture the moment. This means knowing
where to position yourself for the best action. This is critical because of angular momentum that will be
discussed in the section on freezing action. Not only does it matter with the subject, but 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.
Those who have made a career of photographing sporting events have a different style of operation to
capture the high action of dramatic moments in a game. The length of the lens, the location of the
photographer taking the shot and the need to limit blurring are the three critical aspects in sports
photography.
Sports photographers use a telephoto lens. This type of lens magnifies the subject. The focal length to
choose from in telephoto lenses varies from 60mm to 1000 mm. A lens with a high focal length can
give you a wider visual area which is a necessity when you photograph field events. Sports
photographers by and large prefer 35mm cameras and use focal lengths of 300-600mm especially for
field events like soccer.
The location where photographers position themselves to take different shots is directly responsible
for capturing the relevant high-points in a match. It also helps if you have a good knowledge of the
sport. This ensures that you identify the right moments and are alert and ready when a memorable
situation occurs during the sport. You can get the right shots if you are able to move around and use
the right location in different points in a game. However, quite often the areas of movement are
restricted for photographers and the best way to tide over this problem is to use a lens of focal length
in the region of 600mm to enable shots of the far end of a court or field. Though a good location is
usually described by the angle and distance from the court or field, the other aspect of a good location
is also the play of light from your vantage point. Most photographers have the task of avoiding
shadows caused by the quality of light. The intensity of color in a photograph is reduced in dull light
conditions while bright sunlight can create shadows in certain angles
To limit blurring and capture action during a special game moment, you need to have fast shutter
speeds at your disposal. A 35mm camera that is generally favoured in sports photography can provide
the high shutter speed necessary for action shots. Besides shutter speed, the speed of the film also
plays a role. Higher film speed enables higher shutter speeds. A film speed of 100 is inadequate in
sports photography. You need a 400 and above speed film.
The autofocus mechanism in is also useful in sports photography especially when manual focus is
difficult to achieve quickly in certain sports situations.
An interesting technique called panning is applied in capturing action shots. You have to avoid holding
the camera still when you shoot action. A rule-of-thumb is to hold the camera steady but move it along
with the action rather than attempting to hold still. This steady movement of the camera along the path
of motion of the player; incredibly, has the effect of minimizing blur. On the other hand, you will get a
blur if you hold your camera still while the action is taking place. This technique is actually based on
sound scientific principles.
It should also be mentioned here that the art of sports photography actually goes beyond capturing
action or high points in a game. The readers who view these photographs in newspapers and
magazines want to see player expressions, the thrills, the disappointments, the concentration that
players display is something that readers find captivating and it becomes a talking point. Readers also
like to see crowd reactions and reactions of family members of the players in certain critical game
situations. To cater to the public sentiment, a photographer has to also attempt to click these special
poignant moments during a game by capturing reactions and facial expressions.