Sports Photography Tips For Beginners

Capturing the action of an exciting sporting event, be it football, rugby, tennis or any other, is a wonderful feeling for everyone involved.

Use The Opening Priority Mode

The modes in a typical DSLR are usually the following: Automatic, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual. Shown with the letter A on a Nikon camera and AV on a Canon, the aperture is the number f, which determines how much light reaches the camera sensor.

If we are not using an SLR camera, we do not need to worry about the aperture configuration, but rather a shutter speed, which we will reach shortly. When we set our camera aperture in aperture priority mode we are allowing the camera to determine the shutter speed. This is usually the best option to use on a sunny day.

What we are looking for when using this mode is to have a very large aperture, which is a small number f, such as f / 2.8 of / 4. This will ensure that as much light as possible reaches the sensor, which in turn tells the camera that fast shutter speed is needed for the correct exposure. When there is more light in the camera, faster shutter speed is allowed, which helps to freeze the action.

Use Shutter Priority Mode If You Do Not Have Aperture Priority Available

This option is the best option for photographers who do not have an SLR. It is important to remember that you can capture some amazing images even if you do not have a professional camera. Most cameras, including some compact ones, allow users to adjust the shutter speed.

The shutter speed is very important. When photographing in a semi-manual mode such as Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, you need to configure the ISO yourself taking into account the location, time and conditions of the event you are photographing.

For a football game during a sunny day, for example, a minimum ISO of 400 will be perfect, since there is plenty of light available for the camera. However, if it is a cloudy day without brightness, there is not so much light, maybe we have to tell the camera to set the ISO automatically. On a darker day, we will have to increase the ISO, usually around 800 to 1200.

Use An Auto Focus Mode And Burst Shot

In order for the camera to keep up with the fast movements we want to photograph, you have to continually focus on the subject instead of blocking the focus at only one point. In addition to this, the camera must also be configured to take multiple images, usually referred to as "frames per second" or "burst. "

How to Take Surf Photography

If you have the option to set the number of frames per second that you want the camera to take, always adjust to the maximum either 3, 4, 5 or more photos per second, this increases the chances of capturing that spectacular shots.

Use Your Photographer Vision

You have to see what is happening. You must learn to use your peripheral vision, especially with the eye that is not looking through the camera. Keep that other eye open. Learn to pay attention to what is happening around you.

Be Prepared

It is good to investigate who and what we are going to look for during the game. Talk to coaches if necessary, to find out what may be of special interest and who the star players are.

Learn about the game. You must have a knowledge of the basic rules of the sport you are photographing, as well as a minimum knowledge of the patterns of this sport and the action flows.

You can study watching on television, but you should keep in mind that shooting at ground level looks very different from the high positions of television cameras.

Constantly check things like exposure, if the light is changing, and make sure you don't run out of memory at the time when the most important thing happens. Check that you have enough free space on the memory card.

Learn From The Best

It is good to see what photographers, who are professionally engaged in this type of photography, are doing. You can take some sports magazines to see some good examples, some ideas, and some inspiration. The Internet can also be a very good option to find inspiring examples. 

Pay Attention

You should always expect the unexpected. Stay active Do not stare there when something unusual begins to happen. Don't even try to find out what's going on, just press the shutter button!

Take A Lot Of Photos

Be it a soccer player kicking the ball or a tennis player, once you have the subject in the frame, press and hold the shutter button halfway to focus, then press to shoot and capture as many photos per second as possible, depending on the burst modes we talked about earlier.

These days with digital photography we are lucky to be able to take a lot of photos and see the results immediately.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with finishing a sporting event with 1,000 images on the camera!