Sports Photography

The moment of action and excitement in a sporting event in a photograph can be one of the hardest things to capture on Camera. In Sports Photography it is not just having skill in taking a photograph it is also about having the right equipment and lens. To photograph different sporting actions requires different Cameras and lenses if you have any chance of catching that perfect shot.

In sports photography it’s all about capturing not just actions though emotion of competition. A well known example of this is of the famous  sports pictures of Muhammad Ali emotions after knocking down Sonny Liston. His victory was in the first round of their fight in May 25, 1965. What the picture captures the emotion of Muhammad Ali screaming at Liston to get up and fight. This century it is commented to have been once the best moments captured in Sports Photograpy.

The reason for this is the sports image captured 1000 words of a man’s determination to fight to win. This is the seen that shows the memorable moments in sports that can not easy be explained in photojournalism.

The another factor is it does not matter how much equipment you have it takes time and skill to become a good sports photographer. Some people like in any job have a natural ability to take the perfect shot. On Sports Pictures we have included lots of information listing 250 of the best websites on the internet covering all you need to know about sports photography.

Sports Photographers

With modern digital DSLR Cameras Photographers can shot to memory cards  frame after frame of images allowing them to increase their chances of capturing the right picture. Knowing where the action is going to happen and positioning yourself to take the right image takes both skill as you are also trying to capture emotion on the faces of players.

The key as we discuss else ware is to know your sport. Behaviour of the players and the style of play used by the coach. This is the only way you have a chance of capturing sport at its best. The art of sports photography is not just watching the ball its about capturing all the important moments throughout an event. After the game is over is the best time then to review your images to find that perfect picture.

In today’s world everyone wants digital images and this equipment is quite expensive, as you need different camera’s and lenses depending on what type of sports you are photographing. To photograph fast moving sports images you will need telephoto lenses. At night games or indoors you will need fast lenses with large apertures that let in a lot of light.

To shot football, baseball, and soccer you will need at least a 300mm f/2.8 lens. In using a35-70 f/3.5 - 4.8 zoom lens that is found on a lot of cameras is not suitable.

Many professional sports photographers have the following set of equipment:-

• 3 top-of-the-line digital camera bodies, such as the Canon 1D or Nikon D3 ($4,500 each)
• Extreme wide angle 14mm f/2.8
• Wide angle zoom lens 16 - 35mm f/2.8
• Fast short telephoto 85mm f/1.4
• Telephoto zoom 70-200 f/2.8
• Fast Telephoto 300mm f/2.8
• Fast Long Telephoto 400mm f/2.8
• Teleconverter 2x
• Teleconverter 1.4x
• 2 Monopods
• Tripod
• 2 Flashes
• Radio Remotes
• Light stands, umbrellas, lighting equipment
• Laptop with extra ram
• Photoshop
• Rolling camera case
• 6 Extra batteries

Total: US$38,000+

It is not just the camera you use though making sure you are using the right lens. Many professional sports photographers shoot 90 percent of their work with a 400mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm zoom and two bodies:-

• Baseball: 400mm, 70-200mm
• Basketball: 70-200mm, 16-35mm
• Football: 400mm, 300mm, 50mm

 Framing That Perfect Picture

In taking pictures the image must be focused. In capturing that perfect shot you are trying to put 1000 words into the image. This why 99% of images once evaluated end up not being used, as once a photographer spend times reviewing the images with a photo editor what seemed a good shot might not be the best pictures of the game.

The best images the players are centre in the shot. Using the right camera and lens to capture an image with the correct depth of field as you are trying to isolate the subject from the background. AF or Automatic focus has advantages though for professional manual focus can produce superior results.

The fantastic thing about digital cameras is you are not limited to taking a few shots. It allows you scope to capture a series of images if you think something is going to happen. Taking safety shots rather than risking everything on that one sports images that you might not capture.

I focused on the leading jockey as she turned into the straight. I maintained the focus as she was coming into the finish line, when another horse closed in on the outside. I kept clicking while the closing horse passed and crossed the finishing line first. The photograph that made the newspaper was of two jockeys riding neck-and-neck, but both looked like they were in very different races. One had a smile, and the other knew she was defeated in the final meters.

Camera Organisation