Tag Archives: action photography

Tips for Action Sports Photography

I’m returning to Beyond Here having been so busy in my sports photography business over the last 4 months that there hasn’t been time for much else. What a welcome change from the last 2 years where coronavirus restrictions were a major impact. And ironically, right at the moment, I’m writing this while in covid isolation! What to write about? Given my sports focus it seems right to share plenty of tips for action sports photography.

Tip 1 – Moments of Crazy Action

There are times in sports games when there is so much crazy action it is too much to take in. This is a time to be shooting heavily. Moving from subject to subject and looking to capture the action that the eye and the brain don’t have time to process. First of my tips for action sports photography, when the action gets crazy that’s the time to shoot heavily.

Tip 2 – Don’t Be Afraid to Shoot an Extreme Close Up

It’s not easy to shoot extreme close ups. You will have many misses and failures. But extreme close ups can show detail of the game that you will not see from afar. The players expressions, their concerns, their determination. Shoot really close up images using a long lens, or crop significantly in post production to get the same effect.

Extreme close ups show a view you can’t observe with the naked eye

Tip 3 – When There’s no Action Look for Images which Tell a Story

There is not always fast paced action at sports events. Sometimes there are weather delays or injury breaks or just normal scheduled breaks in play. This is a good time to seek out images which tell a story even though they may not have extreme action.

This night when I went to the cycling, after about 15 minutes of racing there was a major crash and injury. All racing for the evening was called off, and at this point cyclists were returning to the starting area with their own bikes and others which had been involved in the crash. No great action is shown but it tells a story cyclists can relate to. Pushing your own bike, and carrying a friend’s mangled one.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy these brief tips for action sports photography.

Tips for Photographing Tennis

Summer is a super time for shooting outdoor sports and capturing action. Lots of people are enjoying the warm weather, getting exercise, and enjoying social time. Here are some tips for photographing tennis.

Tip #1 – Making use of Different Light Conditions

In this post I am including images shot in very different lighting conditions – day, evening / twilight, and night. All offer great opportunities to shoot different styles of images.

Daytime images will typically offer the brightest lighting conditions

Day time images will usually offer the brightest light and will make capturing fast action easier. Twilight images create opportunities for silhouettes and more unique images. And night shots will often give you the opportunity to have the well lit player stand out from the dark background. Explore all lighting conditions for variety in your images.

Tip #2 – Explore Different Shooting Angles

On a tennis court the action takes place in a defined space. If you’re not careful your images can begin to look the same. Try exploring different shooting angles to create variety and interest.

Tip 3 – The Ball Adds Interest

It is not a universal rule, but in general, images which include the ball are more interesting than those without. Don’t take this as a golden rule, but do observe your own images. That makes your timing important to be able to capture the ball in your images while it is close to the player.

Tip #4 – Use Fast Shutter Speeds

Capturing the split second action while the ball is close to the player requires good timing and equipment. It is something which definitely gets better with practice. Use fast shutter speeds to help you freeze the action. How fast? The image above is benefiting from shooting into the bright sun allowing a shutter speed of 1/8000s.

Tip #5 – Close Ups Can be Very Interesting

Try shooting very close up images of tennis players. I don’t mean to stand super close (!) but use a zoom lens to create an image which captures the player’s facial expression. Very close up images can be super interesting.

Tennis close up images can be very interesting

Thanks for reading these tips for photographing tennis. Happy shooting!

5 Lessons from Speaking to a Local Camera Club

Last month I was the guest speaker at the Maroondah Photographic Society meeting. It was fun to share images and talk about ‘action photography’. I particularly enjoyed the discussion and the questions, and while I was the presenter, I also learned a lot. Here are 5 Lessons from Speaking to a Local Camera Club.

Lesson 1 – It’s Fun to Talk with Other Photographers

My first lesson was more of a reminder than a lesson, and that is – it is fun to talk to other photographers. We share a passion for creating images, and I really enjoyed sharing images and talking with this group.

While I mainly shoot sports I enjoyed presenting wildlife action images as well

Lesson 2 – Photographers like to Know Your Camera Settings

During the discussion on action images, with nearly every image someone was asking about camera settings. It took me a little by surprise. Perhaps it’s due to experience (or old age!) but I rarely ask about camera settings. I have either experienced taking different styles of shots, or can estimate by looking at the image what the camera settings will be. That aside, the lesson was that the members of this club were interested in camera settings. Next time I will include them for each image.

Sports images are my main subjects and provide lots of material to discuss

Lesson 3 – Positioning and Timing

I mainly shoot sports images and so the discussion did focus on sports photography. Positioning and timing are key to generating high quality sports images. Two simple tips – images will be more compelling if you keen see the players faces, and if you can see the ball. Position yourself to capture both in your images.

Lesson 4 – Amateur Photographers Would Like to Know How to Generate an Income from Images

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have been active in stock photography. There are many posts on Beyond Here which discuss the process of shooting stock images and uploading them to an image library where they are then available to purchase. In our discussion on action photography I mentioned that many of my wildlife images are available as stock. This drew questions and was a good lesson for me – there are plenty of amateur photographers interested in how to generate an income from images. See here for what to expect starting in stock photography.

Positioning and timing are important in action images.

Lesson 5 – Photographers Like to Know About Your Equipment

While equipment was not a major component of the presentation, it did feature and drew some discussion. I briefly covered the equipment we use for sports photography and more generally for action images. You’ll find it easier if you have a camera body which shoots a high number of images per second, have lenses which focus quickly and shoot at shallow depth of field, and use a mono-pod if you are going to be shooting for an extended time.

Thanks for reading these 5 lessons from speaking to a local camera club. To Neil and the photographers at the Maroondah Photographic Society – thank you for having me!