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Action photography
Although
most forms of action photography are specialised areas, mainly because
it calls for good quality long lenses, you may from time to time have
to take photographs at school sport or cultural events.
There are two things that make action photography
challenging:
- The fact that
you almost always need to use a fast shutter speed
to freeze the action, even in low light. This can cause a lack of
depth of field and therefore image sharpness, especially if the light
is not good.
- The ability to
anticipate the decisive moment of the action and
to capture it is another challenge.
The following tips
should help you to take better action photographs:
- Every
action or movement has a peak moment or several peak
moments which are always the best moments to capture.
In most types of sport, and dance, this is the moment (mostly only
a split second) when the athlete’s body is at the peak of contraction
or extension.
 For
example:
- In athletics, it can be the moment when the athlete
jumps out of the tracks and again the exact moment when he breaks
the ribbon.
- In contact sport like boxing it is the moment of
contact.
- In dancing or gymnastics, it is the moment when
the dancer or gymnast’s body, arms and legs are fully extended
at the peak of the movement.
- In tennis it is the moment the ball is hit.
- In horse racing it is the moment when all four
the horse’s legs are off the ground, either fully stretched
out or pulled in.
- In dancing and gymnastics, these moments are normally also always
the moments at which the body is at its most graceful.
Therefore
it is important to have at least a
basic knowledge of the sport you are about to photograph.
- Photographs
showing emotions like exertion or exhaustion are
also dramatic, as are photographs of anything that
goes wrong (accidents), during a race or match.
- The position
you choose to shoot from will contribute greatly to the quality of
photographs you’ll get. Although there are always restricted
areas at sports events, you should still choose the best vantage
point for the moment you want to capture.
- For most
sports you’ll need to use a fast shutter speed of at least 1/500th
or 1/1000th of a second. This means that focusing
is critical and could be difficult, especially when the action
is coming towards you and you have to keep adjusting focus. It often
helps to anticipate a movement and pre-focus on a certain
spot. For example, in athletics, if you are positioned at
the end of the track and the athletes are running towards you, pre-focus
on the finishing line and press the shutter the moment the first athlete
crosses it.
Photographing a movement from the side makes it easier
to keep it in focus.
- In low
light conditions and at night sport events, choose your fastest film
speed (ISO).
- With
most sport events, and even performing arts, you will not be allowed
to use a flash, as it may blind the athletes or the
artists momentarily.
- If you
don’t have a long enough lens to isolate players
in a team sport like rugby, position yourself in one spot like for
instance near the goal posts, and only shoot the action when it takes
place near you. There is nothing dramatic about a photograph of the
entire field full of players.
- Good
action photography only comes with practice, practice and
practice.
TIP:
If you don't have
the right lenses for certain sports, try to focus on other aspects,
like the reaction of the spectators or emotional moments
in the game, like straight after a score.
Exercise:
Attend
as many amateur sports or dancing events in your area and ask permission
to take photographs. If you come up with good pictures, chances are
the participants will buy them from you.
School events are a good place to start as most parents
are more often than not prepared to buy photographs of their kids.
© Heléne Cilliers
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