Tips For Better Sports Photography

Sports photography is an excellent branch of photography to turn your hand to and can open many doors for a brilliant career in the industry. You could find yourself attending major sporting events if big sporting teams and clubs pick up your portfolio. To help build this portfolio and better your skills as a sports photographer, Clickasnap, an online photo-sharing site, has offered tips for better sports photography.

These tips could be helpful for both hobbyists just starting and to help pros elevate their careers. So, if sports photography is your thing, keep reading!

1. Learn the sport

If your focus as a sports photographer is on a specific sport such as football, rugby, tennis, or golf, one way to better your skills at shooting these activities is to immerse yourself in the sport. Learn the rules, get to know the players, the fans, etc. This will help create shots that sports outlets and brands are looking for and allow you to understand the game and find the best way to angle your shots.

2. Use a fast shutter speed.

The trickiest part of shooting live sports is capturing the team or sportsmen and women in action. It can surely be challenging to get the angle, timing, and lighting right within the perfect moment with their fast movements. To help, you should be adjusting your camera’s shutter speed to a fast shutter speed to freeze the action.

3. Set yourself up in a good position

For best shots, you want to be positioning yourself around the track, field, or pitch so that you have a front-facing angle of the individual you will be capturing. This can be a little trickier for team sports, so you may want to position yourself on the side-lines where you will see the most action in the game. For example, in football, at the goal line.

4. Utilize the sun for the best lighting

With most sports, you will find yourself outside. On good sunny days, this is your opportunity to make the most of the natural lighting the sun offers. Keep your back to the sun and shoot towards your subject(s). Keeping your back to the sun will allow for the best lighting without causing too much exposure.

5. Capture unique shots by mixing into the crowd

For images that will stand out in your portfolio, you could consider venturing away from standard shots of the sportsmen and women by capturing the action of the fans. This will add some variety to your sports photography and offer a different perspective on the sport. Fans, coaches, managers, and even mascots are all great subjects.

6. Be cautious of those around you.

Although this tip isn’t directly related to improving your skills as a sports photographer, it will certainly keep you on the good side of the team and any others who may be affected by your positioning. Where you choose to place yourself is crucial for your shots and could also impact the sport.

You should get your images from a distance that keeps out of the way from the team/players/managers etc. In addition to this, consider whether flash photography is necessary or if it will be distracting.