Practice making perfect

[Dylfish]

hey guys, i wannna practice sports photography but atm i cant find enough. are there any places you can suggest (im in perth) to go and practice? im always worried of feeling intrusive at certain events. im trying to get my "sporting intuition" better when it comes to photos

[kiwi]

dunno about Perth, but its sprt of mid season between codes. Football's (Soccer and also League etc) is just starting here and there are now club pre season games every weekend. Just google your local football clubs. That's where you should go to start off. Be VERY careful shooting minors playing though.

[MrJorge]

Second what Darren is saying. Should be a bunch of footy pre-season matches going on at the moment. Would also be training a couple nights a week where you might be able to get some late afternoon action.

Probably still some cricket around too.

Guess it depends on what sports you're interested in but if it's just anything contact your club, find out when the games are and possibly ask if you can come down and take shots. I say possibly ask because you could just rock up... just depends on if you want their permission or not.

[Dylfish]

That's where you should go to start off. Be VERY careful shooting minors playing though.

yeah, dont worry, id feel awkward photgraphing auskick games :P

might wait till crickets over for me and then go down and get a few footy games. is there anything specific i should practice for sports? or just composition?

[Nicholas N]

Perth airport, fast moving planes will help your panning skills and action photography skills alot.

[MrJorge]

is there anything specific i should practice for sports? or just composition?

Some basic tips:

* try to get faces in your shots... Darren gave me this advice and he's right, expressions make or break a good sports shot. Also focus on the face.

* try to get the peak action moments (no coincidence that's Darren's new business name )... a try as the player is diving over the line in rugby, a tackle beind laid in league, a player as the ball his is boot in Aussie Rules, player at the top of his leap jagging a mark, the ball contacting the racquet/bat in tennis or cricket

* tightness works best... try to compose your shots with a view to keeping the action "tight", this might mean cropping later but you don't want loads of space around your action

* get the sun behind you or in your face for even lighting across your subjects

* use exposure compensation in really bright lighting conditions... -EV for if the sun is behind you, +EV for if the sun is in front of you with the player in between (to add some boost to the exposure on their face)

[bigbikes]

Hi Dlyfish.
Just remember wereever you go its probably a good idea to ask first.
If you go into a stadium let them know, also let the team know as well. I normally ask them if its ok to take a few shots, and if they say its ok..thats great.
I also ask them would they like me to send them copies as well. (email usually) This also gets you in the good books with them before you start. Also remember no matter what sport it is you are shooting ....NO KIDS, unless you have permission from the parents first.
Here are a few tip for shooting sports as well.
Here are some things to consider when photographing sports indoors:


1. Watch for action and movement. Sports like Basketball and Volleyball are consistently fast paced. Your job is not simply to capture the event, but also the connection between players. This takes some skill and anticipation.

2. Set your camera to a high ISO setting. Most recent SLR cameras will now allow you to shoot on 1000 ISO or even 1250 ISO. These options will reduce your concern for noticeable film grain (from ISO 1600). At the same time, your camera’s sensor will be more sensitive to what little available light you have.

3. Shoot with a fast shutter speed – at least TV/200 if you can. Once again, because you need to capture movement, a fast shutter speed will freeze the motion of the athletes, giving you a clear photo. [And if it comes down to it, settle for an underexposed image in camera. You can always adjust a sharp photo later].

4. Use a lens with the lowest aperture possible, say f4.0 to f2.8. Because you don’t have much available light, and you are working with a faster shutter speed, a wide aperture is your best friend in this setting. A wider aperture will increase the intensity of the light hitting your sensor, maximizing the available light.

5. Look for expression. Anger. Aggression. Rivalry. Teamwork. Excitement. Victory. You cannot successfully shoot any sport without watching, waiting, and capturing the emotions and relationships of the game. You will win at the end of the day if you have an emotional picture that isn’t completely sharp.

6. Shoot in RAW. The likelihood that you will achieve perfect coloring in camera is slim. Gym lighting is as notorious for green tinted lighting as it is for low lighting in general. Shooting in RAW will enable you to fix the colors in your post processing.

Good luck.

[Dylfish]

thansk! ive done a few shoots and ive got the shutter speeds down pat and im shooting in raw, i need some emotional sport fueled with anger now!

[bigbikes]

Then try U20 mens indoor basketball. That should give you everything your looking for and more.

Or maybe its just the games I shoot

[kiwi]

thansk! ive done a few shoots and ive got the shutter speeds down pat and im shooting in raw, i need some emotional sport fueled with anger now!

Dont bother with RAW, unless you are dealing with cycling indoor lighting. Waste of time and workflow

Apart from the tips Michael talked about:

Compose tight and crop tighter
Keep your s/s over 1/800s at all times, even if it means your ISO goes sky-high
Shoot wide open or close to it - and always look at your backgrounds

You should try shooting two distinct styles...

Sportraits

eg



Action



The market for mums & dads are sportraits, for editorial/news action - so it's good to try to get both





Have fun

[Dylfish]

i love the action one, but that sportstrait one is dead on too, great feeling with those eyes concentrating