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Photography 104: Sports Photography Tips for Beginners 

For beginners getting used to sports, photography seems a little tough because you have to capture a moving object from a far distance. And gathering the tips of sports photography for beginners was a great challenge for us. But finally, for our readers, we’ve made it. Since it’s a little different than normal beginner photography, so we’ve divided it into two parts: Pre Setup Tips & Action Tips. Now let’s go to the detailed discussion.

3 Pre Setup Tips for Sports Photographers

Sports photography is a little different than other photography. That’s why our recommendation will follow the pre-setup tips first & then start your action.

Know Your Sports

As you’ve to take speedy photos from a distance & the distance of your object will change continuously, it is better choosing a lens of 200+ focal length. Otherwise, a large number of photos will be cluttered or partially damaged. Wide Angle cameras are recommended with a large sensor. For cricket, golf, or other slow games camera with crop zooms are okay, but still, we’ll suggest you purchase a good camera.

And don’t think that you need a big budget for purchasing a camera. There are lots of cameras in the market, which are very reasonable for a beginner. Besides, there are also many wide-angle lenses cheap. Just read the reviews of different cameras & lens and then compile your own hardware setting.

Hardware Setting

The first & most important tips for you are to study sports on those you are going to work on. For cricket, you’ve to prepare in one style & for football you’ve to prepare in another style. For swimming, you need some waterproof gears also. So, before starting your sports photography career prepare yourself not only with gears but also learn the rules of the game.

Camera Setting

If you’ve to work indoor then learn more about night photo-shoot as due to the lack of light or artificial light of the indoor stadium, more or less the shutter speed & ISO setting remains also the same in both cases. But for total exposure, you need to be dependent on your object behavior. Also, the ambiance is a big factor. In terms of distance set your zoom.

3 Sports Photography Tips for Direct Action

So now you’ve studied your sports, chose an appropriate camera for that sports & tuned its setting for a maximum quality photo. Now let’s dive into the tips for direct action.

Choose Your Vantage Point

Usually shooting from the same level help you to focus & present player’s reaction, impression & actions better than other position. As a result, ta vantage point should be a position from where you can keep yourself always straight to the players.

But in the case of sports photography all, we know the key object which means the player stays in continuous movement. As a result, theoretically finding a fixed vantage point is almost impossible.

But practically you can set yourself always for a fixed important position. For example, imagine you are shooting a soccer match. So, of course, the most important parts that people will want to see how goals are done & how their favorite player played.

These things can help you to make your own vantage point. If you like Messi or Ronaldo, then take your position between near their position & the goal post. As a result, you can take the most important part of the whole match.

Use Fast Auto Focus & Burst Mode

The running objects will be moving & fast. And you’ve to be smarter & faster in caching them through your lens. Technically it means setting up a fast autofocus so that your focus point can switch faster than your object automatically.

But in spite of switching your focus, getting an appropriate snap is a little harder. And that’s why to open your burst mode & take continuous photos 5-10 times consecutively. As a result, if you miss a specific moment, there will be another moment to give backup.

Along with these settings keep your shutter speed & ISO value high. And don’t forget to shoot from a low angle such as your knees or monopod. Don’t jerk your hand & focus on your target. There will be a mass distraction by the audience and other crowds. Try to avoid these noises as much as you can.

If Possible, Take Videos

It may sound a little weird. But there are lots of photographers who actually take videos of fast-moving objects, then split it into scenes & finally they edit the best scene from the split video. But there are also some strategies to think. For example, if you start taking videos of the whole match then you need more memories. In addition, taking continuous video means making your snaps one-sided.

To make it more reasonable first pick your best moment to capture and then record it for 1-2 minutes max. After that look for another exclusive moment & do the same. But if you can predict any future moment, then switch your video mode into burst mode instantly and wait to take 3-4 image shots.

Finally, gather all your snaps & videos, compose your story & edit one after one very carefully. Don’t break the serial, don’t publish any photo before editing all your images. This is a tip not only for sports photos but also for every type of your taken photos.

Related Reads: Tips and Techniques for Wildlife Photography

Conclusion

In most cases the objects of sports photography are fast-moving & you’ve to take them from a handsome distance. That’s why the camera setting for sports photography sometimes matches wild animal photography also. But it doesn’t mean this is just a case.

In the practical field, there are lots of variations & types of this branch of photography. But as a beginner, the best decision will be getting started from any one side. Otherwise, you may jeopardize with different rules & situations. That’s all for today. Thank you for reading.