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Digital cameras offer at least one advantage and one disadvantage when used for sports and action photography. The big advantage lies in the ability to shoot an almost unlimited number of pictures in your quest to capture the peak moment of action, but without burning up dozens of rolls of film.
The chief disadvantage to digital cameras is that many models don't respond as quickly as you'd like when the shutter release button is pressed. Even a pause of half a second is too long when the decisive moment in a contest is framed within your viewfinder or LCD display for an instant.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways to work around the digital camera's main drawback. Read on and see what pros and amateurs alike can do to get the picture.
 | Don't be afraid to experiment. There are always elements of an event that provide dramatic imagery, even if it's not the typical sports action shot. Think about close-ups of equipment, low-angle shots of the playing field, and portraits or studies of spent, exhausted athletes at the end of the game. Look for shots that show the emotion and intensity the athletes bring to the sport. |
Choosing your sport and your spot
Knowing where to position yourself can be a real challenge for novice sports photographers. It's also vital to give yourself the best possible opportunities to get great shots.
Your goal is to be in position to capture peak action in the right direction (getting that great catch with the athlete's back to you doesn't do you much good). Generally, this means you want to be far enough in front of the action to be effective, yet close enough to fill the frame.
Determining the right spot is largely dependent on the sport you're shooting. Your choice of available zoom settings can also play a role.
Football
If you're photographing high school or pee-wee football, you can often get right down on the sidelines to take your photos. At the lowest levels of the sport, you can pretty much get whatever access you want. Even at the high school level, you can probably get on the sidelines if you explain you're trying to build a sports portfolio. For most college and professional games, you need some form of accreditation from the team itself. Still, sometimes even a small, local newspaper can secure such access for its photographers, so working for such a publication may get you in. Here are some tips for photographing football:
- Keep your distance. Photographers generally stand about 8 to 15 yards up field from the line of scrimmage. Don't get much closer than this, or the line officials block your view. This puts you in place for a shot of a running play or quarterback sack in the backfield, while still giving you a chance to turn and lock on to a receiver in case of a pass play to your side of the field.
- Use a second camera — if you have one. A second digital camera set to its wide-angle setting can also be a good idea. This camera can be quickly grabbed and brought up to shooting position if a play comes right at you. (Be careful to avoid being run over.)
- Keep other spots in mind. As teams approach the goal line, you can move to the area behind the end zone and shoot straight at the quarterback or running back attempting to leap over the defensive line. Because the team's players sit near the midfield, you can't shoot around this area. Also, plan on getting some shots of the coach yelling from the sidelines and players on the bench. Cheerleaders are good for a couple of shots, and if it's a particularly cold day, some shots of the fans bundled up in the stands are worth taking.
- Be patient. Football demands patience and determination on the part of the sports photographer simply because so much of the sport takes place too far away from where you're standing for you to be able to shoot it effectively. Just stay with the game and be prepared for the action when it finally does head toward you.
| Football is one sport where the more you know about the game and the particular teams that are playing, the more effective you can be. Understanding that one team favors short, quick passes while another favors a more conservative ground game helps you predict where the next bit of action will take place. |
Baseball and softball
There are several likely places for a photographer to work from. One hot spot is directly behind the backstop, shooting through the links to get a shot of the pitcher just as he or she releases the ball (ideally framed between the batter and umpire). Here are some other tips for shooting ballgames:
- Get behind the plate. A good plan is to start behind the plate to make sure you get a useable image as quickly as possible before moving on down either the first or third baselines. Then, head down until you're about 5 or 10 feet below the base. From this spot, you can get good shots of the batter, a side view of the pitcher, and a good angle for plays at second base.
- Move down the baseline. After that, continue on down the line until you're as much as 15 or 30 feet past the base. This position gives you a shot at the runner racing to first or third.
- Watch that runner on first. If there's a runner on first, you can sometimes prefocus your tripod-mounted camera on second base in case there's a close play there. Here's where knowledge of the sport and the teams involved can give you a big advantage. The stolen base is one of the more exciting plays in baseball or softball. If you're ready before the play begins, you have a much better chance of getting a good shot of the action.
Much like football, baseball's lowest levels of skill are wide open to any photographer who cares to shoot them. College and the pros are much harder to gain access to, although a newspaper job may give you a chance. Softball tends to be easier to gain access to. Sometimes, a one-sided game is easier to shoot than a close one. There tends to be lots of scoring, including plenty of people stealing home.
Basketball
Hanging out behind the backboard is a great place for getting good shots. You could easily spend 80 percent of the game here. Rebounds, scoring, fights over the ball — it all happens under the boards. Here are some other good locations for shooting hoops:
- Take to the bleachers. Plan to take some shots from up in the bleachers with a telephoto prefocused on the rim. This is a good location for getting the rebounder pulling the ball off the rim and a good look at the player's face. Try to find a spot a little higher than the rim. This generally calls for a longer zoom lens setting, about 100 mm to 135 mm for a digital camera.
- Head for the sidelines. Also shoot along the sideline with a longer zoom setting to get a shot of a ball handler bringing the ball up court. From this position, you can also look for a shot of the coach yelling instructions to the players and pivot to grab some crowd intensity shots. Sometimes you can catch a tense moment as the ball is thrown back into play.
- Don't forget half time. Now's the time to look for shots of the coach and players talking strategy. A wide-angle gets you in close when possible (easy for high school ball and younger, but you probably won't be able to get that close for college and the pros).
| Basketball is a great sport for a novice photographer who's looking to build a sports portfolio. It's possible to get good photos without having to break the bank on a camera with an ultralong telephoto lens zoom setting. |
Soccer
Soccer is a little like football in terms of the field and sidelines action, but this sport has lots of unique aspects, as well. Here are some tips:
- Get behind the net. Behind the net and to one side of it are good locations to catch scoring attacks, but you spend long periods of time counting blades of grass when the action moves to the other side of the field.
- Take to the sidelines. Positioning yourself on the sidelines puts you in place for good ball-handling shots, and if you move down the sidelines closer to the net, you'll be in position to get the goalie in action.
- Reach out and grab someone. If you have a digital camera with a long zoom lens, you can try to reach from one end of the field to the other to get the goalie straight on. Or, you can even grab a shot from way up in the stands.
- Going for the wide look. For variety's sake, try a shorter focal length while lying on the ground. This will give you a second shot, but not a main photo.
Soccer can be a difficult sport for the point-and-shoot digital camera simply because of the size of the field. The best place to work from is the spot behind the net and to one side. An occasional shot through the net works too, but becomes a cliché if this is the only image you ever capture.
Winter sports: a special case
Winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding present a special challenge for the digital photographer because of the amount of contrast inherent in snowy conditions. Such lighting conditions often fool your camera's exposure system. If your digital camera lets you shoot in RAW mode and capture images as linear TIFF files (check your camera's instruction manual to see how), use that option. It gives you the maximum amount of information when you're editing the image later. You'll be glad you did.
Generally, a good image occurs when the skier or snowboarder turns about 15 or 20 feet from your position (try to avoid the snow spray). Another good shot is when the athlete becomes airborne. Be careful that you aren't so busy looking through the viewfinder that you lose track of the skier or boarder coming right at you. (Don't laugh; it happens.)
You can usually rely on the medium to longer zoom lenses plus an accessory flash. Because these sports are done on snow-covered mountains, try to travel light and with your equipment balanced in waist pouches or equipment belts rather than a camera bag. A camera backpack works well too, but makes it harder to get at your equipment in a hurry. Having a flash available is very important, because otherwise, you have to choose between overexposed snow or an underexposed subject.
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