How to Take Great Sports Photos

So you want to take great sports photos. The greatest sports photos have won countless awards and Pulitzer prizes. Not only does taking a great sports photo require skill and planning, but it also takes practice. A ton of practice, if you ask the pros! Overall, the point of taking great sports photos is to capture the action.

Think about your subject when you begin shooting-what are they wearing, what colors will come in to play in the shot. If they’re both wearing black uniforms and it’s a night game, you’re going to want to shoot a little differently. While that was an extreme scenario, the point was well taken, right?

Shutter speed is key for sports, several actions happen within seconds of each other and if you’re not careful that movement can become blurred. You’ll want to try to get your shutter speed to 1/500th of a second to freeze the objects. Blurring of movement is only appropriate in certain scenarios, so it is important to nearly steer clear of this. Move with the action, if you’re working with runners, pan in on them and run with the action via your lens.

Keep the main players on your screen-get tight shots. This may mean getting as close as possible, even though you may have a great telephoto lenses. You’ll want to try to be the photographer who has the great “spot” on the sidelines beforehand, keep your eye on the target player.

It has been said that being at the right place at the right time could make great things happen. In sports photography that is 100% true most of the time! You need to be ready for action shots milliseconds before they happen, or you’re going to miss the shot. Practice makes perfect, as you’ll learn the moment when to press the trigger after you have a bit of experience under your belt. A pro tip is to get the shutter pressed halfway and be ready for the action, letting it come in to your picture. Once you’re set you’re able to press the rest of the way down and the shutter speed will take care of the rest.

Be ready to shoot a ton of photos. You’ll want to aim for shooting between 200-300 per event to get 5 or 6 manageable photos. It is key to practice and get as close to the action as possible. You’ll notice an increasing difference in the amount of photos that you keep versus dispose of after practicing.

Kovich Photography is a commercial photography studio specializing in sports photography, Advertising Photographer, and more..