Eight most commonly used photography techniques in sports photography

Sports photography is a photography category with high entry threshold, and it is a challenging subject for ordinary photographers. Pamela Aurino, a photographer, wrote some experiences and suggestions to help more photographers understand this unique photography category.

High-speed continuous shooting mode, focusing and aperture priority.

When shooting sports subjects, the camera should be set to high-speed continuous shooting mode. This can save the time of pressing the shutter for each photo. At the same time, set the focus mode to AI servo focus. It is very useful when capturing continuously moving scenes.

In addition, make sure that all the focus points are available to ensure the best focus point. When shooting sports subjects, you can use aperture priority mode. In fast-paced sports, this can save you time to constantly adjust the shutter.

Use JPEG format

Personally, I shot in jpg format, not in RAW format. When you need to shoot continuously, you need the fastest speed. When shooting a football/tennis match, people don't care about the quality of the picture, but only care about whether the key moment is captured. RAW format shooting takes a long storage time, and you are likely to miss the most important shooting time.

Aperture f/2.8 starts

Shooting sports themes requires a large aperture telephoto lens. I use the USM lens of Canon 70-200 f/4. Shooting indoor sports games, such as bowling, requires a lens with f/2.8 aperture, and the aperture needs to be fully opened when shooting.

Anti-shake and focus mode

For shooting sports themes, anti-shake is basically necessary. Remember to set the anti-shake switch to mode 2. Mode 1 For shooting still life, portraits and other subjects, mode 2 is required for shooting moving scenes.

In addition, set the focal length mode of the lens to 3m to infinity, and don't use 1.2m to infinity. This can ensure the fastest focusing speed.

Pay attention to the time of day

Football matches are usually held in the morning, so if you plan to sell photos of players after the game, please make sure to take photos of everyone. There must be some athletes who like to give you back more than others, but as a photographer, you have the responsibility to shoot everyone well and maximize your income.

Pay attention to the position of the sun and make sure to shoot in the light. This can ensure a certain shutter speed without worrying about the exposure of athletes' faces. I'd rather sacrifice a little, even if the athletes squint or have panda eyes, I'll make sure my face is exposed correctly. In short, if the face exposure is incorrect, no one will care about the panda eye, because it is not a photo at all.

In the first half, we focused on shooting the team in the sun. In the second half, it was natural to focus on another team, because the venue would be changed in the first half.

No eyes, no photos

The key to shooting sports themes is to catch the eyes of the characters. Do this and you will be in an invincible position. If you are photographing the athlete's back, stop. Wait until they turn around, or shoot someone. For a football match, the best photos are close-ups and busts above the knee when their eyes are at the correct height. Whatever you do, don't forget to take pictures of the players who score goals. He may not have much connection with the whole game, but this photo will be a great one.

There should be a ball in the photo.

Players' eyes and football are the two most important factors in photo composition. Then there is the player's expression.

Although such photos are difficult to take, people still like to buy photos with balls in them.

Put on a formal photographer's vest

Wear a big yellow/orange vest to let everyone know that you are an official sports photographer. Photographers in Wollongong and New South Wales will put a slogan on their backs, "Need photos!" This can at least show the audience that these photographers may push you away at any time. As long as you are not afraid of being seen (some parents will tell you to take more photos of your son), you can sell more photos.