Peak moment of action
Unique angle: Bird’s eye view
Before, during and after: Show end result Always stay until after the event ends to get the best “after” photo.
Pics of moving athletes should be cropped with room for movement. CORE Standards for Photography - Speaking and Listening: - 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5 - page 24; Reading Standards: 5.7 - page 12; 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 - page 21
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Try to include faces in high angle shots.
Cropped with room to move
Include the ball Strive to include the ball in sports action photos
Look for different angles to tell the story.
Unique angle: Worm’s eye view
Anticipate where subjects will be at the highest action point.
Posed images make excellent photos for secondary modules.
Sports photography
Player profile images
Lesson 6: Secondary schools
Sports photos capturing those magic, competitive moments
Know the sport
The best preparation for taking sports photos is to understand the sport. How is it played? How do players score points? Is it a team sport like soccer or baseball or one featuring individuals like track, wrestling, karate or tennis? Where is the best vantage point for action photos? How can I show action on the field, court or mat and the reaction to that action? What do I need to remember in order to tell the complete story of intramurals or after-school sports?
Before, during and after
Whether you’re covering a practice or a competitive event, remember to tell all aspects of the story. Arrive before it begins and take photos of athletes warming up, talking to their coaches and gathering as a team. During the competition, remember your composition techniques: rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, selective focus, repetition of patterns and negative space. Position yourself to control the background and move in close enough to your subject to crop out unwanted objects. Look for opportunities to show the action and the players’ reactions. Remember to turn your camera to the bench and fans when crucial moments occur. You’ll capture excellent emotional reactions by including them in your coverage. Remember, it’s good to take photos after the event ends. Those pictures that say, “We won!” as players hold the trophy always tell a great story, but so do the photos of the agony of defeat. Those pictures show readers that the team cared about the game’s outcome, even if they lost. It’s a big part of the story and needs to be included when that happens.
Also keep in mind...
Remember to take a wide angle photo of the gym or field with players engaged in the game, then move in a little closer for a medium shot, and finally take some close-ups to show players’ reactions to the event. That way you will cover all aspects of the game.
Additional resources: PowerPoint Video Curriculum: Photography Chapter 5 - review entire chapter Exercise 6 As teams or as individuals, choose a particular sport and take photos of people engaged in that sport using the compositon techniques, angles and guidelines listed on this lesson. Remember to use the camera handling techniques described in Lesson 2. Also create a video to teach others how to tell their stories using photography. Submit your photos and instructional video to your teacher for grading purposes.