Capture Perfect Digital Sports and Action Shots - Digital Photography Tips Complementary Guide

What gets you all excited about your favourite sport?Also bear in mind the distance, as your flash will not
... the thrill of the chase in horse racing or maybe thecarry too far … it might be worth sitting near
atmosphere and tension of a ball game, maybe yourthe basket hoop to catch the action!
favourite player? ... Well if you were to capture someBlurred Action … a couple of ideas behind
of these scenes how would you do it best? For someblurred action is, firstly … if you look back at
digital photography tips, let's take a look at a few ideasyour photos you have taken using Stop Action, you
right now to capture that realism ...may find one or two shots that did not freeze the
Get Familiaraction, which means your camera did not catch the
It's worth getting familiar with the sport before youaction at the right moment … so you end up
start shooting, for example, how points are scored,with an interestingly blurry effect to your subject.
what causes penalties etc, as this will give you anSecondly, if you're shooting a ball game, for example,
advantage over others … you will learn toyou may get blurring if your player moves just as you
expect where the best action is likely to be, and youclick your shutter. If you did not intend for this to
can then capture those glorious moments.happen, you might be pleasantly surprised with the
Another great tip, as well as aiming to catch the action,effect!
capture the 'emotion' too. Be ready to shoot players'Panned Action … the most difficult to
faces on triumph of a goal, or any other emotiveaccomplish, but probably the most effective shooting
action in the game and you will bring your photos alive!technique, once mastered. The advantage using your
Be Prepareddigital camera is that you can delete unwanted frames
Cold and bad weather conditions can quickly rob theand start again, so here's how panning basically works...
life of your digital camera's battery, so it's important toUsing your digital camera in automatic mode press the
always carry an extra charged battery especially forshutter half way down to focus on your subject,
outdoor sports.moving your camera sideways following the action,
Action Techniquesthen pressing the shutter fully while still moving your
Stop Action … you'll very quickly be able tocamera. The effect created is the front of your
shoot an action shot and 'freeze' your subjectsubject should remain in fairly strong focus, while the
practically in mid air. Imagine the wheels of a drag carback of your subject should start to blur, and as it blurs
on a dirt road, bouncing off the many bumps …a long trail should appear, giving a feeling of movement
for those few seconds while the car is in mid air, snaplike no other effect could possibly achieve.
away to capture the action.Experiment
Lighting is not too much of an issue if you're outside onBy knowing what your digital camera can do,
a sunny or partially sunny day say at a car race, dogexperiment with different methods to get the best
track, or horse race etc, but you'll maybe need toshots. You could try shooting in continuous mode, then
make adjustments if you're inside a gymnasiumtry panning the camera along with your subject, whilst
shooting a basketball game, for example. If the lightinghe/she or it is in motion.
is bright, then you'll probably be okay, but depending onI hope these digital photography tips are helpful. If you
the type of lighting, you may need to activate your fillcan get to grips with panning, as I have described
flash if you shoot players in action and you find yourabove, you're on a winner!
photo colorisation shifting to 'yellow'.