Sports Photography

I have never considered myself a sports photographer.  Most likely because I'm not a huge sports fan.  As I sit here and think about it, I can only think of two sporting events that I have photographed.  A Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game and a good friend's (might as well say brother's) swim practice.  There are some interesting images to be captured in most any sporting event.  There are some boring ones, too.  The trick is, as with most types of photography, to capture the right moment.  For example, the swimmer entering the water after the starting gun is fired.

That is way more interesting than a few tenths of a second later when he's completely under the water and all you see is the remnants of the splash.  But don't get too comfortable in one position.  You never know how something will look from a different angle.  If you're allowed to move around, do it.

It also helps to be observant.  I don't know much about the various swim strokes, but after watching a few laps of various strokes and listening to the coach, I learned that the butterfly stroke looks a lot better in photos than the freestyle.  Or at least that's my opinion.

The rest of the images can be seen here at my gallery.

A few quick tips to leave you with in no particular order:

1. be observant
2. shoot with as fast of a shutter speed as you can.  These were taken at 1/1000 of a second.
3. do some research online if you know you are going to be shooting a sport you aren't familiar with.  Do a quick Google Image Search or check out ESPN's website to see what images they are showcasing.
4. if there are other photogs there, introduce yourself and ask questions.  It was an ESPN photog at the NFL game that told me he shoots at 1/1000 of a sec to capture the moments.
5. don't get discouraged.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, leave me a note in the comments section below.