Summer sports photo ideas

Shooting Summer Sports -

Honestly, the moment that I fell in love with photography was the same moment I started shooting sports. There is just something so arresting about images that capture moments of athleticism moving too fast for anyone to truly appreciate them without the still image that gets me every time. Now most of us will never photograph the Olympics, but all of us have the opportunity to photograph our kids in the many endeavors they undertake… this summer for me it’s golf and tennis.

Now in summer we have a few huge advantages over winter sports where we’re constantly fighting low light, bad light, and bad access. In the summer, comparatively, we really have the access to see the games of our kids from a lot of different angles. They’re often held in great light and we can achieve the camera settings to really stop the action (high shutter speeds.)

So here are my top tips for parents who really want to get some amazing action images outside… baseball, soccer, football, tennis, golf, etc.

1. It’s pretty much universally true that you’re going to have to ditch your cell phone and get out a dedicated camera to really get into sports/action on a field, unless, like the image above, you have no problem getting within a few feet of the action. The best cell phone cameras in 2021 simply don’t have a way for you to zoom into a scene without losing enormous amounts of image quality. Trust me, if you want great sports images, it’s time to break out the big guns for most/all team sports.

2. Speaking of big guns, this is also a moment where the lens matters most. Now here’s where I’m going to tell you that you can buy the right lens now and be done OR you can buy the cheaper one and then want/need/buy the right one down the road. The most versatile lens you need for many sports is a 70-200mm 2.8 (equiv.) This lens, depending on your camera system, can cost between $1000 - $2500. I know, I know, that’s a hard pill to swallow but this lens can do so much. It’s great for sports indoors and out, concerts, graduations etc. and it will be in your bag forever. Do it… I don’t think they’ll ever be any regrets. NOTE: For my Fuji camera system this lens is a 50-140mm f2.8 because of the size of the sensor, for a m4/3 camera its a 40-150mm f2.8, and for a full frame Sony it’s the traditional 70-200mm so do a bit of research but it will be a moderate telephoto zoom with a constant f2.8 aperture. Ask your dealer if you want a shortcut, but don’t be persuaded to buy anything else.

3. You’re going to do much better shooting any sport when you can anticipate where the action is going to happen. If you’re a former player, think about what types of images happen in which location. For instance, I like to shoot basketball from the baseline of the court right under the basket because I loved being able to shoot up on the action right at the rim and be able to see equally well each part of the perimeter.

4. Shutter speed is king with sports. You’re going to have to experiment with different shutter speeds to know exactly how low you can go with any sport without seeing blur due to the players/ball moving too quickly. I would start shooting any sport with a shutter of 1/1000 or faster to start. This means that you might have to shoot either with a lens that lets in more light to the camera or choose a higher ISO value. If you’re not familiar with those settings try choosing the ‘sports’ mode on your camera OR choosing the shutter priority exposure mode which on many cameras is marked as the ‘S’ mode on the main dial. If you shoot with Canon it might be Tv. If you’re interested in more of a deep dive on sports exposure let me know.

5. This is also the time to understand and learn about two features of your dedicated (not cell phone) camera. The first is the sequential shooting modes - this is where if you hold down the trigger the camera will take a burst of images usually noted in frames per second. What you typically want is the setting ‘H’ for high speed burst but check your manual to make sure you’re using the highest speed that still gives you autofocus tracking. The second setting you want know is how to set up your autofocus tracking or C-AF. You’ll have to dive into the manual to fully understand your model but what you want is for the camera to keep focusing as long as you’re holding down the trigger half way or when you’re shooting during a burst. This will allow you to keep the player in focus while they’re moving.

6. Bonus: Watch the light. Take a few test frames from various options you have on the field/court and look at the light. Are there strange shadows? Do the players look like silhouettes? Make sure you are purposeful with the light you choose.

   That’s it for now on this one, if you want more of a deep dive on any aspect of sports shooting let me know.