Be An Action-Photography Hero!

Now that the World Cup is over, and I don’t know what to do with myself for the next four years, I have had a huge hankering for some action shots.  While the tournament had their own political and economical issues surrounding them, one thing that was not an issue was the photography and videography; with thousands of photographers/journalists/videographers in attendance, we are getting and should be getting some grandiose shots.

Action shots can be anything moving; while the majority of the time when we hear “action shots”, we think “sporting events”, there are other subjects that move quite quickly: concert photography (mosh pits, crowd surfing, the lead singer gyrating to thousands of fans), animal photography (the wings of a hummingbird, butterflies in a haphazard flight, a cheetah pouncing on a gazelle), and even the everyday things (dancing at a wedding, your toddler playing in puddles, macro shots of flowers in the wind).  Your kids keep getting faster, cars have more horsepower, and the world will not slow down because your lens cap is still on.

So before life passes us by, let’s go over some of the basics:

Challenges:

I love a good challenge.  I just moved a week ago and getting a sofa to fit in a space too small for it, definitely posed a doozey of a challenge (solution: power tools followed by a staple gun).  Besides the speed of your subject, you may run into one or all of the following obstacles:

Distance

Chances are you will not be allowed on the court, on the track, or in the middle of an animalistic struggle for survival.  Unless you are pro or hired to shoot the particular event, you will be further away than you like.  You must get a telephoto lens.  YOU MUST GET A TELEPHOTO LENS!  I made the font bigger to show you how much more impact things have when they seem to be closer, like with a telephoto lens!  Chances are if you are shooting action, there is some sort of risk involved to your person and insurance companies or your common sense will ensure you are way back.  For example, the Red Bull Crashed Ice downhill skating event in Quebec City would not let me stand on the track, but thanks to my zoom lens I got close to the action with a nice look at the skyline as well.  The activity you are shooting will determine what level of zoom you need.  If you are shooting indoor sports you might be able to get by with a 200mm.  This is really the lower end and I would encourage looking at a “bigger” lens.  For outdoor sports and nature photography, you will want to go up to 300mm, preferably 400mm.  If this is not in your price range, you may have to use your feet and get closer.  High school sports will allow you to get closer and practice your craft and can open up a few doors for you later.

Lighting

If you are shooting indoor sports you will have to deal with poor lighting.  As much as they want athletes to be able to see what they are doing, the lighting is rarely conducive to photography.  You will definitely be looking to bring “fast” lens (it’s all about the f stops).  Flash may also be another option, but chances are you will not be close enough to use it with any frequency and your shot may ruin the game winning layup at the buzzer.  Flash could have been an option on the shot above, but downhill longboarding at night tends to draw enough attention.  Though grainy, we get the feeing of movement in spite of hardly any available light.  Shooting outside during the day poses a different set of challenges as the lighting may be sufficient, but it also may be too much and constantly changing if it is partially cloudy.  It definitely would not hurt to take a couple of test shots and be very aware of the cloud cover.  You do not want poor exposure!

Accessibility

Point-and-shoot and iPhone users rejoice!  Many arenas or indoor venues will not allow you in with a “professional” looking camera.  There is no real way around this.  If you take good shots, that is money the arena or event could have made.  They don’t want you blowing their profit margin.  If this is an issue, invest in a non-professional looking model that is the crème de la crème; this will help you get the shots you need and not having to lose your memory card or dignity as they escort you out kicking and screaming.

Skills:

Anticipation

This is so important because you will be in the right position when the time comes.  If you know nothing about football and the concept of the line of scrimmage is too complicated, chances are you will miss big chunks of the action.  Take the time to study your event, be it wild animals or wild hockey players.  If you can accurately predict where they will be when something interesting happens you will get the shot you want.

Panning/Blur

If something is blurry you are either a poor photographer or something is going really fast.  Panning is following your subject with the camera as it moves, which creates a crisp, clean shot of your subject while blurring out the background giving the illusion of great speed.  The ability to pan is ridiculously important when it comes to action photography.  When panning, try and just rotate your body from the waist and limit the movement of your arms and therefore, your camera.  Keep as steady as possible in order to ensure your subject stays crisp and the background is nicely blurred (remember not all blur is bad); this will  make you a much happier photographer.

The photograph to the left is interesting as the pan comes at a 45 degree angle.  The backgroud is blurred, showing the speed of the subject, but his legs are also blurry, which shows his legs are moving faster than the rest of him.

The break dancer to the right is interesting because his shirt is catching up with the rest of his dance step, and the blurred shirt gives interest to the shot (in addition to disguising the message on his shirt).

Positioning

Finding the best place to shoot is tough as many other photographers may be trying to do the same thing.  If you are unsure of where to go, check out sporting events on TV to get an idea (Look for the photographers and not the cheerleaders.  This will help immensely.)  If you are shooting nature photography, finding a place where animals come to drink or cross bodies of water is a great place to start.  This requires a lot of patience as the wild is not governed by commercial sponsorships.  Remember to try and keep the sun at your back whenever possible so as to not have your subject in the dark.  Also don’t forget that you definitely don’t have to shoot straight on.  Try changing your level to create a more dramatic perspective.  You may even end up with shots that you never meant to take, but end up becoming favourites.  When taking a picture  (with a sufficient shutter speed) of someone coming straight on, there will not be a blurred background; different elements of the shot may show motion, but in general you will be freezing the action.

Like the athletes you may be shooting, it’s all about practice.  You won’t get it right the first time or maybe even the thousandth time.  But the harder you work, the better you get, the more you learn, and the more opportunities will fall into your lap.  Keep shooting, we have digital cameras for a reason.

On your marks, get set, Shoot!

Ed.Notes

Unmarked Photo Credits from top to bottom: Photo-Fenix