Photo Tips

Chris d'Aquin is a WeSay.com contributing writer.

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Regardless of what sport or fast action event you may be photographing, here are some tips that apply to nearly all situations you may face.

FOCUS POKUS
Take full advantage of your auto focus. If you have a professional level camera, let the camera select the focus point.  Don’t worry if you don’t.  Just set the focus to use the center point, which should be a more advanced horizontal and vertical focal point.


IN THE ZONE
Consider using zone focus. Pick a spot where the action will be and focus there. For instance, in baseball you can focus on second base when there is a base-stealer on first, or in Formula One racing you can focus on a bend in the track and shoot as the cars go by.

FAST AND FURIOUS
To freeze the action with a telephoto lens, the minimum shutter speed should be three times whatever the focal length is.  If you are shooting with a 300mm lens, for instance, then maintain at least a 1/1000th shutter speed to freeze the action.  For wide angle and normal lenses, keep it over 1/400th of a second.


MOVING OBJECTS
Where’s the action coming from? Objects moving across the frame need faster shutter speed than ones moving forwards or backwards in the frame.

GET SUPPORT
Use a sturdy monopod or tripod for heavy telephoto lenses.

GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
Use aperture priority. Set your camera to aperture priority and dial in the widest aperture your lens allows.  Then, if you don’t have a fast enough shutter speed, you can increase your ISO setting to compensate.

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Turn the camera on its side. When shooting sports, remember to shoot the majority of your shots vertically instead of horizontally.  Not only will this help fill the frame, but it will also help emphasize the players and de-emphasize backgrounds and other objects that may be distracting.