What’s that in the air? The roar from Dragon Stadium, the beat of the marching band, the jingle of the Emerald Belles; it’s Dragon season! Time to dust off the camera and take action shots of our little (or big) Dragon athletes. Or not. What do all those buttons mean anyway? And, why are my pictures too dark, too blurry, or too bright? This article aims to take the mystery out of creating great sports photographs.
by Paula Joyce
First of all, what makes a good picture great? The right light, the right composition and the right timing. Easier said than done. That’s why there really aren’t that many Sports Illustrated photographers. I’ve been lucky enough to study under one of the great ones and will share his information for all of you shutterbug moms. Coincidentally, a lot of these techniques can be used any time there is a moving subject (anyone have a two year old?).
In addition to reading your camera’s manual (not exciting material, I know), photographing your athlete while they practice is a great way to improve your camera skills. Here are some of the basics.
Composition: My favorite tip from the Sports Illustrated mentor is to get the subject and the ball in the picture. This doesn’t always work if you’re like me and your son plays defensive end, but a good rule of thumb, nonetheless. Not only is it challenging, but when you get it right, you have a photograph worth uploading to FatHead.com. Additionally, while you’re watching the ball, keep both eyes open. This is especially important in baseball, where you do not want to be on the flight path of a line drive. Most people stand while shooting, but the best pictures are taken from a lower angle (try shooting while lying down!).
Lighting: The best light is in the morning or early evening. Position yourself where the sun is behind you. That way, when an athlete turns toward the light, his/her face is illuminated. Outdoor games scheduled around noon are the most difficult to photograph, because the light is coming from above, casting harsh shadows on the face. If you have no choice but to shoot at this time, zoom in on your subject(s) and that will tell your camera’s light sensor to brighten the picture a bit. If you don’t zoom in, the surrounding light will make for dark faces in your pictures. Best bet is to take pictures during the games that are scheduled for early morning or late afternoon/early evening. Additionally, use your camera’s lens hood. It’s that plastic bulky looking thing that came in the box with your lens (yes, I, too, thought it was unnecessary packaging). It’s to keep the sun’s flare out of your pictures, so that if you want to expand your creativity, you can shoot while the sun is in front of you to get a halo effect around your subject. This is especially neat in baseball, where the sand swirls around as the athlete is sliding.
Timing: Know the game you are photographing. Interestingly, some of the greatest pro shooters in the NFL have an earpiece that allows them to tune in to the coach’s play calls. Since most of us don’t have that luxury, it’s smart to pay attention to the game. For example, there are certain times during a baseball game that second base is going to have the most action, or during a football game when the team is near the 
end zone. While trying to capture that pivotal moment, an important skill we hobbyists can mimic from the pros is “panning.” Hold your camera with one finger on the shutter button and the other hand supporting the camera or zoom lens. As your subject has the ball, learn to smoothly follow the action (pan) with your lens, snapping away as you go. It’s also important to find how to set your camera to “continuous” shooting mode. That way you can focus, then hold the button down only once and it will fire off a certain number of frames per second.
Technical issues: If your pictures are blurry, try the following:
- Make sure your batteries are charged.
- Access your camera’s menu and check your focus points.
- If you are photographing in dim light, set your aperture to its lowest setting in aperture priority mode, while raising your ISO to its highest setting.
If the pictures are still blurry, then the lighting situation may be beyond your camera’s capabilities. Best to buy those pictures from the pros, who’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on cameras with ISO’s of 102,000 and lenses that can focus in low light situations (night games and indoor sports).
Photographing your child’s game can be as fun as watching them play. Uploading your finished pictures to websites with unique products can be even more fun. Check out the following interesting sites: Blurb.com, Exposuresonline.com, Animoto.com, Kodak.com and Fathead.com. Remember to practice, if you really want those once in a lifetime photographs, and happy shooting!
* * *
About Paula:
Paula Joyce specializes in photographing families around the Southlake, TX area and in NY state. Her photographs have been displayed across the country in businesses such as: Sweet and Sassy and Computer Sciences Corporation. Her work has graced several covers of the Quarterly Magazine, locally, as well as in the Southeast and she’s won numerous awards from the Dallas Arboretum. Most recently, her photographs were added to San Francisco Magazine’s online gallery. You may visit her website at: PaulaJoycePhotography.com
