Sports photography...

[Cadwell]

A little grumble about sports photography... don’t take this personally; I wasn’t thinking about anyone in particular or any particular post / photo when I wrote this.

Having spent altogether too much time hanging around various internet photography forums I’ve been finding myself disappointed by many of the photos that turn up in the “sports” photo sharing sections. It seems that in many people’s opinion, catching a bit of action makes something a “great shot” regardless of the other qualities of the photo. I disagree.

Catching action is important, yes, but then so are all of the other things that normally go to make up a photo. Exposure needs to be correct – no blown highlights or impenetrable shadows. White balance needs to be sorted so the whites are white. It needs to be in focus, please, get it in focus! Get the framing right, no vast empty areas in the frame, please; concentrate the viewer’s eye on the action. Sort the horizon out unless they really are playing on the side of a mountain. Watch the distracting backgrounds. Use depth of field to isolate your subject.

If it’s a field sport you need to see expressions and faces, it is about people. Two guys jumping for a ball is no use if all you can see is the back of their head! It might be good action but it’s not a good photo! Except in certain specialist markets, photographs of people’s rear ends are not desirable. What is the relevance of your photo? A photo of two guys running along a track is great but not if they finished 14th and 15th!

This is a plea, really. Think about your sports photography and apply all the same criteria to a sports photo that you would to a portrait or landscape. Just catching action is not enough. Anyone can crank up the shutter speed, set the camera to spray and pray and nail the shutter release down. Catching action is the easy part, creating a good sports photo is just a bit more difficult.

[traveler36]

Thanks Cadwell. I'd love to have more opportunity to do some sort of sports photography. With your criteria, it's a shame that some of the photos in my local paper are marginal at best. I agree that close in sport shots are about the passion, as well as the game. Black and white shots on cheap newsprint tend to lose a lot of the feeling being played out on the sport field.

[arezai85]

thanks you Glenn for input. I think I need to try some sport.

Ali

[kyledawg]

what about this photo? shot this of my friend rusty, i BMX so I shoot some photos of it every now and then


[IMG][/IMG]

[Lovin-Our-Life]

Kyle, to me thats more of a street scene than a sports shot, so it works in that aspect.

[kyledawg]

Kyle, to me thats more of a street scene than a sports shot, so it works in that aspect.

i guess so

[kyledawg]

I'm new here , nice thread!

so am I! Welcome

[willard3]

I always listen to other cameras with the exposure button held down at approx 5fps. I asked one guy at grandson's soccer practice why he was doing this and he opined that he wanted a good action picture. We had a discussion about waiting for a good photo and then pressing the button......talking to a wall.....

I consider waiting the best practice.