Sports News Southwest

 

With school starting and the high school and college teams gearing up for the first big games of the season, moms, dads, and photography enthusiasts everywhere want that one outstanding photo. That photo is sometimes as good if not better than if you were the one on the field making the play that made the photograph possible. Just like the player, the bragging rights are yours forever with that remarkable photo hanging around on your office wall or maybe on one of your local websites.

 

Great photography equipment like most technology has become affordable by more consumers than ever before. Even if you don't have professional cameras and lenses, you can still take great pictures with a few tips from the pros. With today's digital photography you will have nearly instant gratification in sharing all those images with family and friends. 

 

As Americans, we love the game, and that includes for most of us, the sights, sounds and smells associated with our sports. Being outside invigorates our senses on a crisp fall day. We love the smell of bar-b-q and tailgate parties. The in-air crashing sights and sounds of the players and the roar of the crowd exhilarate us. Our senses take in all the vivid colors of the teams and the fans in the stadiums. Most of us will talk about the great game days living for the next big weekend game, when it all starts over again. Some of you will find a new hobby or renew an old one in photography or videography while enjoying your favorite sports. Tell your stories the way you saw it with great photos.

 

Some of the big camera manufactures websites contain some great sports photography information at this time of the year.   Sometimes there are even contests to enter. Use the opportunities of the great seats you got for the games this year, to also be your inspiration with a new or old photography or video hobby. Try entering your talent in your local fair exhibition or submit to websites for consideration as well as hanging them on your wall.

 

Canon is offering some great tips from a world famous photographer to shoot your next football game. Check it out.

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/html/NFL/index.html?id=shootingtips

 

 

You will find not only how to get certain images you always wanted but also just what equipment you need and the settings for your camera most likely to produce the results you want. When you get to the website "A Pro's Play Book" click on the images on the right of the page to get each video of information. Find out about a day in the life of a pro sports photographer, how to shoot a Quarter Back, how to shoot a players portrait, shooting Wide Receivers, shooting defense, how to shoot a Running Back, shooting all around the game, Reaction photography after the play, shooting the line play. These topics will all create a great photo for a true fan.

 

For starters here are a few tips if you are just getting started or need a refresher on taking action photos. By the way the general camera settings in this article will apply to most any action sport even though the real focus here is this seasons Football.

 

To get that better than average or great photo you will want a camera with a motor drive and advance auto focus. You will set your camera at a high shutter speed to stop action. Keep the shutter speed at 1/1000 of a second or faster to freeze motion. The higher shutter speed also requires a lot of light to enter your lens. By setting higher ISO settings you will boost the light sensitivity to your camera's sensor. Start with an ISO setting of 400.

 

Lenses to consider for this type of photography would be a telephoto 200mm, 300mm, 400mm or a zoom telephoto from 200-400 mm. A lot of telephoto Zoom lenses are available in the 70-300mm range and will help you get in close to the action. The telephoto zoom lenses give you a lot of range without the expense and weight of multi telephoto lenses.   You will also want maximum aperture in your telephoto lenses. A lower number represents the larger aperture. A larger aperture will enable you to shoot at higher shutter speed and take the background out of focus giving your image more stated importance. Some lens size suggestions would be a f4.0 or f5.6. A f2.8 lens is better, but this size changes not only the aperture size but also the expense of the lens. Increasing your ISO may require you have a tripod or a very steady hand to get sharp clear image quality. Exposures at higher ISO settings can sometimes look grainy or in the digital world this is known as "noise" in your photo.

 

Even if you accidentally got noise in your photo it is never a mistake. At least you don't have to own up to the mistake. We can call it creative license. Sometimes you might want that noise in your photograph. Say you're taking shots on a foggy day, and the mood of the scene could really use some noise or graininess, to give the photo an old-time newspaper look. Boost the ISO as high as it will go (many cameras 3200) and that noise will appear in your photo. The noise really adds character to a black and white photo. Noise adds to the atmosphere and the quality of the image. The object is to have fun and enjoy taking pictures of a sporting event and people you love.

 

Take lots of photos if you're lucky enough to have a digital camera and not have the expense of developing film. Test your different setting for clean crisp colorful images and then again for images that add to the drama and mood of the day. Tell the story your way from your vantage point. Tell stories with images of the crowd, families, players, the coaches, the mascots, the bands, and the cheerleaders to freeze a moment in time.

 

Now here are some additional hints specific for taking great football photos.

 

Location, Location, Location. This is now football Real Estate. 

For the sake of great action photos, the Quarter Back is generally the most important person on the football field. In most every play he is the first person to touch the ball.

A great action location for a photo of the QB and a relatively safe location, that is if your lucky enough to photograph from a sideline on the field, is about 2 or 3 yards behind the scrimmage line. From this position on a passing play, you can get a photo of the drop back, the set up and the throw. If you find yourself in a location behind the end zone, this angle will give you clear shots if the Quarter Back rolls out as well as a clean view through the line if blocking opens up. If you have a stroke of luck you may get a receiver coming right in front of you and the QB looking right at you as he is throwing the ball. Anticipation is your key here.  Be focused and ready to push the button and the shot is yours.

 

Want explosive photos in mid air, the kind that set the context of the game?

Position yourself behind the line of scrimmage for a great opportunity to shoot players who catch the ball. Wide Receivers, Tight Ends and Running Backs from the back of the field provide dramatic images of explosive action and collisions in the air. Focus in on the faces of the wide receivers as they turn back to catch the ball. The body and arms fully extended in the air with his eyes intently focused on the ball coming into his hands is a dramatic photo. Images that set the play and the context of the game are the moments in time when there is a battle in mid-air between the player making the catch and the defendant.

 

Don't overlook the Defensive play. Some of the best action comes once the ball is in the open field. The defensive players will do most anything to make it stop. To anticipate these images set up behind the line so the players are coming toward you. These shots will take a bit of patience and maybe a little guessing about the play in action. You will learn skills of observation and second-guessing as you watch the play develop. You will be rewarded with exciting hot-blooded images as the play unfolds and the defense reacts. When the ball is in the air you can bet the defense is going after it as well. The Quarter Backs, Line Backs and Defensive Backs will be looking to make a play on that ball.

 

 If you're trying to capture images of the Running Back, try to shoot from well down the field or in the end zone with horizontal framing. In this frame you will be able to show some of the linemen and see the blocking assignments. When the hole in the line opens up the Running Back should be coming straight at you.

 

If you're in a position to have the Running Back coming straight at your lens and breaking loose down the field try the vertical shot.   Now is the time to keep that motor drive in action. Keep clicking that shutter and when it is all over you should have some great images of his feet off the ground, outstretched arms, body contortions and every body move he makes to keep that ball in play. You won't know what images you have till it's all over and you have the excitement of the play all over again as you review your images. These are true action photos. Your camera and capture card need to have fast refresh rates for these shots.

 

The action photos are not the entire story of the game.   There are great moments in time when you capture a reaction photo. Defensive players give you great opportunities for seizing defining moments, which immortalize the emotions of the players. Follow a defensive player with your camera waiting for that moment to snap a shot for all time. That one shot after a big play can be very rewarding. Catch an image with the interaction of the teammates. Focus in on tightly framed shots of the faces and body language. The camera loves anger, elation, frustration and rage. Tight shots of the mouth, eyes and body contortions tell it all. The reaction to a play by players, coaches and fans are immortalized in your image. 

 

Your reaction shots can also be portrait shots. Blur out the backgrounds of a portrait shot getting close up details and a full frame of the face. Eliminating background distractions can bring greater importance to the image. Find the detail in the eyes, the mouth and body language. This is photojournalism at its best. Portraits of players, also, fans, coaches, and anything else that moves in the game tell a story of the experience.

 

Whether you have a great digital camera with telephoto lenses or yours is a close range point and shoot type camera, you can still tell a great photo story of the event. Many first time photographers forget the event has a unique beginning starting in the parking lot and a similar ending of faces and activities that can be captured after the game. Photos of the tailgate parties, crowds of people, children in line waiting to see the action are some of the images that tell the story of the event. A group of fun raising fans with painted faces and funny hats are also a colorful story of a day to remember.

 

 If it is an NFL game with season tickets or your child's big event don't forget your camera.

 

Story courtesy of Imperial Valley News