Tips for taking the best sports photo

Sports photography starts with a good lens. With a telephoto lens, you can take beautiful close-ups of the athletes while standing along the sidelines. A lens with a focal length between 70 and 200mm is already enough for this. There are more expensive lenses available that allow you to zoom in even further. When buying the lens, also consider the maximum aperture. The larger the aperture, the more light the lens catches.

To determine what are nice perspectives for your photos, it's a good idea to explore the location in advance. This makes it easy to choose where to stand during the game or event. For example, do you want to photograph an athlete from the front or from the side? In addition, try to play with your composition. Although a straight horizon is nice for most photos, it's often more exciting to make a photo at an angle when capturing sports.

Do you only want to freeze the moving subject and keep the background blurred? Move the camera along with the subject while keeping the shutter release button pressed halfway down. It's important that you maintain the same speed as the athlete. This trick takes a lot of practice. Find out what shutter speed you need for this by practicing. Try it with a shutter speed starting at 1/125.

Most cameras have an automatic sports mode. To take your sports photos to the next level, set your camera manually. This gives you more control over the exposure of the image. In addition, you can apply more creative effects if you set the camera yourself. Do always try to keep the ISO value low to avoid noise. With a short shutter speed, use a large aperture so that your picture isn't underexposed.

Because your subjects are constantly moving, your camera needs to be able to focus quickly. If you use the continuous autofocus mode (AF-C or Al servo), the camera stays focused on your subject. If you press the shutter release halfway as soon as the subject comes into focus, the camera will continue to follow your subject as it moves. In the AF-A (Nikon) or Al focus (Canon) mode, the camera chooses which autofocus mode is best suited for the situation. That's convenient.

For sports photography, you need a camera that can take many pictures in a row. This is expressed in the number of frames per second (fps). If you set your camera to burst mode, the camera automatically takes a certain number of photos in a row. You can usually set this number set yourself. This makes it easier to take a picture of that special moment during a game. Make sure that your memory card is fast enough to handle the number of fps.

Make sure you know enough about the sport you're going to photograph. For example, you need to have some idea how the game can develop, know the rules of the game, and know what behavior the athletes might display. This way, you're always ready with your camera at the right time. It allows you to play with the emotion of the sport. This often results in unique images of passion during competitions.