Sports Photography Tips - Be More Than a Button Pusher.

A big part of being a sports photographer is the appeal of capturing the action, freezing a moment in time to reveal the drama not normally seen by the television camera or spectator. This approach requires the photographer to position themselves in the right place, press the shutter button at the right time and which will, if the photographer is any good, lead to brilliant action sports photography.

Whilst this approach is one that many commercial and editorial sports photographers have to use for almost every commission, it can mean that the photographer waits, looking only for where the most action takes place in order to freeze that split-second of someone running, jumping, catching, kicking, driving, hitting or throwing.
These moments happen in front of you, you know it’s going to be there somewhere within the reach of the lens, just make sure it’s pointing in the right direction and you press the shutter at the right time.

Here though is where the photographer becomes a collector of moments that occur, with little or no creative input. Another side of sports photography is one of creation, using the eye, skill and creativity of the photographer to make an image. Perhaps looking for the story to be found hidden in the subject you're photopgraphing. This of course still means that you are capturing a moment but it’s not the obvious high action. To illustrate my point I have used an example from my own portfolio above where a caddy is sheltering under a tree from the rain. Perhaps the least action any sports photograph can contain but to me it still shouts out Golf! I came across this scene as I was looking around at the fairway, watching the players, spectators and the rubbishy weather when this scene presented itself. The caddy is sheltering from the rain so immediately you get a sense of bad weather, perhaps wind and cold. Taking a moment to keep out of that weather under the tree.
It remains one of my favourite sports images.


Another of my favourite sports photographs is the golfer putting the ball in seen from the perspective of the bottom of the hole. I shot this because I wanted to make an image that still said ‘Golf’ but was not the usual picture of the player on the green, lining up the ball or watching it roll towards the hole.



Quick Tip Look beyond the high action and use your creative eye to tell a story and capture compelling sports photography.

If you enjoyed this article why not take a look at our next article, Using Your Shutter Speeds - Click Here.

Remember to always think safety first when you're out shooting sports. Never put yourself or others in danger and always observe all safety notices and instructions.