This page contains instruction on use of a digital camera
to photograph fast action sports activity. In this example,
IPSC/USPSA sanctioned match competition. Check with
www.uspsa.org/ for listing of matches in your area. Notice
the attention to detail and if this level of detail
interests you or your business needs. Let me help sell your
expertise.
I am also a competitive
shooter. Photo by Darin Rainey.
This is ACTION photography.
This photo (above) of me shooting is an excellent action
photo example:
1. Background supports the subject and does not distract.
Always scout for suitable background!
2. Rule-of-thirds works here. Shooter and gun both
important. Never center your subject.
3. Action is stopped. Brass is frozen. It doesn't get any
better than this. Shutter speed: 1/4000 second.
4. Important elements in photo are sharply focused. Note
the autofocus is on the shooter, not the background.
Remember the rule-of-thirds?
5. Emotion is important. You are close enough to get a
sense of how much concentration it takes to compete at
these speeds.
My Nikon D1X screen display.
Most modern SLRs have similar layout. Some have more,
others less. Nikon D1X shown.
My
still photography experience:
I purchased my first SLR about 28 years ago. I am self
taught and have completed several university level courses
from Photography 101 to Photojournalism. Photography is fun
and the learning never stops. If you are trying to achieve
results like the top pros, it does take serious committment
and practice.
No matter what kind of camera you have, you can still make
fantastic photographs that are the envy of your friends.
They make excellent gifts for the "I Love Me" wall.
Stop-Action Photography:
I
use a long zoom lens (70-200) to get close to the action,
to visually invade the subject's personal space a little,
and freeze the incredible action in a moment in time. If
you look carefully, you will notice facial expression that
range from calm to pure joy, yet their handguns are blazing
as fast as humanly possible. Splits of .13 to .25 between
shots is typical for this type of shooting. That's 13
hundred's of a second between shots! Remember this is in
the midst of high-energy, run-and-gun, grip-it and rip-it,
adrenalin-pumping action. Okay, okay. I'm okay now. I will
settle down. Yep, it's that good.
I use a Nikon D1X model with a top end shutter speed of
1/16,000 of a second. Canon and Nikon offer only one or two
models in their PRO line that offers that shutter speed. It
seems all the new PRO models offer speeds up to 1/8000
second. I try to exploit higher shutter speeds in stopping
brass or even slowing down bullets to a smear. HINT: I
don't mimic film by shooting everything at ISO 100. I
normally shoot digital in daylight at ISO 800. The noise is
not objectionable. This allows me to select higher shutter
speeds between 1/4000 - 1/16,000. These higher shutter
speeds are my choice and suits my action shooting style.
I also shoot everything in MANUAL. This means I manually
select my speed and aperature settings. I use the built-in
multiple-pattern metering system. This means as I pan and
follow the action, my exposure settings will not change
according to extreme light or extreme dark background
details or other factors that tend to influence exposure
settings. Shoot in Manual mode. If you can't or it's not
convenient, always shoot with the sun on your back. Never
shoot into the sun unless you are experimenting or going
for a special effect.
With the cost of Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) with
interchangeable lenses coming down fast, It might be a good
time to retire that Point-N-Shoot digital camera if you
intend to shoot sports. Most, if not all Point-N-Shoots
have a longer-than-normal shutter delay that may interfere
with getting the "decisive moment". With a DSLR, the
shutter delay is minimal and you also get to choose among
many top rated lenses.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE for all photographers and those who use
photography...
Please read this very important note about Copyright
protection. The U.S. Copyright Act (Title 17, United States
Code) is designed to protect photographers and other
artists by granting them the exclusive right to distribute,
copy, edit and publish their photography by license,
transfer or sale.
This is important because the Copyright Act prohibits
anyone from copying, scanning, editing or sharing
photographic prints, images or media without the written
permission of the photographer.
Violation of the Copyright Act may subject the infringer to
both civil and criminal penalties.
Because photographs is a work of art that we want you to
cherish, we wanted you to know about this important
Copyright protection. Respecting the Copyright Act not only
protects the rights of the photographer and prevents you
from being subjected to prosecution, it helps to make sure
that this photographic print retains its original value as
a work of art.
Please feel free to contact the photographer to discuss any
questions, comments or concerns you have about Copyright.
If you need additional copies, would like the right to scan
it and post it to your online or social media accounts,
etc., please contact the photographer. All reasonable
requests will be accommodated. In some cases, this may
require payment of an additional fee.
For more information on photographic Copyrights, please
visit
http://www.kodak.com/cluster/global/en/consumer/doingMore/copyright.shtml
Last updated: April 15, 2010