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.
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 going for a special
effect.
With the cost of Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) with
interchangeable lenses coming down fast, you might wish to
consider a digital SLR if you intend to shoot sports. Most,
if not all Point-N-Shoots have a longer-than-normal shutter
delay (think ETERNITY) 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. Your photos will improve.
Bottom line: Photography is all about the light. Great
lighting = great photos.
Last updated: October 22, 2008