Sports Photography - True Photography?

[Tumeg]

Alright...
So earlier today, when having dinner with my parents, I brought up the fact that I was being offered $20/hr to do sports photography, but only if I get a better telephoto lens. So we start talking about sports photography, and from the questions of theirs that I was answering, they made the conclusion that anyone can be a sports photographer. I disagreed to an extent, but couldn't go any further because I also, almost believe you don't need to have knowledge of composition, and other fundamentals of photography to be a sports photographer for the following reasons:
1) Sports photography limits you to creative angles
2) It is harder in sports photography to compose a shot
3) All you really do in sports photography, is point and click and hope you are getting good shots!

I do understand you need to know some technical information such as aperture, ISO, exposure, correct lens\camera, ect.
But can just ANYONE be a sports photographer??

[cdifoto]

All photography is true photography. Sports photography isn't necessarily taxing on the creative side but your timing has to be spot on for anyone to care about the images. Anyone can do just about anything with practice and experience, including sports photography...just like anyone can do weddings with practice and experience. Photography as a whole isn't exactly rocket surgery.

[tonylong]

Alright...
I do understand you need to know some technical information such as aperture, ISO, exposure, correct lens\camera, ect.
But can just ANYONE be a sports photographer??

I guess the real answer is in a question: Can just ANYONE take, with any consistency, shots that would be published in, say, Sports Illustrated? Somehow, I gather that there is a level of both skill and a "vision" of what makes a "WOW" shot that sets the top level of sports photogs apart from the rest of us.

[Togra4]

ha ha,,, if that was the case i wouldn't be so downhearted right now. I would be filthy rich and at every basketball, football and hockey game I could travel too and then every Nascar race in between, and that's knowing people in all aspects of the business. It takes hard work, study and years of practice to be a good sports photographer. It is not as easy as Sports Illustrated photographers make it look.

Yes, there are limitations and there are moments of "spray and pray" but you can find that in all types of photography. I dont exactly understand what you mean by "it's harder...to compose a shot". It's hard to compose a shot in any kind of action photography. You certainly have to have the concepts of composition down as well as any other fundementals of photography, rule of thirds, perspective, understanding of lighting etc...but you also have to understand the sport that you are shooting so you can anticipate when the prime action will occur. That's why not everyone IS a successful sports photographer. It's a hard game to get into and you have to be innovative to beat the next guy/gal to the punch.

Good luck with your job! :)

[watchtherocks]

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/2889/bells1564aab2.jpg

Each to their own, I guess.

[Ray Marrero]

Nothing, is as easy as it seems, including sports photography.

[primoz]

But can just ANYONE be a sports photographer??
Sure can. Anyone can also be brain surgeon or great guitar player. It's just that not everyone succeed :) But I don't see reason why someone couldn't be sport photographer.
But on serious side... it takes just as much to be sport photographer or fashion photographer, or whatever other field you would go there. You still need to have vision and ideas, and you always have some limitations, no matter if you shoot sport, little bugs, or top models.
Your #2... it's probably harder to compose shots with sport, but this doesn't mean you don't need to know anything about composition. It's just harder to compose shots, but composition should still be there.
And for #3... Once you work for money, you don't just point and shoot and HOPE for best. You have to bring photos back not just hope to bring them back. So such things might change all those things "a bit" ;)

[daduls]

I am one of the best sports photographers I know of.
Do my pictures go in Sports Illustrated? NO.
Do I care? Not as long as I keep bringing home memories like this:
http://swdunn.smugmug.com/photos/275336250_LJKLx-L.jpg

[Boucher]

^^ Thats a great shot there.

I also disagree with the composition factor that you have brought up. Composition isn't just the angle at which the photo is taken at. IT could be portrait/landscape, headshot/full body shot. its still composition.

boucher.

[Togra4]

I am one of the best sports photographers I know of.
Do my pictures go in Sports Illustrated? NO.
Do I care? Not as long as I keep bringing home memories like this:
http://swdunn.smugmug.com/photos/275336250_LJKLx-L.jpg

Right on the money, Stephen! Great shot, too!

[CountryBoy]

.......... I disagreed to an extent, but couldn't go any further because I also, almost believe you don't need to have knowledge of composition, and other fundamentals of photography to be a sports photographer for the following reasons:
1) Sports photography limits you to creative angles
2) It is harder in sports photography to compose a shot
3) All you really do in sports photography, is point and click and hope you are getting good shots!

I do understand you need to know some technical information such as aperture, ISO, exposure, correct lens\camera, ect.

Sounds likes the fundamentals to me !
But can just ANYONE be a sports photographer??

Have you ever tried it ?

[Togra4]

I wonder if he posted this just to elicit passionate responses from sports photographers because it just seems so unrealistic to me that anyone (who was serious about and learned in photography) would think that any type of photography would require less knowledge and skill than another....

Good Job Brad...lol. It's good to see people defending their genre so well.
:):):)

You should share some of your sports action images with us. I'd love to see your work.

[S.Horton]

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/2889/bells1564aab2.jpg

Each to their own, I guess.

Showoff!?

I think I've seen that shot somewhere before.

A lurking pro surf photog......... maybe........

:p;)

[CountryBoy]

Maybe this should be moved to the sports section. I think they would like it ;) .

[FlyingPhotog]

^^^ Kinda like moving a day care center next to a Dingo farm...?

[CountryBoy]

^^^ Kinda like moving a day care center next to a Dingo farm...?

:D

I've been shooting my great- nephews baseball games for a couple of years now. I've sold some to other parents and gave many more away. I thing I learned it's not as easy as it looks. I was approached by other teams to do their action shots for them this year. But I passed , I feel I need another year, for that. And I really haven't decided if I want to get that involved in it.

I've had computer problems lately. So, I moved all my images to external hard drives. I'll try to dig some out and post some.

[PhotosGuy]

Anyone can also be brain surgeon or great guitar player. It's just that not everyone succeed.
What do you call a brain surgeon who graduates at the bottom of his class?
A brain surgeon!

[SuzyView]

Gee, Frank. Depress me before noon. ;)

I shoot sports for my kids, and it's not all point & shoot. You have to get to the right place to get the best faces and movement. I don't just snap away, either. You have to decide what kind of movement you want to catch: i.e., kicking, pushing, running, etc. You don't just take 2000 pictures and hope you get something good. It's an art to get the angle just right, but also skill to know when to get the burst going.

If the reason you posted this is to have a good excuse to get a sports telephoto lens, I'd say, "Go for it!" I think that makes a huge difference in what your final result is. I think the fact that we say the photographer is what is important means something in this area, but the gear will definitely make your job easier. I know after I got my 70-200 2.8 IS, I became less concerned about all the buttons and more ready to work on the fun stuff. And you know my theory about gear, "If you use it $1 a day and will use it for that length of time to pay of it, it's worth it." So I paid $1600 for the lens, I need to use it for 5 years to pay for it to make it worth it to me. And I can say, 'I do use it enough to make it worth it.

[Mike R]

This was my first year for HS sports photography and each sport has it's challenges. Even though I have done well, the parents love my work and my business has grown, I have noticed that the quality of my work continues to improve. I had no real knowledge of some sports before I started shooting them, so I studied them. Most sports photographers will say that you need a knowledge of the sport you are shooting and I agree because you need to be able to anticipate what might happen next. the more I learn about a new sport, the better I am.

[JRB]

Timing is everything, and patience helps. I guess if I can do it anybody can.;)

[FlyingPhotog]

Timing is everything, and patience helps. I guess if I can do it anybody can.;)

Nice catch...

You call it "Timing and Patience" but I'd call it "Knowledge and Preparation."

You obviously knew what *could* happen if a UHP gets too much air under the hull and you were prepared to capture it if it happened.

A less knowledgeable person wouldn't have even had their camera up and ready.

[Tumeg]

I wonder if he posted this just to elicit passionate responses from sports photographers because it just seems so unrealistic to me that anyone (who was serious about and learned in photography) would think that any type of photography would require less knowledge and skill than another....

Good Job Brad...lol. It's good to see people defending their genre so well.
:):):)

You should share some of your sports action images with us. I'd love to see your work.
I actually was being serious\honest in my questions....
But thanks to all of you, I have had some major points\facts pointed out to me that I just overlooked! Thanks everyone!

^^^ Kinda like moving a day care center next to a Dingo farm...?
Hahahaha..... Nice

[JeffreyG]

Just like anything in photography, it's about knowing what you are shooting very well.

To shoot sports, you have to know the game and be able to predict how the action might unfold. They you have to be in the right place with the right lens and the right exposure to get it. That is never easy.

[Welby]

Sure anyone can be shoot sports but not every one is good at it ;)

[Tandem]

My wife occasionally shoots sports with me. She doesn't know much about sports and I have to help her a bit with the exposure settings. Her signal to noise ratio is low due to her lack of knowledge but she has mastered AI Servo focus and comes back with some beautiful shots.

I process her images separately from mine and I put her own watermark on them so I can give her credit for her work. Once I put our images together I often am unable to tell who took what without looking at the watermark.

So, yes, just about anyone can shoot sports with a little training. Your timing and knowledge of what works best gets better over time.

[Mark1]

Ill jump in with my 1/2 cent worth. ( no, not a full 2 cents )

If you think about it outside the box, from outside the industry. Studio stuff is the easy part for the "not real photographers". You get a pretty girl to sit down, camera on a tripod, controllable light, controllable background, and all day to get a good shot. Sports on the other hand, you cant controll anything, some places, not even where you stand. So you really have to be on top of your game to get a good shot.

In reality I beleave the " real photography" comes into play depending on your level of competency. If you suck but have $150,000 in equipment in your studio are you a real photog. Or have 1 body and 1 lens, but sell every shot from the side lines? In any profession the bottom line is how good you are at what you do. If you are in demand you are most deffinatley "real"!

You know how you can make a wine glass sing by rubbing the rim with your finger? Well there is a guy here in D.C. that does that . He really makes his living by playing this table full of different glasses. He has been doing it for a long time. Even been on Leno. And put his kids thru school with it. But is he a "real musician"? Given the level at which he performs, I think so. Unconventional, out of the norm, off the beaten path , how ever you want to put, put definatley a "real musician!!

This is him..... ( not my vid) there are a bunch of him there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phqymc8anO0

[oaktree]

As my signature says: Stand, point & shoot. Sports photography uses the same principle. The closest other genre is probably street photography>>fleeting moments, many components interacting and moving. Seems like true photography to me.

[Marnault]

The big thing in being a professional sports photographer, or any type of pro photographer is that you need to get great shots that are valuable to others every time. Sure you might not get a "perfect" photo every shoot, but you need to take photos that will make you money consistantly.

Not just anyone can do this at a drop of a hat, sure most people could learn to take technically correct images, but even then without a proper sense of timing and knowing what looks good, they wont consistantly get great images. Either because their timing was off, or bad composition.

1/10 of a second can be the difference between a cover shot and garbage. And its really easy to miss that moment if you just spray and pray every time.

[Zilly]

THE moment lasts for a micro second any one can catch that moment with a lot of luck. how ever to be able to catch that moment day in day out is the sign of a good pro. the sign of a excellent pro is one that can do the above but can get the composition and focusing spot on

[BCinMB]

Wow, my parents are exactly the same.

I strongly believe sports photography lies in the composition, then after that, just "spray and pray".

For example, I had mentally composed this shot already,then shot away as he arrived at the curve:
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x48/SpicyEnchilada/NSOPKalinowski.jpg

[butcha27]

I don't have a pro sports shooters kit but I'm slowly getting some stuff together, if you see my site it is predominantly sport. The quote "Anyone can do sports photography" may have one samll element of truth, that is, they'd all get photos in the end. BUT not anyone can produce PROFESSIONAL RESULTS in fact a lot of people wouldn't even know what they are doing wrong or that a particular sports photo is lacking in quality. I could give someone my 70-200 f/2.8 or 300 f/4 on their body and say here you go, go be a sports shooter, I think you'd find a very small percentage producing professional looking results. I know I've learnt more from shooting sport than from shooting anything else, theres no time to stop and re-adjust settings etc, your changing on the go and when the big occassion happens in a match, if you miss it, you can't ask them to do it again. So I invite anyone to try and see how they go. I'd imagine they'll be back on here asking what they can do to improve in no time!

[FlyingPhotog]

It may seem like sports shooters are the "Loose Goose" of the photographic world but I'd offer this take:

"They" say that in the circus world, despite outward appearances, the "Clown On The High Wire" act is usually performed not by a clown but by the most accomplished high wire walker. He has the ability to make the technique secondary to the showmanship.

I think this is what makes the best sports shooters. The mechanics of photography are so ingrained and are so second nature that the photog is free to focus all their energies on getting "the shot." They are free to concentrate totally on the event and can devote many brain cycles to situations, trends and developments in the game.

Another advantage is that conditions in sporting venues tend to be consistant through the duration of the event. Some obvious exceptions would be an afternoon NFL game at Texas Stadium (with that God awful shadow...) and a day into night event like a twilight baseball game.

But shooting in a domed stadium? Set it and forget it for the most part. Same with a night game that actually starts after dark. Just bring your really fast glass which, judging by what's used in the various camera pits around the USofA, there's plenty.

[Cadwell]

1) Sports photography limits you to creative angles
2) It is harder in sports photography to compose a shot
3) All you really do in sports photography, is point and click and hope you are getting good shots!


If you actually believe any of those three statements then you're completely unsuited to be a sports photographer. Direct your attention to some other area of photography.

[slappy sam]

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/2889/bells1564aab2.jpg

Each to their own, I guess.
Wow, I miss the water. This shot is incredible. I love the processing as well, do you have more similar shots?

[DocFrankenstein]

I'd say that if you give a 1D series with a 500mm lens to anybody who understands exposure, they'll come out with lots of pictures and you'll see faces, action... etc.

But it might not tell a story...

And certainly very few will find the buyers for it and their shots have to be unique...

One can capture all the moments and emotions he wants, but if it's some little league game, it'll never appear in Sports Illustrated. SI needs celebrity stuff.

[primoz]

My wife occasionally shoots sports with me..... and comes back with some beautiful shots.
That's the main thing. If you are shooting for fun, everyone can shoot sport. It's not that hard to do it. With 100 or so people running, jumping, skiing, driving etc. you will get few really cool photos. But when shooting for money, "few really cool photos" doesn't count at all, if these are photos of people on place 17, 34 and 83. You need to have winner, or whoever your client wants. When considering this, all of a sudden things are not that easy anymore.
Problem with professional photography (and not just sport photography, but every other one too) is, that you must bring good enough photos... every single time! Not just those few times you were luck and you got really cool photos, but every single time. And noone is lucky every single time ;)

[Tandem]

What do you think of the similarities between the skills of a video game player and those of a sports photographer? Like the ability to anticipate situations, quick thinking, change strategies on the fly, determine friend or foe/good shot, bad shot and come back with the kill (shot) while at the same time having enough defense to not get killed or run over themselves by a charging player (enemy).

Would a great video game player make a great sports photographer and vice versa?

[RPCrowe]

Sure, anyone can be a Sports Photographer just like anyone can be a Professional Pool Shooter. I was a professional Pool Shooter once but, after the first day, I got very hungry and decided to find another profession.

Enough sick humor...

Sports Photography is an exacting skill that requires top-notch photo technique, an in-depth knowledge of the sports you are shooting and the correct equipment.

IMO, without any of the above three building blocks, producing excellent sports photography is not very likely.

[bobbyz]

That's the main thing. If you are shooting for fun, everyone can shoot sport. It's not that hard to do it. With 100 or so people running, jumping, skiing, driving etc. you will get few really cool photos. But when shooting for money, "few really cool photos" doesn't count at all, if these are photos of people on place 17, 34 and 83. You need to have winner, or whoever your client wants. When considering this, all of a sudden things are not that easy anymore.
Problem with professional photography (and not just sport photography, but every other one too) is, that you must bring good enough photos... every single time! Not just those few times you were luck and you got really cool photos, but every single time. And noone is lucky every single time ;)

Well said.

[neumanns]

Here's my guess...You want the folks to dish out $1600 (70-200 2.8 IS) for a $20/hr gig.

But the folks want you to admit it takes more than just a spendy lens to be a sports photog...

If you are really serious...Perhaps you could sell a bit of gear and get a less expensive fast prime in a focal length appropriate for whatever sport it is.

And prove to both you got what it takes...Then the folks will be more willing to help you along.

I think I would be a good Dictator...If I could just get someone to buy me a small country!

You got talent...that show's in your work, you just need to show them you got the talent for sports as well.

[bwolford]

I have a parent that competes on my daugther's gymnastics team. She had the exact same lens and camera I had (300D with a 70-200 F/2.8 IS USM). Despite showing her how to use the camera and lens the exact same way I did, she still bought my images because she couldn't get the same shots of her daughter. And yes I set her camera up just like mine and explained what I look for and when I press the shutter.

So I guess there really isn't any talent involved. I was just consistently luckier than she was.

[Glenn NK]

I guess the real answer is in a question: Can just ANYONE take, with any consistency, shots that would be published in, say, Sports Illustrated? Somehow, I gather that there is a level of both skill and a "vision" of what makes a "WOW" shot that sets the top level of sports photogs apart from the rest of us.

I was in the camera shop yesterday and discussed this topic with a couple of the staff.

The conclusion was that to be really good, one needs to understand the game that is being covered.

If you are a baseball fanatic and have never watched a hockey game, you won't do as well as someone that follows hockey and knows it.

[bildeb0rg]

Brad is quite right, sports photography is soooo easy.
Heck, since I got me a cam that clicks real fast, I actually leave my gear at home on Saturdays and watch the game from the clubhouse.
When I get home I'm constantly amazed at the pictures my camera has taken all by itself...

[DucoNihilum]

All photography is true photography. Sports photography isn't necessarily taxing on the creative side but your timing has to be spot on for anyone to care about the images. Anyone can do just about anything with practice and experience, including sports photography...just like anyone can do weddings with practice and experience. Photography as a whole isn't exactly rocket surgery.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[mlav]

Anyone with a fast DSLR that can spray at 6.5-10 frames a second with no thought...isn't much of a photog.

[Togra4]

I am still glad that Brad brought up this discussion. Everyone is making such awesome points and although I think Brad has found a broader respect for shooting sports (as he mentioned in an earlier post after reading the first half of the discussion) I think we should keep it going until it's exhausted for the others that "don't get it".....

Primroz makes a fantastic point...probably the most important one. I have been shooting sports for a while now. I have hundreds of images sitting un-loved and un-wanted on my hard drive because although they are "cool" they arent good enough to add to my portfolio. A Pro friend once told me "only show your best" meaning that when others see your pictures they are only ever blown away. When it comes to sports, you dont want to show a shot that gets mediocre response. Sports photography is all about WoWing your viewers/clients/boss...Those kinds of images are really hard to get. Out of 1000 shots I take at a race (and I am still learning) I end up with only about 300 that are almost there and from those about 50 or so I would show and then only about 20 that an editor would even look at and then only about 5 that make people say wow. Scary isnt it! I am still but a Sophomore in the college of sports photography and its been 4 years since I started to focus on it. I am determined to get the keeper rate up and I wont stop until I get it right!

I am curious, Pros...Can you give us examples of your "keeper"/"WOW" rates? Inquiring minds want to know!

[Mark1]

Anyone with a fast DSLR that can spray at 6.5-10 frames a second with no thought...isn't much of a photog.


I know what you mean.... but the way it is worded....everybody here is not much of a photographer then.

[Togra4]

Good one Mark1, but I do know what youre talking about Mlav :)

[sidx001]

I've been shooting sports, specifically gymnastics and ice skating, for about three years. I just finished shooting an event two weekends ago where over the space of three days I took over 13K pictures of over 510 competitors on the floor, vault and beam. While I agree that most people want to see the "WOW" pictures, I have found that there are also people that are more interested in the not so "WOW" pictures as well...namely the coaching personnel. For example, while shooting the beam, you'll do a minor spray of around 10 pics to capture a front walkover. Sometimes the competitor misses the beam on the downside and comes off. Normally that would definitely NOT qualify for a WOW shot! However, I have found that coaches are very interested in those shots becuase they use them to show the competitor where they need to change something during the particular move in question, or show the competitor what happened during that move.

Anyway, sometimes even the non WOW shots are great to keep. btw, of the 13K shots I took over that weekend, I kept 10.5K as useable with around 5k being what I consider to be worth something.

just my .02!

[Tandem]

So what is a sports photographer, anyway? I consider someone photographing little kids at play and selling to parents a sports photographer but some of the responses here seem to indicate that it is something more. Photographing kids at a level that wows their parents is quite different than photographing a pro game for SI.

[FlyingPhotog]

So what is a sports photographer, anyway? I consider someone photographing little kids at play and selling to parents a sports photographer but some of the responses here seem to indicate that it is something more. Photographing kids at a level that wows their parents is quite different than photographing a pro game for SI.

Great photography at the point of attack is great photography at the point of attack...

Of course a photo of Little Susie at shortstop that satisfies Aunt Peggy probably won't have to be as good as "The Catch" from SB XLII on the cover of SI, but why should the photog not try to make one as good as the other?

If someone is out there shooting and is satisfied with only half *ssed images of Little Susie then guess what? They aren't ever gonna get near the sidelines of a Super Bowl...

[Togra4]

James, wow thats a lot and another great point...I have taken pictures for crew members at races during a pit stop, say the jack man or the front tire carrier, and they say that seeing them can help with technique as well...I actually had a crew member ask me take a shot with my 400mm on the next pass so that he could make sure the piece of tape he put on the grill was still there....So you are right there are definitely some benefits to the "not wow" shots. I was leaning more towards the SI type shots when I posted earlier.

Tandem, anyone who shoots sports on a consistent basis with stealth and accuracy is a sports photographer in my mind. :)

[primoz]

So what is a sports photographer, anyway?
Who is sports shooter? Anyone shooting sport. I don't count myself, even if I'm shooting World Cups and World Championships, as anything more then someone shooting little league. Afterall... what the difference between World Championships and little league from photographers point of view? You some more restrictions, but that's about it. Ok there's few more but still.
Yes you have famous names on WCH, but when it comes down to photo, crappy photo with World champion on it, is still just crappy photo, while on other side great photo with 10 years old neighbor's son playing soccer, is still great photo.

[primoz]

I am curious, Pros...Can you give us examples of your "keeper"/"WOW" rates? Inquiring minds want to know!
Wow photos for my standards? If I get 15-20, or better to say one every month so 12, such photos in year I consider it as good year :)

[jmpsmash]

James, wow thats a lot and another great point...I have taken pictures for crew members at races during a pit stop, say the jack man or the front tire carrier, and they say that seeing them can help with technique as well...I actually had a crew member ask me take a shot with my 400mm on the next pass so that he could make sure the piece of tape he put on the grill was still there....So you are right there are definitely some benefits to the "not wow" shots.


let me be the devil's advocate here.

sure, that's beneficial, but is that "photography"?

----------------

i too have thought about what the OP said before. my personal take is a bit different than many opinions here.

IMHO, whether a photo get sold a lot to coaches for coaching purpose, or sold to parents as a momento alone is not the criteria for being "photography", it is just utility and business.

for sports photos to be photography, the photo itself needs to adhere to the general criteria of being a good photograph.

eg.
- good composition
- good exposure/color contrast
- etc
- and on top of that, sports photos need to have good timing showing the subject in a good posture.

in fact, i think sports photography when done correctly, is photography. in fact, it is much more difficult than many other photographic disciplines due to the lack of control in:

- the subject
- the subject's movement
- the fact that the decisive moment may only happen once and it is gone forever
- the lighting
- limited angle of view in many venue

so to get a "wow" photo in the sport venue is much much more difficult.

although it is difficult, it is not something that is unattainable. the true sports photographer (just like any other type of photographer) needs to plan ahead of time:
- learn to understand the sport
- scout out different locations in the venue to maximize lighting and pleasing angle of view.
- catch the player's posture at a pleasing angle and moment
- learn to anticipate and time the shutter to catch peak action, and most importantly,
- visually plan out what type of shot one is looking for in your head, just like any other photographers would do, and strive to achieve the look.

what one should not do is to just clicks the shutter 10,000 times and hope to be lucky, that's not photography.

[nicksan]

I shot sports for the very first time a few weeks ago at a Spring Training game from the stands.

I don't do any kind of sports shooting, but it really didn't take long before I started to realize the amount of thought/preparation/etc. it takes to shoot sports. It simply isn't spray and pray, and in fact, most of the pics I took using that method, didn't come out all that hot.

IMO, you need to know the game, how it flows, the best angles, learn how to anticipate plays, patience, when to use portrait and landscape, shutter speed, framing to indicate what type of action,, etc, etc....that's a lot of stuff to think about when there is action!

I don't think I did too poorly, but I definitely learned a lot of things, even in one outing. I don't anticipate doing a lot of sports shooting, but I would be better prepared next time...well hopefully!

[Mike R]

It dosen't matter if we think it's a "WOW" photo. It's what our customers think that counts. I had a shot of a HS football (US) player in a pre season scrimmage. The kid was injured in the next scrimmage and couldn't play the entire seaon (team went on to win state class championship.). The shot was not special but it was to his parents and thats what it's all about.

[Jon, The Elder]

IMO, you need to know the game, how it flows, the best angles, learn how to anticipate plays, patience, when to use portrait and landscape, shutter speed, framing to indicate what type of action,, etc, etc....that's a lot of stuff to think about when there is action!

I agree with NickSan completely, he put it all in one paragraph.

I (we) shoot horse events and every bit of the above applies for and about each shot. At least it has for the last 40+ years.

[wyofizz]

"jmpsmash" pretty much summed it up.
I think the most challenging photography has to be on location/event
photography.