Sports Photography - True Photography?

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??

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.

Tumeg wrote in post #5268754
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.

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!

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

Tumeg wrote in post #5268754
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"

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:

^^ 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.

daduls wrote in post #5269469
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:

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

Tumeg wrote in post #5268754
.......... 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 ?

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.

watchtherocks wrote in post #5268975

Each to their own, I guess.

Showoff!?

I think I've seen that shot somewhere before.

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

:p

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

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