| What gets you all excited about your | | | | |
| favourite sport? ... the thrill of the chase | | | | Also bear in mind the distance, as your flash |
| in horse racing or maybe the atmosphere and | | | | will not carry too far … it might be |
| tension of a ball game, maybe your favourite | | | | worth sitting near the basket hoop to catch |
| player? ... Well if you were to capture some | | | | the action! |
| of these scenes how would you do it best? | | | | |
| For some digital photography tips, let's take | | | | Blurred Action … a couple of ideas |
| a look at a few ideas right now to capture | | | | behind blurred action is, firstly … if |
| that realism ... | | | | you look back at your photos you have taken |
| | | | using Stop Action, you may find one or two |
| Get Familiar | | | | shots that did not freeze the action, which |
| | | | means your camera did not catch the action at |
| It's worth getting familiar with the sport | | | | the right moment … so you end up with |
| before you start shooting, for example, how | | | | an interestingly blurry effect to your |
| points are scored, what causes penalties etc, | | | | subject. |
| as this will give you an advantage over | | | | |
| others … you will learn to expect where | | | | Secondly, if you're shooting a ball game, for |
| the best action is likely to be, and you can | | | | example, you may get blurring if your player |
| then capture those glorious moments. | | | | moves just as you click your shutter. If you |
| | | | did not intend for this to happen, you might |
| Another great tip, as well as aiming to catch | | | | be pleasantly surprised with the effect! |
| the action, capture the 'emotion' too. Be | | | | |
| ready to shoot players' faces on triumph of a | | | | Panned Action … the most difficult to |
| goal, or any other emotive action in the game | | | | accomplish, but probably the most effective |
| and you will bring your photos alive! | | | | shooting technique, once mastered. The |
| | | | advantage using your digital camera is that |
| Be Prepared | | | | you can delete unwanted frames and start |
| | | | again, so here's how panning basically |
| Cold and bad weather conditions can quickly | | | | works... |
| rob the life of your digital camera's | | | | |
| battery, so it's important to always carry an | | | | Using your digital camera in automatic mode |
| extra charged battery especially for outdoor | | | | press the shutter half way down to focus on |
| sports. | | | | your subject, moving your camera sideways |
| | | | following the action, then pressing the |
| Action Techniques | | | | shutter fully while still moving your camera. |
| | | | The effect created is the front of your |
| Stop Action … you'll very quickly be | | | | subject should remain in fairly strong focus, |
| able to shoot an action shot and 'freeze' | | | | while the back of your subject should start |
| your subject practically in mid air. Imagine | | | | to blur, and as it blurs a long trail should |
| the wheels of a drag car on a dirt road, | | | | appear, giving a feeling of movement like no |
| bouncing off the many bumps … for those | | | | other effect could possibly achieve. |
| few seconds while the car is in mid air, snap | | | | |
| away to capture the action. | | | | Experiment |
| | | | |
| Lighting is not too much of an issue if | | | | By knowing what your digital camera can do, |
| you're outside on a sunny or partially sunny | | | | experiment with different methods to get the |
| day say at a car race, dog track, or horse | | | | best shots. You could try shooting in |
| race etc, but you'll maybe need to make | | | | continuous mode, then try panning the camera |
| adjustments if you're inside a gymnasium | | | | along with your subject, whilst he/she or it |
| shooting a basketball game, for example. If | | | | is in motion. |
| the lighting is bright, then you'll probably | | | | |
| be okay, but depending on the type of | | | | I hope these digital photography tips are |
| lighting, you may need to activate your fill | | | | helpful. If you can get to grips with |
| flash if you shoot players in action and you | | | | panning, as I have described above, you're on |
| find your photo colorisation shifting to | | | | a winner! |
| 'yellow'. | | | | |