It’s so easy to hold the shutter button down and catch frame
after frame of professional sport
action. Before you go shutter crazy, its important to recognize what is worth
capturing and from where can you get the best shot.
While multiple frame sequences can be a good way of
capturing the action, you will often end up with wasteful pictures on your
camera. The high end DSLR cameras can capture more than 10 frames per second
but it’s really the skills of a professional
athlete photographer that count.
Different techniques can be learnt and used in commercial advertising sport photography.
Mostly, these vary according to your taste in photos, comfort level with sports photography and the professional sport you are shooting. Try
to experiment with different techniques during a commercial athlete photography shoot to cover the action from all
angles.
You should always bear in mind that learning sports photography is all about
telling a story about a basketball
game, a triathlon, a National Basketball League game or a bodybuilding event. The best way to
capture the action is to shoot from different perspectives.
The
FACE is the primary source of all emotion and this is what makes a picture
talk to the viewers. For a perfect commercial
advertising athlete photography shot, be aware of the player’s
locations. For example, in basketball,
you can only shoot people taking jump shots from the side line. If you
can’t see the face of a professional
athlete, it’s best not to take the shot. Positioning yourself in
different locations during the game is very important part of sports photography.
In
certain sports like triathlons,
it may not be easy to take professional
sport pictures. The easy solution is to use a fill flash. For commercial advertising sports
photography, adequate lighting and a camera with long lens will
come in handy. To catch a really good shot, you will need some sort of
advanced equipment and good locations. With practice, you can be
successful at all sorts of commercial
athlete photography.
Another
point to be considered is the SHAPE of your subject. If they are taller
than they are wide, hold the camera vertically to fill the frame with a professional athlete in action. A
tight head shot also fits better vertically. Mostly, professional sport photographs
are shot in vertical form.
Commercial advertising sport photography
involves both INDIVIDUAL and GROUP shots. Hold the camera vertically to
highlight an individual. This is a common technique of sport photography in basketball, National Basketball League,
bodybuilding, triathlon and other individual sports. When you want
to capture the conflict in a game, shoot horizontally.
EMOTION
forms an essential part of professional sport photography. Shots that have
emotion are likely to become priceless frames. A good commercial athlete
photography shot will have the energy and story telling ability that
brings a photo to life. Whether it is small league basketball players or National
Basketball League players, they all show emotion at varying points
of the game. Commercial advertising sport photography
requires a lot of shooting time and effort in editing pictures that lack
emotion. Instead of focusing only on the professional athletes, take time to shoot the crowd, coaches,
fans and officials.
