Photographing sports is a great opportunity to experiment with different shutter speeds. Most sports action is frozen with a high shutter speed. Freezing peak action reveals moments that the naked eye often cannot see. Facial expressions and body language are elements that come together to make a peak action shot great. Use a shutter speed of at least 1/500 of a second to freeze action. Shooting above 1/1000 of a second will give you even better control. Use the continuous shooting mode, but don’t rely on the motor drive to catch peak action. You still have to time your shot. As a general rule, use a shutter speed that is at least the same number as the length of your lens. If you’re using a 200mm lens, shoot at least 1/200 of a second to avoid any camera shake. For a 50mm, use at least 1/50 of a second. As with any rule, break it once you’ve mastered it.
Using a slow shutter speed and panning is a nice way to add variety to a series of sports images. Increase aperture so that you can correctly expose the scene at around 1/60 of a second. If it’s sunny, try ISO 100 at f/22 to get down to a workable shutter speed. The speed of your subject may require a faster or slower shutter speed. Consider using panning for a track race. Focus on the runner as he or she is coming toward you. Keep the autofocus engaged as you follow the runner through the viewfinder. Release the shutter when the runner is right in front of you, but keep the camera panning with the runner after you hit the shutter button. Keep your arms stable and use your hips to rotate your upper body. This technique will create motion blur and keep part of your subject in critical focus. Remember: as with any technique, it’s just one trick in your camera bag to add variety to a shoot. Don’t rely on techniques to define your style. The content of an image will always be more important than the way it was captured.
World Photos by Benjamin Brayfield
