What Goes Into Perfect Sports Photography

Take any sport and you will know that victory is a combination of performance and practice. sports photography is no different.

If you take commercial athlete photography seriously, you need to do a lot more than just being at the venue of the sporting event with a camera. There is nothing like being "at the right place, at the right place." Professional sport photographers spend years in learning the minute details, tips and tricks of taking excellent shots that bring life to their pictures.

By following the tips given below, you can understand what goes into great sports photography and how you can learn the art of commercial advertising sport photography.

1. What's your sport?
Before you go out to any sporting event, ask yourself this question. As a professional athlete photographer, it is important that you understand the sport's rules, strategy and playing moves well enough to consider it your sport. You don't need to go into the depth of the game. Just make sue that you know what the point of the game is and what is considered good performance.

As the action changes in the blink of an eye, you must have your camera trained on the moment that makes all the difference in the game. In commercial advertising athlete photography, it is important for you to know what moves are coming from the players, be it basketball, baseball, triathlon, National Basketball League or even bodybuilding.

2. Which players will give the best photo?
During a professional sport game, a lot of things are happening simultaneously. Meanwhile, you can catch or miss a lot of fantastic pictures. In any particular moment, you must try to get the best shot and forget about the ones you missed. During a basketball game, take time to focus on the shooter, point guard or any other professional athlete individually. Soon, you will become a part of the rhythm of the game and see opportunities for commercial athlete photography as they appear.

3. How prepared are you?
The money shot opportunity will not arise again and again. When it does, be prepared to grab it. Sports photography amateurs sometimes forget to take off their lens caps and miss great moments in the game. Or, they may not change their ISO setting before shooting pictures of professional sports. If you want to take good pictures, make sure that the manual settings are in order and the flash doesn't pop up when least required.

4. What equipment are you using?
If you want to be prepared for commercial advertising athlete photography, be familiar with the equipment you use. One of the basic essentials of sports photography is to know what your camera can and cannot do. Don't wait till the day you're shooting professional athletes to know about your camera's power. Practice taking shots at sporting events in your local area, games where friends or family members are participating and other events. You will enjoy being with them and also learn more about commercial athlete photography.

5. Why are location and timing important?
In sports photography, these are the two most important things to be considered. A truly memorable sports photograph is the result of perfect location and timing. But it's not about luck. Commercial advertising sport photography is all about pictures of moments that make or break a game.

About the Author

Rick Carsten is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known travel consultant and internet marketer. Over the years he has traveled across the world and has numerous writings credited to his name in many renowned publications. His areas of writing include travel experiences including reviews of best beach resorts and he has also gained expertise in areas of professional athlete, commercial advertising athlete photography and National Basketball League.