I like photographing all types of events but I really enjoy sports photography. Partly because I am a sports fan and partly because sports photography is challenging in its own way.
I wanted to photograph the Gastown Grand Prix bicycle races earlier in July but missed them. I didn’t see any commercials or interviews on TV about the event or see anything about the races on the social media channels I follow…Twitter or Facebook. Lesson learned. Luckily for me there was another set of cycling races 2 days later on Friday in Poco (Port Coquitlam) as part of BC Super Week.
On Thursday evening I went through my usual routine of making sure my gear is ready for a full day of shooting. I clean all my lenses (both ends) and make sure the camera sensor is clean. I also make sure all my batteries (4 of them) have a full charge. And I decide which lenses and other accessories to bring with me to an event.
The night before (or earlier) I also check information about the event. Where is it exactly, when does it start and when does it end.
I try to get to the event early so I can see the layout and figure out where I want to shoot the event. For a cycling event I try and get images from multiple locations around the track. Corners can be a great spot to get images of the cyclists leaning into the corner. Accidents are more common at the corners of bicycle races so there is a chance you may get images of a racing mishap as well.
As far as camera settings go, I used a variety of settings depending on a lot of factors. For the shots of cyclists at the start line (not moving much, if at all) I used full manual settings. For shots of the cyclists during a race I used full manual trying to get the fastest shutter speed I could. This meant higher ISO as the day went on and the light started to fade, larger aperture (smaller f number) to get a faster shutter speed (bigger number). For some shots I also tried to drag the shutter slowing it down to a longer exposure to blur the image to try and convey a sense of speed.
I also set the camera to “shutter priority” during some parts of the races. Set your focus priority (continuous) and ISO and the shutter speed you want and the camera takes care of the aperture for you. This comes in handy when you don’t have time to change settings when conditions or what you are shooting is constantly changing.
So there you have a few tips on photographing a sports event. Enjoy!
Creativescans 