A how to guide to get good race photographs for Fetchies everywhere.
This article will include equipment, technique and to some extent style, depending on what you are trying to do.
I'm AntBliss and run a Sports photography website, SussexSportPhotography.com, so fetchmail me if you are thinking of, going to, or wondering how, or might just, want a helping hand with your kit, camera, or anything else related to race photography.
I'll be adding to this article as topics in the Fetch photographers thread develops. Anyone can edit this article, so please feel free to do so.
General Sports photography requirements
Light, and lots of it is usually the biggest challenge.
Try to get yourself positioned so the sun is on your back - so your subjects are lit.
Depending on what angle you are going for depends on what you need to get the picture you want, head on or slightly head on is the most common running shot - if you want to be able to read their race number. Otherwise you can go more side-on depending what you are trying to achieve, panning blurr, contextual positioning, views etc.
What do I think makes a good sports photo ? Emotion (which usually means being able to see the eyes), context, and relevance. If the finish to a race is down the back of an industrial estate, then that's the finish and you might not want too much of the background in, however at the Arundel Castle race - guess what needs to be in the background if you can !
Most compacts, semi-compacts(bridge cameras, i.e. not so compact) and SLRs will let you play with aperture, shutter priority and zoom, so we will start with those...
Running photography
Shutter Speed (Tv Mode)
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Generally the minimum shutter speed required is about 1/400th of a second. You will still get hand and foot blur at that speed, any slower and you'll start to get more incidents of head blur. You can go as slow as 1/250th if you have to but I wouldn't advise it.
If you set your camera to Tv (shutter priority mode) and let it do the rest for you, then you should be ok with 1/400th as a starting point. The camera will probably automate everything else, so aperture could well end up very small in bright light, leading to a very detailed background, which draws the focus from the subject.
If you want to play about a bit then next you might want to experiment with depth of field...
Aperture size (AV mode)
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Aperture - to achieve a good focus separation between subject and person behind, f4 seems to be ideal. You can go wider (f2.8 direction) but the autofocus won't track fast enough and your subject will probably be out of focus unless you are using a prime lens* - you can check this by looking at the feet - if the ground by the feet is also in focus, you're in luck, usually though the back foot behind the runner will be in clear focus - which means the body isn't...
F4 gives enough depth of field to cover focus innaccuracies and lag. If you can't get to F4 with your lens, then as close as possible will do.
For both Tv and AV mode, you should try to set your ISO (sensitivity) to something that gives you a "reasonable" set of values. For example, if you are operating at F4, ISO200 but only getting 1/200th of a second, then you're going to need to crank it up to ISO400. This will lift the shutter speed accordingly.
Ideally I'd like to be at F4, Iso 100 and about 1/1000th of a second - but that takes a bright sunny day which arn't always around when you need them.
*Prime lens - one that doesn't zoom. These can usually focus faster than a zoom lens as mechanically they move less mass of glass to focus. Only found on SLR cameras, or in shop windows.
Focal length
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The amount of zoom you use will effect the quality of your pictures as well as the composition. Usually I use a 70-200 lens, this gives me the flexibility to zoom-out as a runner comes towards me, but to be honest the images with the most impact are the ones taken at the 200mm end.
This is because you get a shallower depth of field for the same aperture, which means your subject stands out from the crowd better.
Wideangle pictures using a 24-70mm or wider can get the background in nicely, but unless you have a F4 or better lens you will start to struggle with any kind of depth of field and subject separation. Clearly it depends on how close your subject is to the camera as the close they are the more out of focus the background will be - however, the closer to the camera they are, the faster the autofocus has to move, and so the more likely it is your photo will be out of focus. But if in focus, it will have more impact and emotion, which is nice.
Autofocus tracking and technique
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Set your autofocus sensor to just one - probably the middle one (higher end cameras have many more, but the middle one is usually the most sensitive)
Just like a sniper - make sure your targetting the the bottom of the runners number, or top of their shorts, as they approach. Numbers are good as they have lots of contrast, but unless you have a top end camera this won't be in the middle of the picture, so you will have to edit it afterwards. Otherwise, shorts it is. For cyclists - use the camera in portrait (vertical) and choose the sensor at the top of the frame - and point that at the riders face.
Zoom in (i.e. the 200mm end) as close as you can, and then after that deploy manual zoom - i.e. move your feet and self closer !!
Track the target until the composition is good, and then take your picture ! It's easy really !
Handy website list
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Camera price checking: Link (roll over me to see where I go)
NUJ freelance rates: Link (roll over me to see where I go)
Handy photo software lists
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free...
irfanview: Link (roll over me to see where I go)
Picasa: Link (roll over me to see where I go)
not so free:
Photoshop: Link (roll over me to see where I go)
ad-hoc software:
Neat image - noise reduction Link (roll over me to see where I go)
Focus Magic - Link (roll over me to see where I go)
Fetch Photography - Taking Running pictures
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SummaryKnowledge base on taking Running and race photosThis article is owned by The great dollop |
| Recent Updates | User | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2008 | The great dollop | Added software listings |
| Dec 2008 | The great dollop | added NUJ freelance rates website |
| Dec 2008 | The great dollop | First article posting, comments on the discussion thread please ! |
| Dec 2008 | The great dollop | Article created |