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Shooting kids in sports? Taking pictures of your kids playing sports can be a really fun activity for both the athlete and the parent. However, one of the most frequent questions from parents in my Snap Happy class is HOW to capture the action close-up without getting the blur! Capturing these moments requires some specific camera setup, so here are a few recommendations to help you get the best shots of your kids.
When available, use a long telephoto lens. If you own a DSLR camera (one that can switch lenses) and have a long lens, this is a great option for capturing the action as if you were right next to your athlete. When shooting my daughter on the soccer field, I was regularly using the long end of my 18-200mm lens.
Also, if you are shooting with your camera phone or a point-and-shoot camera, find out if you have digital zoom or optical zoom. Optical zoom will take much higher quality pictures than digital zoom. Also, if you are using a point-and-shoot camera, see if yours has a “sports” or “action” mode (usually an icon of a person running) – this will be helpful in capturing the moment.
Shooting in daylight is ideal, as this allows for higher shutter speeds and sharper images. Images shot at night or indoors can easily have motion blur because of the low light.
If your child’s sport is an indoor-only sport, like gymnastics, then increase your ISO to allow more light into your lens. This increased ISO will allow you to maintain the higher shutter speeds required to capture the action. When shooting my daughter’s gym meets, I was often shooting at the upper range of my ISO (depending on your camera limitations, this can be anywhere from 1600 to over 6400). Increased ISO can introduce noise to your image, but most of us would accept the noise if it resulted in less blurry images.
Cloudy days are better than sunny days. Does this sound strange? It’s true! Clouds create a filter over the sun’s rays, resulting in even lighting and a reduction in harsh shadows.
Be thoughtful about where you position yourself to capture the action. Most often, the best viewpoint is NOT from the stands! Move around the field/court/stage and take note of where the best shots would be taken: under the net? behind the goal? next to the bench? Get on those sidelines, establish a position and be ready when “the moment” arrives.
And my #1 tip is to practice, practice, practice! None of us is born knowing exactly how to get the shot right the first time. Get to know your camera, its settings, its limitations. Take your time getting the shot that you have in your head. Bring your camera to all the practices and games. Digital space is CHEAP, and the not-so-great shots are easily deleted. Before you know it, you’ll be taking great action shots of your little athletes.