Sport and Action Photography, page 4: Equipment

If you're serious about sports and action photography then equip yourself with the right kit for the job.

Camera

Check that your camera has the option to select a high ISO value, which can help capture sports or action photographs. Professional action photographers use very fast auto-focus cameras, but this does not mean that good shots can not be taken with the slower entry level systems or even with focus control switched to manual. In fact, in some cases, the pros prefer to turn off their AF systems and use manual focusing.

Lenses

Generally, the fastest (widest maximum aperture) and longest lenses are best suited to sports and action. These factors allow you to get in close and maintain a high, action-freezing, shutter speed. This said, most 80-200mm f5.6 zooms are suitable for outdoors events if fast ISO settings are used. Image stabilisation or vibration-reduction lenses are also handy. Great for shooting in low light, they enable you to continue shooting with slower shutter speeds.

Tripod
In the interest of getting the sharpest images possible it’s also advisable to use a tripod or monopod. Heavy lenses are very difficult to hold steady. You will also find that camera shake becomes a lot more of an issue when you start to use long focal length lenses. A good tripod with an easier to use head or a monopod fixed to the tripod collar of your lens will help solve these problems.

Batteries
Ensure that your camera’s batteries are fully charged and that you have a spare set stashed in a side pocket of your bag. Auto focus cameras are notorious for their power consumption, especially so when you are asking the camera to drive a long lens back and forth during the whole of a sports event.

Memory Cards
Action shooting has a higher ratio of shots taken to shots used, than other types of photography, so ensure you have plenty of space.