The Art of Taking Sports Stock Photos
Here’s how to catch the best of Cristiano Ronaldo.
There’s always a demand for photos of athletes in motion, and general sports-themed photography. In truth, a lot of preparation and skill goes into taking sports stock photos. Here’s where you can learn a little about the art of snapping amazing sports-themed shots.
Use Proper Equipment
Your smartphone, packed with a plethora of features, just won’t cut it for high resolution, RAW files that the stock photo industry revolves with. A good camera like a DSLR would be the go-to choice for many a stock photographer, but you can also use other types. There are many brands out there for you to choose from even though Nikon and Canon dominate the market.
Get Physical
Be prepared to move around a lot, so you can follow your photo subjects. Things like sitting or kneeling may be a painful task when you’re not used to it. While it’s not always necessary, it’s good for when a situation calls for it though, such as capturing unique angles and emotions.
Don’t Fight The Sun
Sun flares are great to have, especially as an added effect. But they’re not always a good accompaniment. If you’re snapping photos of athletes working in natural light, try to avoid taking photos against the sunlight. You’ll only be setting yourself up for getting pretty sucky visuals. Snap photos of your sporty subjects with the sun on your back for better lighting.
Turn Your Shutter Into Speedy Gonzales
Fast moving athletes like parkour runners, cyclists and gymnasts will send most photographers into a clicking frenzy. To lessen the burden of rushing to get good shots, adjust your camera’s ISO to suit the frequency of movement. Burst modes can be really useful when applied here — athletes move quickly and you’ll want to capture as many photos as you can with good angles.
Try Getting Up Close
Sometimes we can’t always achieve the level of detail that we really want to have. That’s when you have to move the camera lens closer to your active subjects. Often times, photographers focus more on the athlete’s movements, or their poses. Don’t forget about the emotions shown on the athlete’s faces too. That can really add on to your visual storytelling.
Don’t Delete Your Shots
While this is pretty self-explanatory, it’s quite a habit we all have when we look back at the photos we’ve just taken. You know, like how you quickly delete selfies with bad angles of yourself. As you’re snapping athletes in motion, though, try not to delete anything you dislike right away. Come back and revisit those photos later… you might find those photos interesting or put them to good use.
That’s about it for our tips and tricks on taking sports stock photos. Look for more stock photography topics on our blog, like modern workplace scenes and gorgeous solo travel scenes to quench your wanderlust.
Originally published at https://blog.123rf.com.
