Action Photography Composition and Techniques
Written by Mike on February 3, 2009 – 1:26 pm -COMPOSITION AND TECHNIQUES
It is always easy to get caught up in the action and to hold the shutter button down to catch frame after frame. The higher end DSLR cameras capture upwards of 10 frames per second. You can see where a person (professional or otherwise) may get carried away. You should 
always consider what you are capturing before you go shutter crazy. While multiple frame sequences can often tell a story, sometimes the only thing they provide is a wasted actuation on your camera. There are a number of different techniques to utilize and no single one is better than the other. A lot of it has to do with your taste in photos, your comfort zone for shooting and the subject you are shooting. It’s always a good idea to try and experiment with different techniques during a shoot to get a good cross section of the action you are shooting. Try to remember that you are telling a story about the game or event and that people will “get” what you are showing them if you capture the moments from many different perspectives.
FACES
“Give me face” or “I want to see faces” is a common cry from the photo editor because that is the cry they get from their boss. The face is the primary source of emotion and emotion is what makes or breaks a shot. Shots of the subject’s backside just don’t cut it. When shooting a sport you need to be aware of the player’s locations. For instance, in basketball, if shooting from a side line, you only shoot people taking jump shots from the top of the key around the backside away from you. Any one taking a jump shot on your side of the court will be a shot of their back side. If you can’t see their face, don’t take the shot. Again, remember that positioning yourself in different locations during a game will give you different opportunities to capture the game from a number of perspectives. In some sports, faces are hard to deal with. Football, Hockey, and Baseball tend to be difficult to catch faces depending on the level of play. Youth hockey for instance involves face cages on the helmets. Football at all levels of play involves face cages. Baseball caps create harsh shadows across faces. The easy solution is to use a fill flash; however, flashes are generally not friendly for sports due to limited range and the possible distraction to the player. Still it’s best to get the cage in the shot because the face will show through better than the back of the helmet. If you have adequate lighting and a really long lens, you can sometimes catch a good shot of a face with a cage/shield although you do need to have some advanced equipment and good location to get that type of shot. Metering a shadowed face can be a challenge but with practice and a quick flip from your action settings to a slower shutter speed, it can be done with good success.
VERTICAL VS HORIZONTAL ORIENTATION
There are two ways to hold a camera that effects the composition. This was discussed earlier. You can hold the camera in the traditional way 
where the long side of the capture area is horizontal to the ground. This is a horizontal or landscape format. If you turn the camera so that the long side of the capture area is perpendicular to the ground, you are now shooting vertical or portrait format.
Many of the higher end DSLR cameras have an additional release that allows you to hold a camera in a traditional manner (left hand under the lens, right hand along the right side of the body) as opposed to the old way of shooting vertically (left hand under the lens, right hand on top of the camera since the camera was rotated 90 degrees left). These vertical releases have been a wonder for sports photography since it allows the camera to be held in a more stable and comfortable fashion.
Why would you want to hold your camera in the vertical position? Think about the shape of your subject. They are taller than they are wide. To fill the frame with a person playing a sport, they fit the frame better while holding the camera vertically. Even in a tight head shot fits better vertically. Most sports shots, in particular if it is of an individual, are shot vertically. Horizontal shots are used more showing conflict or the “bigger picture” that is being captured such as the start of a race or a group of athletes contesting the play.
INDIVIDUAL VS GROUP
The vertical vs. horizontal decision needs to be made based on your desired goal in capturing the scene. If you are highlighting an individual, you should shoot vertical. A majority of photo opportunities in basketball, baseball, running, triathlon and other individual sports come from individual efforts. However, there are times where you want to show the conflict in the scene, for instance two hockey players fighting for a puck along the boards, or a soccer player being pursued by the defence. To capture these multiple people, you typically will have to shoot horizontal. You should make a conscious decision before you fire the frame as to your goals in capturing the shot.
RULE OF THIRDS
There is a common photography rule called “The Rule of Thirds”, which says that if you divide the frame into thirds vertically and horizontally and place the subject where the lines intersect, the resulting photo is more interesting. For Sports photography, following the Rule of Thirds in principle is a good idea. Lead your subject into the frame. If you are shooting an athlete running left to right, leave more room on the right side than the left to imply that he/she is going somewhere. Shooting the athlete leaving the frame is poor composition. If you are shooting a tight “portrait” style shot, have the subjects head on a “Rule of Thirds” line. If you fill the frame, you should be in pretty good shape, just leave some space on the frame in the direction the player is facing.
EMOTION
Shots that lack emotion are likely to be the ones that you glance over and never use. They lack the energy and the story telling ability that makes a photo come to life. If there is no emotion, then there is little desire to view it. Most tight action shots of players will be emotional whether they are little league soccer players or professional baseball players. When we exert ourselves, we show emotion. From the little tee-ball player messing with her hair and her helmet, to the strain of a high jumper working to get over the bar, there is plenty of emotion to be found in sports. You will, with experience be able to edit out the shots that lack emotion and do not tell the story. But it requires a lot of shooting and a lot of effort in selecting your shots. You should also look for emotion from other sources. Make sure to take time to shoot the players and the crowd during and after events. Don’t always focus on the ball, but on the emotion after a game winning goal in overtime or the crowd’s reaction to a huge slam dunk. The coaches, fans, players and officials are all part of the bigger stage of an event. Make sure your story includes all aspects of what happened.
IN SHORT
You are the story teller and your camera is what you are using to write the story. Whether you are taking photos of your child playing little league or your sister the famous Equestrian rider; you have to capture the essence of what happened at the event. Putting together a really cool multimedia slideshow with music and transitions is fairly easy with the software available. Making it a memorable experience for all the people viewing is your assignment.
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