First attempt at sports photography C&C welcome

**victorhuang20** · 05-20-2008, 08:37 AM

I shot a clippers game for fun, so here are the good ones. I know there are a lot of pictures but I really would like advice and critique please so I can get better!

**gryphonslair99** · 05-20-2008, 08:17 PM

You have a good start here. Here is my take on the photos you posted.

Photo #1 Too much dead space in the photo, Concentrate on the pitcher or the batter but not both from that angle. To get pitcher and batter action you need to be pretty much behind home plate to be able to have them in both in the photos. Also shoot with as wide an f-stop as your lens allows. Good bokeh will really set the action you are capturing off.

Photo #2 I like this one as it captures the action well. Wide f-stop for more bokeh would be nice. It could be cropped tighter as well.

Photo #3. Same suggestions as Photo #1.

Photo #4 To me the best of the bunch. Again a bigger f-stop for a bit more bokeh, but you can see that the pitcher pops more in this photo than the rest due to the bokeh you have. Nice one.

Photo #5 Could have been a great shot if you were sitting in one of the empty seat pictured behind the dugout. Backside shots don't for me.

Photo #6 A wider f-stop again for bokeh. A faster shutter speed maybe to slow down the bat and ball. Personally I prefer a bit of motion blur from the bat and ball, but this it a bit too much for me. Maybe framed or cropped a bit tighter and level the photo so he is not batting up hill.

Photo #7 Could have been a killer if you had just gotten a little lower so the rail did not cut off the top of the kids head. It's a great reflection of America's pastime.

For first shots they are a good starting point. Sports photography is one of the toughest forms of photography. It comes fast and in spurts. The light is usually poor and unless you have a sideline pass the angles you get can be tough. With that said, I love it. Its my favorite form of photography. It doesn't hurt that I do get to shoot from the sidelines/field at NAIA and NCAA Big 12 events. Keep practicing and have fun. You have a good start.

p.s. Start saving lots of money. A 400 f2.8 is one killer of a lens to use for sports. It also is very costly. But if you ever use one, you will never understand how you got by without one.

**victorhuang20** · 05-20-2008, 08:37 PM

yea, i was shooting with my sigma which isn't fast at all...and i didn't have a monopod or anything like that. Thanks for the critique, this helps so much!

**Old Timer** · 05-21-2008, 06:29 PM

You already have a blow by blow on your images so just let me say that I think you did very credible job given that this was your first attempt and the equipment limitations you were under. There is just no substitute for good fast glass when it comes to sports photography. Keep shooting and posting.