How many shots?

[SenorNikonMan]

For those of you who shoot football games, I'd like to know how many shots you take (on average) per game. With digital cameras it is so easy to just keep the shutter released pressed, shoot everything and sort it out later (which is what I tend to do) but I'm starting to wonder if this is the best strategy. Do the rest of you do this too or are you more selective and wait for the best shots?

[JETA]

I probably shoot about 1500 - 2000 a game. I'm kind of a freak though. I only shoot for one team and process all of my keepers. It isn't like a work for a paper and once I know I got a few good ones in stop. What I am doing is documenting the team from pre-season to the end of the regular season. I then take the best of the best and compose slideshows for the year end banquet.

[SenorNikonMan]

I don't feel so bad then. I take between 1,000 and 1,500 shots per game. I have found that you never know when that special moment is about to happen and if you wait until it does happen, it's too late to photograph it. For example, a normal running play can suddenly turn into a series of spectacular shots if the running back gets flipped up into the air by a tackler. Therefore I tend to just keep shooting in hopes that something spectacular will happen.

BTW, at the Texas State game I shot Saturday night, there was a photographer there with two Nikon F3 cameras so he had to keep changing out his film. You could tell that he was a pro by his equipment and by the way he handled himself, but I was amazed by the fact that he was still using film cameras. Is it possible that he was photographing for a newspaper or magazine that does not accept digital images or is it more likely that he is just "old school"?

[Old Timer]

Under good light conditions I will generally shoot between 400 and 500 per game. I'll edit that down to about 50-60 to post on my sales site per game. Under the normal nighttime light conditions at my home field the number of shoots goes down drastically. With recycle times even with reduced fill flash power I'm usually not getting more than two shots on any play. I wait and try and catch the peak action. Sometimes I get it other times it happens after I have used up that nice little burst of light.

[JSPhoto]

I used to shoot wild, 300-500 a game but now just wait for the "good" stuff. Then again I shoot for a paper and some nights have two games to shoot. Some nights I do not get much at all and may take 4 or 5 at a game and head to the next one where I'll get 15-20. Now that the sectionals start tonight I'll take 100-150 MAX. Most of which will not be action but reaction as it's win or your season is done. I'll also get fan reaction photos. Most likely the game tonight will be a win so I'll get "good" reaction shots, maybe a running play by the main rusher, a qb shot (although he doesn't pass much) and hopefully a TD or two, a lineman reacting after a sack or fumble recovery, and in this game I have to get the coach as he always has veins popping out of his neck He's really animated too.And since it's sectionals I have to stay till the end of the game, then drive an 1 1/2 home go through the photos and email them to the paper by 11pm at the latest. Needless to say I'll break the speedlimit on the drive home
I do however sell some on the side (I'm allowed to, not all who shoot for papers can) so I always get a few for that too. One of my photos from a couple weeks ago is now on a t-shirt that the players whole family wears :thumbsup:
Anyway, just shoot what you feel comfortable with, if it's 20 or 500, I just get limited by the demands of the job.

JS