This is one of the fastest growing sports in America and deservedly so. With its mix of fast action, colorful automobiles, and even more colorful personalities, auto racing offers a visual feast for the photographer. Sadly, the average amateur is often too far away to be able to photograph top-level races well. If you can get yourself in position to cover the track, plan on using very fast shutter speeds. NASCAR autos move so quickly that shutter speeds of 1/1000th or 1/2000th of a second or even faster may be necessary. Other things to consider are access during the days leading up to the race. Pit tours provide a nice opportunity to photograph some of the other elements of racing such as the mechanics areas and the tools necessary to keep these high performance machines working at peak operation. Don’t forget to make some wide shots of the whole track environment and capture the immensity of a race and its thousands of fans.

Lower-level competitions can be a lot of fun to photograph because fans can get closer to the action, the equipment, and the drivers. Here you can hope to create images that rival those made by the pros. Capture the race start by positioning yourself behind the starter. Compose the shot so the starter fills less than half the frame leaving room for the cars. Choose a modest shutter speed around 1/100th of a second. This will blur the flag and the cars while keeping the start and surroundings acceptably sharp. Photograph the racing cars near a turn where they’re slowing down a bit can give you more time to make photos. Use a telephoto lens to compress the field of cars and make the cars appear close together. Wander the pit areas photographing mechanics at work and disassembled autos. Look for drivers in their race clothing, many of whom are agreeable to posing for a photo. Make these tight compositions (headroom to waist). If your wife isn’t looking, photograph the racetrack beauties who are usually wandering around the track. Every now and then, turn your back to the track and use a wide-angle lens to catch the fans’ excitement. Try to get a shot of screaming, cheering people.

Create an interesting portrait of the racer by using a telephoto lens to isolate him inside the cockpit of his dragster. Make this a vertical composition and crop it tightly from headroom to the top of the cockpit. Because these machines are so unusual, make close-ups of some of their parts. Look for interesting reflections in the metal and use them to artistic effect. Use a bugs-eye view with a wide-angle lens while photographing a dragster. Place the car’s front wheels in the foreground and let the body of the car recede into the background for a composition that sucks the eye in.

There are real challenges to photographing baseball, particularly because of the distance photographers are placed from the action and the unpredictability of the action. If your main subject is playing the outfield, your task is beyond difficult. Your best bet is during the warm-up at the start of each half inning. Otherwise, you face a long wait hoping to see a ball hit close enough to an outfielder for you to get a good photo of the player. There are some more predictable shots available if you’re just working to make good photos. The easiest position to photograph is the pitcher, and there are several good ways to make such an image. One is in profile from headroom to waist if your lens will bring you close enough. Photograph the entire sequence from the beginning to the end of his delivery if your motor drive and buffer can handle it. Shoot from the side that gives the best view of his face. This should be the opposite of his delivery side. (Left for a right-hander and right for a left hander.) Another good view is from directly behind the backstop. Here you can compose an image looking directly at the pitcher with the umpire serving as a frame on one side and the batter on the other. Time it just right and you’ll be able to see the ball too! This shot’s a bit tricky because everybody’s moving around and shifting positions. Umpires make it particularly hard because they stand up till almost the last moment, blocking your view. Batters provide another predicable and relatively easier subject to photograph. Position yourself across from the hitter (line-ups with frequent switching from lefty to righty drive you nuts because you can’t quickly get from one side to the other). Now you’re ready to photograph the swing, ideally catching the ball actually striking the bat. At the pro level, a neat photo is created by mounting a remote controlled camera at the top of the backstop positioned to shoot down on home plate. Fire away to try and catch the ball streaking over the plate. Photographing the bases is manageable with a long lens. To photograph these positions in such a way as to show players’ faces, you need to be on the other side of the field shooting across the playing area. Prefocus on whichever base you’re covering and wait for something to happen in the area. Be alert. A runner on first base means you can cover second base hoping for a play there with a sliding base runner; a runner on second means a possible play at third; a runner on third means a potential play at home plate. This last one is the best of all because you can position yourself down the third base line and prefocus a couple of feet up from home plate. If you’re lucky, you may be able to catch the catcher diving forward, ball in hand, to try to tag the sliding runner out. If you’re concentrating on the first or third baseman, remember to be ready for balls thrown in their direction. This is far more common with the first baseman, and if you plan it properly, you can make a photo of the player stretched out, mitt and arm extended, to catch the ball as the base runner flies by behind him. Atmosphere shots of players sitting on the bench watching the action make for good secondary images, as do close-ups of bats, balls, and mitts lying around.

This is a relatively easy sport to photograph because much of the action takes place at predictable locations and within the range of shorter focal lengths. Although you can justify a 300mm telephoto to photograph backboard action at the other end of the court, you can normally manage just fine without the big lenses. Usually a 28–70 and 80–200 (in interchangeable lens terms; many point-and-shoots cover this range, too) are more than enough to shoot this sport. Start at the baseline and use the 80–200 to make shots of the guards bringing the ball up court. Switch to the 28–70 to capture lay-ups and the fight for rebounds. Stay to one side of the backboard rather than directly under it, and be ready to shift positions as referees can sometimes move in front of you. For a change of pace, head to the mid-court area. This gives you a different look at ball handlers and puts you in position to make shots of the bench and the coach coaching. Here is where you can focus in on the coach screaming at her players. Time-outs give you a particularly good opportunity to document coaches talking to players. Flash is helpful in photographing this sport although there is growing antagonism toward its use. Some parents have blamed the blast of a flash for missed shots. The average high school gym generally provides enough light to allow for shooting at 800 ISO, with settings around 1/150th to 1/200th of a second at f2.8. Sometimes you get lucky and the light is better, but more often it’s worse. Under such conditions, maximum apertures of f2.0 (which quite a few point-and-shoot cameras offer at their wide-angle end) are becoming necessary. If lighting is a big problem, remember that it’s better to be a half stop or a stop underexposed and stop action than it is to have properly exposed pictures that are blurry. Pros sometimes mount a camera at the top of the backboard triggered via remote control to get bird’s eye view–images of players going up for rebounds. If you’re ever in a position to try such a rig, the important parts include mounting the camera via a super clamp and having a backup tether securing the camera to the backboard with wire in case the clamp fails. A wireless remote is mandatory for this sort of rig.

Cross-country skiing and riflery combine in the biathlon for a demanding sport. The athletes do the hardest work, of course, but it’s no day in the park for the photographer. Start at the start. Photograph the mass of racers starting up the course. Use a telephoto lens to compress the mass of athletes. A good position for dramatic photos is at the high point of a hill. Here the racers are moving at their slowest and look their most exhausted. The rifle firing stations are also good places to photograph. Although a direct head-on-shot is very powerful, it’s the kind of shot you have to set up outside the actual race because photographers aren’t allowed in the shooting area. Instead, try to find a position where you can photograph the shooters in profile. A long lens lets you make a tight composition concentrating on the face and weapon. Biathletes, like any of the cross-country sky distance athletes, reach the finish line near exhaustion, completely spent from their efforts. This is a great opportunity to create powerful images. Find an area near the finish line where you can set up for such shots and be ready with a telephoto zoom so you can back your lens out as they get closer to the line. Look for shots of recovering athletes after the race, too. One other concern: all that snow can throw off your light meter. Set your exposure compensation to increase exposure from one to two f-stops to properly expose your subject.

Photographing billiards and pool is easy when you’re shooting in your basement or at a recreational facility. It’s a whole other story when you’re shooting a professional competition. For times when you can use flash and move about freely, get close to the desk and set up a shot where the target ball and pool cue form a line leading up to the shooter’s face. Shoot low, from desk level rather at a normal standing eye level. Because depth of field will probably be shallow, decide whether you want the ball or the shooter to be in focus. Another nice shot is from above—shooting straight down on the pool and shooter. If you’re shooting at a professional event, expect to have to work without flash and probably from a distance where the players can’t hear noise from your camera. This means you need a longer telephoto (probably greater than 300mm). Long focal lengths coupled with indoor lighting means that blur from camera shake will probably be a problem. Plan on using a monopod, tripod, or some other support to prevent that problem. Remember, long focal lengths magnify the effects of vibration, so even though you may be using a lightweight point-and-shoot, blur from camera shake is much more likely than you probably expect. If the noise from your shutter firing becomes a problem, wrap your camera in a towel to muffle the sounds it makes.

Use a telephoto lens to shoot the bobsled and rider head on. Make low-angle shots with a wide-angle lens before the start of the run. Use flash to expose subject and sled under bright sunlight and plan on giving one to two f-stops exposure compensation to make up for your light meter’s tendency to underexpose people because of all the ice. If you can get overhead, shooting straight down on the sled creates an interesting image. Spectator access is frequently a problem at major events. If a photo is important enough to you, be on site ridiculously early (by several hours). If you’re a serious amateur shooting something less than the Olympics, it may be possible to get a press pass to the event. See if your local paper has any interest in photos from the event; this way, you can justify press credentials. If you can’t get press access, then your best bet is to be at the frontmost part of any of the spectator access areas that gives a clear view of a long stretch of track. This gives you enough time to spot the sled coming toward you and make the photo. If your camera allows it, prefocus on a spot on the track and trip the shutter early to catch the bobsled as it travels past your focussing point. You can try your camera’s autofocus for such shots too, but most point-and-shoot cameras don’t offer fast enough autofocus to catch top-level sleds and riders. Remember to prefocus and have your autofocus activated before the sled comes into view.

Shooting in a bowling alley involves typical low-light problems. In fact, if you can’t shoot with flash, you’re generally in serious trouble. Most bowling alleys are so poorly lit that even 800 ISO isn’t enough to guarantee action stopping shutter speeds. It’s usually better to shoot the bowlers warming up. Then you can use flash and get out on a neighboring lane or access walkway and photograph the bowlers releasing their balls towards you. Secondary photos include a wide shot from the scorer’s surface showing a bowler throwing the ball with some of the other lanes included. Add another photo of a bowler polishing a ball and a close-up of the balls on the return and you have a basic package of images.

This is usually another low-light indoor shoot, although occasionally matches are held outdoors. If you’re above the ring, flash helps. If you’re below the ring, flash will blow out the ring’s ropes (overexposing them), and they’ll broadcast shadows onto the fighters. Try to boost your ISO and shoot without flash instead. Because you’re below the fighters and the lights are above them, use your exposure compensation control to boost exposure from 1/2 to one full f-stop. Try to frame the shot tightly (from headroom to waist) and to trigger the camera as the fighter starts his punch. Be ready for a knockdown. If you get one, look for a shot of the ref directing the standing fighter to a neutral corner while the downed fighter lies on the mat.

Because you will likely be positioned at a distance, come prepared with a long lens. If you don’t expect to be a long distance away, come prepared with more life insurance. (Unless you have really great seats.) Under those (close-up) circumstances, an 80–200mm lens or equivalent can cover shots on your side of the arena, while a longer focal range takes you into the action.