Canoeing/kayaking (flat water) Flat water canoeing can be quite picturesque. The trick here is to overcome the distance between the canoe and the shore (or the boat you’re shooting from). One very effective shot is to compose vertically and zoom in tight enough to frame from headroom (just above the paddlers’ heads) down to either the top of the boat (showing enough to make it obvious they’re in a canoe) or down to the water far enough to include a reflection of the boat and paddlers. Get another striking image by finding a bridge over the waterway and shoot straight down on the canoe as it passes underneath.

In addition to the flat-water shots (which you can shoot while the boat is in “flat water” mode), capture peak action while the craft is in a rapid. It’s difficult to give general advice because each rapid is different. Generally, it’s best to shoot from a slightly elevated platform so you can get the faces of the paddlers in the image, but some rapids may dictate standing downstream and waiting for the boat to dip into and then pop out of the rapid. Keep in mind that white water paddlers wear a variety of colorful and interesting safety garb including life vests and helmets. These can make for an interesting portrait. Make sure you compose tightly. White water canoes (both open and closed deck) and kayaks can practice a self-rescue move known as an Eskimo Roll. This is an exciting and demonstrable move, one I had to do several times each river trip for my guests back in my days as a river guide. The trick to photographing it is either being able to photograph it head on to the front of the boat, or being on the same side of the boat on which the paddler is surfacing.

A telephoto lens lets you make a tight composition. A wide-angle lens gives you the big picture. One very nice image is when the entire team jumps into the air. Use a wide-angle lens and position yourself in the center of the formation. Try at least a few tightly composed images when the cheerleader is yelling. These images should key on the cheerleader’s face, preferably looking straight into the lens.Particularly exciting are the aerials. To make shots such as these you need to key on one of the athletes and focus on her while she’s at the top of a stack. This way you’re ready for the toss or drop and can photograph the cheerleader in the air. First, brew a cup of tea. Then unlimber your long telephoto to cover the long areas of the field. This will also help you focus in on the batsman. You can also take position behind the batsman to photograph the bowler as they pitch. Make sure you take some wide shots to show the expanse of the playing field. Close-ups of the equipment will add to your photo package. Make some wide shots to show the playing surface, but otherwise concentrate on using your telephoto to key in on the participants. Shoot from a low angle to bring together rocks (also called stones) and the athlete when they’re low to the ground sizing up the shot. If the competition allows, use flash. If not, go with a high ISO setting (800 is high enough). You’ll get some benefit from the light reflecting off the ice and bouncing back up to illuminate the athletes. This is a fast-moving sport, so be prepared to use fast shutter speeds. If your auto focus is fast enough, use a long focal length to shoot the cyclists head on as they ride toward you. If your auto focus isn’t fast, switch to manual focus and prefocus on a point where you expect the riders to reach. Trip the shutter while the rider is still a few feet from that spot. If you can position yourself so that riders pass by your location, switch to a wide-angle lens and photograph the line of riders as they go by. Try some shots with slower shutter speeds in order to blur the riders and show how fast they’re moving. Also try panning with the riders to keep the cyclists in focus while blurring the background. Play some angles too. Shoot from low down and straight down from above. Either of these shots is easy to make with even a basic point-and-shoot camera. Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. If you’re photographing an equestrian competition, plan on using long focal lengths. From an impact standpoint, a shot of the horse and rider heading, straight toward the camera provides an interesting photo. Frame this one from the rider’s headroom to the ground to show the entire horse, or crop a bit tighter to show just the rider and the horse’s head. Profile shots of the horse are important for establishing the horse’s appearance and stud potential. Photograph the horse in mid-stride with the foreleg closest to the camera extended forward. Ideally, all four legs should be in an extended position. Equine portraits can be made with a telephoto lens shot straight on and composed vertically. A more unusual portrait can be made using an extreme wide-angle focal length (20mm or wider in the case of 35mm equivalent lenses). Here you can position the horse’s mouth and nose at the bottom of the frame and lead the viewer’s eye up to those of the horse’s.

Light’s a problem because most meets are indoors and flash use may be discouraged as a distraction to the competitors. There’s the added problem that you can’t see anybody’s faces while they’re fencing. Use your telephoto for action shots. If circumstances permit, shoot from behind one fencer so you can create a head-on shot of the other. Use the fencer whose back is toward you to frame the one you can see. During downtime, create portraits of any specific participants you’re interested in. Have them hold their mask in one hand and rest their foil across their chest diagonally. (Odds are they’re already very familiar with this pose and will create it for you on their own.) This is another sport that photographs dramatically when shot from above. You can also make an interesting overall image by shooting from the side away from the crowd. Use a wide-angle focal length, get low, and show the fencers with the crowd in the background.

Much of your approach to fishy photography depends on the type of fishing you’re documenting. Fly-fishing, boat fishing, sport fishing, and surfcasting are all so different that they could easily be covered as separate entities. Here are some general ideas. Apply them as they fit your situation. Shoot the fisherwoman head-on while she’s in mid-cast (if possible). Create a profile close-up of the hobbyist checking her bait or fly. Make close-ups of the lures, flies, and other equipment. Shoot from above when possible. This is frequently possible for fly-fishing because it’s done on a river and you may have a bridge handy. It’s sometimes possible to shoot from above for bass boat fishing when the event takes place on a river, and may even be possible for deep sea fishing when you can climb to a higher point on the boat. Look for interesting lighting opportunities. Backlighting a fly fisherwoman and her line can result in beautiful rim lighting on the line but is very difficult exposure-wise. Side lighting will show detail well and help you capture the overall scene. Don’t forget a portrait of the fisherwoman proudly holding her catch. Frame the picture tightly from headroom (hatroom since they’re always wearing hats?) to chest. (The subject should be holding the fish about level with the face.) If your fisherwoman is wearing an interesting hat, a tight head shot that shows the face and hat can also be a nice image.

This is one of those sports that pro photographers make look harder than it is. You see them all the time, the guys (and gals) with the big lenses, multiple cameras, and bags of equipment. Well, if you’re a working pro trying to cover as big a chunk of the field as you can, these are necessary. On the other hand, if you’re a parent who’s just interested in getting shots of your kid, you can get by with much less gear. One thing you do need is to be on the sidelines. Trying to make useable images from the stands only works if you’re willing to settle for wide shots. It’s frequently not that hard to shoot from the sidelines though. It all depends on the level of competition that’s going on. Forget it for the pros and upper division college level play. Here you need special access and it’s not that easy to get. High school games and below, on the other hand, are a different story. It’s usually possible to get on the sidelines of a high school game so long as you don’t get in the way. You have two approaches. One is to get permission ahead of time by checking with the school’s athletic director or football coach. It helps if you offer to share your pictures with the team or the school for use in the yearbook. (Odds are, that if you’re a parent of one of the players, it won’t be a problem.) The second approach is a little sneakier. When I feel like practicing (and practice is as important for a sports photographer as it is for an athlete), I just go down to one of my area high school games, march through the gate, and take up a position on the sideline. I’ll admit, it probably helps that I look like I’m supposed to be there because I’m carrying a lot of pro gear. It also helps that I walk through like I belong there. If asked, I say I’m a freelance photographer just shooting the game for practice, and that usually satisfies the questioner. Two things to consider: First, I usually don’t get asked, and second, there’s no certification process to become a “freelance” photographer. In simplest terms, it means you’re an unemployed photographer because you don’t have an employer guaranteeing your paycheck. In other words, anybody can say he’s a freelancer. Now that you’re on the field, here’s what to look for.

Start by positioning yourself about level with the line of scrimmage. This gives you the chance to photograph the quarterback as he’s barking out signals. It also puts you in place for shots of the handoff and the running back coming toward your side of the field. (Of course, if they run to the other side of the field you’re out of luck.) Usually an 80–200 lens or a bit longer will give you the coverage you need. I usually have one camera with a 300mm telephoto lens, another with a 80–200, and a third with a 20–35 for hip shots. As I mentioned earlier in the article, hip shots are photos made when players are headed for the sideline and you just grab the camera and point it in their general direction and start shooting. Drop about 5 to 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage if you want to focus on the pass rush. An 80–200 or equivalent focal length range works here. Move about 10 to 15 yards up field of the line of scrimmage for pass plays and also to get a different position on running plays. From here, you can shoot the handoff and the running back going into the center of the line (and hopefully breaking through). It also puts you in position to turn and follow any pass receivers on your side of the field. Once teams get near the goal line, you can position yourself behind the goal posts and shoot straight ahead. This is a hit or miss type thing, but sometimes you’re perfectly positioned for a running play straight into the line. For punts, you can try for a shot of the punter kicking or position yourself for the returner catching the ball and then making the return. I usually don’t bother shooting the kickoff, but instead focus on the return. Of course, if the kicker is your son (or daughter?) go right ahead. Look for shots on the sidelines of coaches yelling instructions and players watching the game intensely. If it’s cold enough, get shots of the steam coming off the players’ heads and the fog of their breath. Look for interesting shots in the crowd. People with signs and banners provide possible title information or useful reference photos. You can also take a shot of the scoreboard. If you’re keying on a certain area, such as the quarterback/running back exchange, remember to prefocus on the specific athlete. Knowing the tendencies of the team you’re photographing is also a big help. If they’re primarily a running team, you can spend more time keying on the running back. If they’re pass oriented, focus on the quarterback, the receivers, and the opponent’s pass rush.

Golf is well within the range of the typical point-and-shoot digital camera. Start out by making some photos at the putting green where you’re apt to be forgiven if camera noise throws off a put. Compose vertically, and tight enough to show the golfer from headroom down to the golf ball. Time the photograph so you shoot when the golfer brings the club head back and starts to move it forward. After the golfers hit the tee, line up about 50 feet down the course from them. I usually stay in the cart path because this is a relatively safe and permissible area to work from. Timing a shot to catch the ball coming off the club head is incredibly difficult. In fact, many of the shots you see in advertisements and brochures are shot by having someone toss a ball in front of a photographer during the golfer’s practice swing. (This technique is definitely not used in news and sports photos. Those shots are real.)

Gymnastics is a very difficult sport to photograph because of poorly lit gyms, rules prohibiting flash, and the distance photographers are usually kept from the performances. As usual, lower level competitions provide more leeway than higher level ones. Sometimes practice is the best time to make good photos because things are less intense. The best action shots usually involve catching the athletes while they’re in the air, preferably inverted. You can create more dramatic images though by following the athlete during slower moving events such as the balance beam where you can focus in tightly on the concentration on the gymnast’s face. Prefocus where possible and remember that some events—the vault, for example—require an explosion of movement from the athlete. If you’re photographing such an event, you’re going to need to trip the shutter a little earlier to compensate for the speed of the athlete’s movements. Shoot the balance beam from equal height (climb on something) and also from below with a wide-angle lens (being careful to compensate exposure because overhead lights will throw off your light meter). Shoot the floor apparatus from the same height as the floor if possible. Look for tumbling routines for great action shots. Some tumbling runs may include several different speed tumbles. If you can find out ahead about a slow tumble or flip, it can give you a better opportunity to make a good shot. Don’t forget to try some panning shots with slow shutter speeds (1/100th of a second or less) to create a sense of motion. When shooting the rings, try to get high enough to be even with the athlete’s face when they’re doing an iron cross (this is where they extend their arms out to the side, parallel to the floor, and hold the position). You can create a dramatic image this way as you document the strain and concentration on the athlete’s face. If circumstances permit (meaning that you’re shooting during practice and have the coach’s okay) lie flat below the gymnast and shoot straight up. Make portraits of the athletes while they chalk up and take close-ups of chalk-covered hands and gymnastic slipper-clad feet. Look for dramatic shots of athletes watching their teammates perform and also look for emotion as scores are posted or routines are completed. Keep an eye out for coach/athlete interaction, particularly if you have a big coach bending over to get to eye level with a diminutive athlete.