You can cover this sport effectively with an 80–200 lens or equivalent (unless you’re focusing on the goalie, in which case you’ll need a longer lens). The biggest challenge is dealing with fast moving players who are constantly changing directions and getting in each other’s (and your) way. Expect a lot of wasted shots as your auto focus will frequently be a tad too slow or another player will dart in front of your camera just as you’re making a shot. Try to have plenty of camera memory with you or some way of dumping images to an external hard drive or laptop, because chimping (taking quick breaks to examine your shots) wastes valuable shooting time. It’s better if you can shoot from a location where you’re free from the protective Plexiglas at most rinks. This usually means close to the players’ area where you may or may not be able to get access. If you have to shoot from the stands, you’ll need a longer lens. It’s harder to show athletes faces from a higher up position, so if at all possible, shoot from rink level. Trying to follow the puck around the rink is challenging, particularly because there will be lots times when the action will be taking place too far away for your lens to be effective. When you get these times, consider turning to the bench and making some head shots of the players. At the rink I usually shoot at, the player’s area receives about two f-stops less light than the ice, so plan accordingly. One other thing about ice hockey is that the overhead lights reflect off the ice and bounce back up on the players, creating nice, even lighting.

Another fast moving sport, field hockey can be photographed with a variety of lenses depending on what part of the field you want to cover. When I shoot this sport, I usually work with two or three cameras using a long telephoto (300mm f2.8 or longer), a telephoto zoom (80–200), and a wide-angle zoom (20–35) for hip shots. During the course of the game, I move from sideline to sideline and also take shots from the end lines where I can get the players charging directly towards the goal. This is another sport where athletes move quickly, change directions constantly, and are always getting in your way. Bring lots of memory if you have it. If your camera’s auto focus isn’t particularly quick, rely on prefocusing and waiting for the action to come to a particular area. Another option if your auto focus is truly bad is to switch to a wider optic and small enough aperture (probably around f5.6 or f8) so that your depth of field will keep things sharp. Then wait for a play to take place near where you’re standing. This isn’t a bad approach if watching the game is as important to you as shooting. All you have to do is keep one hand on your camera and then when the action gets close, fire away, hip shooting if necessary. Keep one other thing in mind when shooting field hockey. Because players can’t carry the ball, they’re almost always looking down. Consequently, you can get better shots from a kneeling position than you can from a standing one.

The techniques I mentioned for field hockey also apply to lacrosse, because both sports involve roughly the same playing field and involve athletes running around with sticks trying to score goals. One nice difference is that players can run while carrying the ball. This means you can shoot standing up and even better, can look for shots of athletes running straight toward the goal. This is a nice shot for a telephoto lens 200mm or greater because it flattens out the players, making them look closer together. Keep in mind that you need to be on the end lines for this shot.

This sport is distinguished by fast bikes and lots of dust—at least if the event takes place on a dirt track—. Photograph the start with a telephoto lens to compress the riders into one big mass of people and machines. Then isolate individual riders as they come toward you. Make close-up shots of the riders before the race in their racing garb (which tends to be colorful and visually interesting). Although recognizable portraits require them to take their helmets off, you can make some neat looking pictures by shooting straight into the helmet while they’re wearing it. Ask riders to raise their visors so you can look directly into their eyes. Photograph the mechanics working on the bikes, and take close ups of the machines and parts. Also use the reflections in motorcycle chrome to make unusual images. Try some panning shots to show the speed of the riders. Also see if you can get elevated and mount your camera on some form of support. Then make a slow speed photo to show a sharp track and blur of motorcycles, once again to show how fast they move.

These events tend to feature bikes flying through the air, so there’s the opportunity for some very exciting images. Because the jumps take place at predictable points in the course, it’s possible to turn your auto focus off and instead prefocus on a specific point. You then just wait for the rider to come to you. This works really well on something like Step-up, which is a kind of high jump for motorcycles. Here you can focus on a point about five feet on the other side of the step-up bar and wait for the biker to make his attempt. If the event is indoors (and many are), you can take advantage of the area to get up high enough to be level with the bikes as they fly through the air. You can even try to get up higher and shoot down on the bike to show just how high they are in the air. Get down low and shoot straight up at them too, although this may create problems for you when it comes to dealing with the arena lights overhead Fast moving and colorful, paintball is a fun sport to photograph. If you’re shooting from the course boundaries, make sure you have some protective coverings for your camera and yourself because errant shots can reach your location. A telephoto zoom is the lens of choice for this sport because it lets you recompose quickly for different spots on the field. Look for profile shots of players shooting next to course obstacles. If you can get a shot right down the barrel of a paintball gun into the player’s eyes (or mask) you’ve gotten a good image. This is a tough shot to get during play. It might be a one you have to pose. Do some portraits after the match, particularly of some of the players who’ve been hit and have readily visible splotches of paint on their clothing. Also make close-ups of the guns and the tubes of paintballs. If you’re covering a tournament, try to show the speed and agility of the players. This means slow shutter speed photos that blur their movements. For an interesting technique, try zooming the lens while the shutter is open. This trick takes lots of trial and error, and you’ll waste plenty of pictures before you get good, but give it a try.

Let’s see, name a sport that’s fast moving and confined to a small space—seemingly perfect for exciting photography! Now, just to add a twist for the photographer, fix it so most the action takes place with the players turned away from the camera. Yep, that’s racquetball for you. You have a couple of choices. Stay on the floor outside the court and wait for times when the players play a shot off the back wall, which only works if the court has see-through Plexiglas back walls. Or, shoot from above looking down into the court, which only works if the court has a second level observation deck. Suppose the court you’re stuck with doesn’t have either. Your only choice then is get permission to photograph the players during a warm-up or practice session. Hunker down low and photograph the players while they drive shots all around you. (Wear protective clothing and remember not to make disparaging remarks about the sport or its participants.) Experiment with shutter speeds to find one that keeps faces and bodies sharp while blurring the ball and racquets.

Shoot the start from straight ahead with a telephoto. Then concentrate on individual runners. Try to catch the runner fully extended with his forward leg just striking the ground. If you’re shooting cross-country runners, look for a spot on the course where there’s a hill and position yourself near the top. This way you’ll catch runners at their slowest and be able to get more shots if you need them. A telephoto zoom will let you reframe as they come closer to your position. Also look for places on the course where runners change direction or double back. Not all courses have them, but if the one you’re shooting does, you may be able to photograph runners multiple times as they pass one point and then another. Look for shots at the finish line. Here the runners are frequently spent and exhausted, and it shows. You may see them collapse or need support to clear the finish area because they’ve given all they had in the race. Photograph the same athlete a few minutes later looking tired but satisfied. Also make shots before the race. This is the time to get pictures of the athletes preparing mentally (usually listening to music) and stretching. If you’re shooting track, position yourself about 20 feet beyond a turn. This way you can shoot the runner in profile and then continue photographing them as they round the turn and come straight towards you.

Shooting crew can be a challenge, even for pros armed with long lenses. For parents trying to grab a shot of family members competing in the sport, it can be nearly impossible. Spectators at rowing meets frequently vie for a spot at the finish line in order to enjoy the excitement of the race’s end, making this vantage point crowded and difficult to shoot from. Even worse, the boats approach sideways to the photographer and a great distance away, so making a good action photo is virtually impossible. Photographers, however, can benefit more from being at the race’s start, particularly if it affords them a head-on view of the athletes. Some venues even launch from near the shore, which is the case for events taking place at Camden, NJ’s Cooper River. Under such conditions, photographers working with limited gear can frequently obtain exciting and dramatic action photos. Race starts require an explosion of power and energy by rowers who are comparatively close to shore. With little competition for viewing space (remember, everyone else is at the finish line), the few photographers who’ve chosen to shoot the start can make tightly composed images that show the power, tension, and beauty of this sport. Start with the tightest composition you can manage with the understanding that the racers will be moving away from you once the event begins. You have only a brief period to shoot a particular boat before it pulls out of range of your lens, so have your camera set on fast shutter speeds and its quickest continuous shooting and focusing settings. Make sure you’ve prefocused before the race begins. Family members hoping to get good pictures of loved ones in competition can find no better way to make use of limited photographic equipment than at such a moment when modest zoom lenses can get as close as possible to a favored athlete. Another good vantage point occurs when boats pass under a bridge. Here the photographer can get fairly close and shoot from an elevation, which offers a good view of the rowers’ faces. One of the very best places to shoot from is the chase boats that teams use to follow their boats. Although access to these is limited, sometimes a skilled amateur photographer with ties to the team can make arrangements ahead of time to ride along. Contact the team’s coach or school’s athletic director well in advance of the meet to see if this is possible. Often, a promise to make pictures available for the team’s web site or school yearbook makes getting access easier. Sculling meets are rarely cancelled because of bad weather, so come prepared for difficult shooting conditions. Have a camera raincoat or plastic trash bags and masking tape available to protect your gear, along with paper towels or a chamois cloth to dry off your gear and your hands. Consider buying a set of polyropolene gloves, which wick moisture away from your skin and help to keep your hands dry. Toss a cheap, disposable rain poncho in your camera bag or car trunk so you have some protection for yourself. Bad weather isn’t just a hindrance to race photography, it’s an opportunity for interesting photos. Make tightly composed pictures of rain soaked hair and faces. Show the athletes wiping or toweling off water. Look for scenes around their base area such as members of the team crowded into a van to stay dry amidst a jumble of gear, clothing, and personal stereos. Find the really dedicated one who’s out getting his or her running in even though the weather is miserable. Take close-ups of the equipment and boats and look for jumbles of color in the personal items such as hats and stereos. Show the mud and the jumble of footprints around the team bus or staging area. Shoot the spectators, too. Before races begin, the athletes usually have a fair amount of set-up work to do. This can include changing the position of foot cups in the boat and staging gear, such as oars, near the water. All of these tasks provide interesting photo opportunities to supplement the main action shots. Another classic sculling photo is the tightly composed picture of a team lifting and carrying their boat above their heads.