We are less than a month away from the start of baseball season. The pros throw out the first pitch on March 31st while many high school and intramural teams batter up in just a couple of weeks. My nephews are diehard baseball fans and even bigger little league players. They live, eat, and breathe baseball throughout the year, but spring, summer and fall are the only times I can capture them with my camera on the field.
Last year I failed miserably trying to get a few frame worthy shots of them in action. This year, however, I have been practicing my shooting. During the off season I purchased a new telephoto lens which I hope will prove invaluable when I try to capture the little rugrats rounding the bases. If you are trying to capture the action on the field from bleacher seats, I would highly suggest investing in a telephoto lens. You might think you can get away with a decent built-in optical zoom lens on your point-and-shoot, but let me tell you from experience that unless you are on the field with the players; the only way to snap superior digital shots during a sporting event is if you have a proper telephoto lens.
In addition to the lens, having a camera with high shutter speed is critical when it comes to taking action shots. This is especially true if you are shooting a sporting event where there is a lot of motion, such as soccer, baseball or football. If your child runs like Flash Gordon, then you will want to employ shutter speeds of one 1000th of a second or higher. Of course, there will be times when you will want to increase the shutter speed. For example, considering a typical fast baseball pitch at the high school level averages about 90 miles per hour, if you want to capture the ball in mid-air, you will need a shutter speed of one 4000th.
What sports photography techniques work best for you?
Related Articles:
Telling A Story With Your Shots