Sports Photography 2 - Ideas

Photos of professional, top-flight sportsmen adorn the back pages of almost every newspaper across the country. News and shots from major events of the day are the stuff of journalists the world over. Most of these professional images are technically excellent - they convey excitement, drama and emotion - yet they rarely get looked at for more than a few moments, because their purpose is primarily to inform and support a chunk of text.

As an amateur "sports photographer", your aim is to make people look at the image.

This means that the people appearing in the image do not have to be famous, instantly-recognisable superstars. It is better to try and show something attractive about the sport or personalities playing - after all, you most likely aren't taking pictures to support a chunk of text - though many amateur photographers do provide coverage for local newspapers. Have a look at this example of mine:

Milton Keynes Lightning

This is a simple image of a goal celebration in an ice hockey match. The league and team that the players come from doesn't matter - the image is about the emotion and joy when a goal is scored. It could easily be the NHL; it happens to be the English Premier League.

Approach local sports teams and take your camera to local events - you will be amazed just how much enjoyment you will get from taking shots, and likewise how much local teams enjoy being photographed. So long as you are polite and respectful, most teams will love having a photographer to take shots of them.

There is enormous scope for taking photos of amateur sport - my images tend to revolve around the things I'm interested in - ice hockey, cricket, boxing, etc. This is the joy of the amateur. Most sports are not "professional only", so seek out lower-league or semi-pro opportunities. Explain who you are and what you'd like to do, and most sports will open up for you.

In my next post, I'll look at some techniques to make the most of limited shooting opportunities at professional events.