TIP 5: Use The Motor Drive Action photography requires a number of skills, which you might not have if you’re just starting out. The liberal use of a motor drive often tips the law of averages in your favor. As your skills build, you can use this technique less and less, saving you film, hard drive space and time. But until you develop an eye to see the emotion in the viewfinder and the skill to press the shutter release at just the right moment, the motor drive can be your best friend. TIP 6: Go The Extra Mile It’s real easy to get wrapped up in the sport and simply park yourself in a good location, but that’s usually not the best strategy for sports photography. Walking and running to the right place based on your knowledge of the sport can make all the difference in getting the great shot. Getting down on one knee and shooting up at the athlete provides a powerful angle that can improve your image. Mounting the camera on a monopod and holding it high overhead while using a remote provides a different, but equally dramatic angle. Sports photography for me is great on many levels. My son’s cross-country skiing events give me something exciting to photograph when wildlife shooting tends to slow down in the winter. Shooting sports keep my skills sharp. Shooting sports pushes my mind to capture another aspect of life. And spending time with the kids is always a good thing. Take a different track on your sports photography by using the techniques above and focusing on the emotions and you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll have images your friends will swear you stole out of Sports Illustrated. Sports photography is not about capturing the action, it’s about capturing the emotion! Fast Or Slower Shutter Speed? When to use a fast shutter speed versus a slow one? A sport that’s not full of fast-paced action might be a better opportunity to use fast shutter speeds. An event with a less than ideal background often calls for a slow shutter speed. A slow shutter speed will totally blur out the background, while a fast shutter speed brings a lot more detail into the background. Select the best background for the subject and you’ll be the winner. Digital Is Your Best Friend You have to burn a lot of film to shoot sports. And when using the motor drive you’ll either find yourself changing film frequently (often at the worst moment) or counting frames to save film. Shooting digital means you don’t have to deal with the cost of film, worry about being on frame 35 in a heartbeat, and, best of all, you can instantly learn from your own mistakes. The ability to look at the monitor to judge your results is a huge benefit. Good background or bad? Need a slower or faster shutter speed? Switch to long lens or shoot wide? The digital camera can be your best teacher! A member of the Photographic Faculty Team, B. Moose Peterson is a successful photographer dedicated to documenting some of our world’s most endangered and enchanting wildlife. He’s also a busy dad, and takes a lot of great shots of his kids.