Action

Photography is all about the decisive moment, and nothing tests your ability to capture the moment like shooting action.

From racing cars that disappear in seconds, to a dog jumping for the ball, to a boxer’s face the instant he suffers the knockout punch, everything happens in a blur, often too fast for the eye to see. So how exactly do you catch a splitsecond decisive moment?

Know Your Subject

When shooting action, subjects move so fast the shot can be over before you know it. Besides being fast on the trigger, it helps for you to know your subject. If you’re shooting basketball for example, knowing your subject will help you predict where to aim the camera the moment you see a rebound, compared to someone who doesn’t know the game. You can only shoot what you can see, so you want to find the best spot possible for the action. If you’re shooting a sporting event you might be limited to how close you can get, so go early and scout your location for good spots, looking for where the action will take place and for interesting angles. Have a look at the background you’ll be shooting, does it distract or complement your main subject? Most importantly, watch for the light. It does you no good to shoot into the sun and have everything in shadow.

Know Your Lenses