5 Sports/Action Photography Tips from an Olympic Pro (VIDEO)

Shooting action requires a few special techniques if you want to capture striking images of movement. Today’s Basic Primer from B&H Photo Video offers a handful of simple tips and techniques from a top expert.

Instructor Jeff Cable is a highly accomplished sports photographer who recently returned from covering the Summer Olympics in Paris. The five tips you’ll learn in this seven-minute episode will help you take spectacular photos, whether you’re photographing your local team from the stands or capturing memories of your kids in the pool or on the field.

Cable gives a quick breakdown of the techniques he used in Paris, and it’s easy to apply this advice to your own style of action photography. The promise is this: You’ll learn how to create more unique images, capture a more rounded story, work with ugly backgrounds, and more.

Tip #1 is all about creativity and a unique approach. While this goal may seem obvious, it can be trickier to achieve than you think. Cable explains the importance of experimenting with difficult camera angles and choosing an unusual vantage point to shoot from.

Another way to switch things up is to use a longer shutter speed to accentuate motion instead of freezing it. Cable puts it this way: “Typically when you’re shooting fast action, you want the shutter speed to be 1,000 seconds or faster. But one of the things I do differently is I purposely slow that shutter speed down so I can capture something more creative.”

Cable’s discussion of gear is interesting, but the professional gear he has access to is probably out of your budget. But as you’ll see, there are things you can do to get the most out of your camera and lenses.

On a more practical note, he offers some great tips for becoming a better visual storyteller, an essential skill for pretty much any kind of image you shoot. Here’s an example of how this works: “If I’m shooting water polo and one of the goalies has a shutout, I need to have a good shot of the goalie stopping the ball (or stopping the puck in hockey).”

Cable also describes the type of background that can make or break a photo. Keep in mind that your job is generally to draw the viewer’s attention to the main subject in the scene and de-emphasize the surrounding areas within the frame.

You’ll also learn what camera settings Cable recommends for different subjects, including which focus modes work best depending on the task at hand. You can view a selection of Cable’s excellent and inspiring images on his website.