Sports Photography: Camera Techniques for Photographing Baseball, Soccer & Other Sports

Although it is possible to photograph sports like soccer and baseball in the same manner as other photographic subjects, some specific techniques can be applied to improve the results. Such techniques take into account the distance, movement, and other characteristics of sports photography.

If your camera has shutter speed settings, a low speed will cause movement of players and/or the ball to be emphasized, whereas a higher speed will more clearly capture the particular moment when the shutter button is pressed. A "4-shooter" camera may be worth trying - these show movement by using four separate lenses to capture an image in each quarter of the same frame, with each shot being a fraction of a second later than the last. A camera of this kind might be used to show the movement of a baseball pitcher throwing the ball, for example. Such cameras are inexpensive and have been made by several small camera brands, including Meikai. The Lomo Action Sampler is another similar, but more colorful-looking, four-shooter style camera.

Using a small tripod might also be considered if you are in a position which allows for this. Placing a tripod with a camera on it (which is set up so that it has a desirable view) will allow you to easily shoot multiple photos of the same exact position. For example, you might want to point it at one of the baskets in a basketball court, or simply choose a position which lets it take photos of the entire soccer or baseball field. Using it also helps prevent blurring caused by accidental shaking of the camera.

A zoom lens or binocular-camera may be useful for taking photos of subjects on the soccer or baseball field from a distant seating location. If you happen to be located near the front of the seating area and are using a focus-free camera, be sure to avoid photographing subjects which are fewer than four feet away. Although this is usually not going to be a concern at sporting events, taking photos too close-up with this type of camera (which includes most 35mm and digital cameras in the low-to-mid price range) often causes photos to be partially or completely out-of-focus.