• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Photographing Track and Field Athletics

You are here: Home / Witty / Commentary / Photographing Track and Field Athletics
3
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

September 13, 2010 by Jimson Lee 2 Comments

Last Updated on November 16, 2011

Photographing Track and Field athletes or any action sport is tricky.  You can take hundreds or thousands of photos and only come up with a handful of decent shots.  IF you are lucky.  Life Magazine’s George Silk is a name that comes to my mind first back in the days of film and print.

Today, digital cameras sure eases the pain of wasted pictures.  Just click and delete.  Yet still photo photography is much different than choosing a video camera for Track and Field.

Here is a guest post from Paul Klein.  He’s also a Loughborough guy, the same town where Derek Evely and Jared Deacon are located.


Photographing Track and Field Athletics

Many photographers spend ages looking for inspiration for a subject to photograph. However with sports photography this changes to being very technically adept and trying to capture the decisive moment that shows the effort and emotion that goes into the physical struggle to be first past the line and the beating or peers. The 12 guidelines here will help you improve your sports photography.

1. Get a long lens

You will need a telephoto lens for most events, a 400mm focal length lens is common amongst most professional photographers. Try to get a lens with the largest aperture possible to get the most light into the camera. You can buy lenses that can cost the same amount as a new car, buy one that suits your budget or consider renting one for the event.

2. Use a camera with a good frame rate.

For most events you will want a camera with a good frame burst rate so when the moment you wish to capture arrives you just hold the shutter release down and take a sequence of pictures. The difference of just half a second can be incredible. If you take a high jumper for example the time between leaving the ground and landing the other side of the bar can be less than a second. By having a high frame rate you should be able to catch the image where the jumper arches their back over the bar.

READ  Electric Muscle Stimulation: Separating Fact from Fiction

3. Think about location.

Firstly, get accreditation so you are able to wander round the ground. But make sure you are aware you can and cant go. Certain events, especially the throwing events such as hammer, discus, shot and javelin will have certain safety requirements that you must be aware of for your own and others safety. Being hit by a javelin is one sure way of spoiling the rest of your days photography. If in doubt follow the other professionals arround, but remember the photographers etiquette of not standing in front of another photographer. There are certain places that are common to stand, such as the track towards the end of the 100m or about 10m back from the sand for the long jump. If you are looking for more creative rather than commercial work you will no doubt want to think about other locations.

4. Go fast for shutter speeds.

Remember you are catching action shots of things moving rather quickly. You will therefore need a fast shutter speed to capture the moment so it produces a sharp image. Typically think of using a speed of at least 1/320th of a second. Certain events where there is a large amount of movement will need faster shutter speeds.

5. ISO speed

Use the minimum ISO speed that allows you to use the shutter speed you need with the maximum aperture you have. Unless its a day where clouds are moving quickly in front of the sun changing the exposure conditions consider putting the camera to manual. ASA 400 is probably the slowest film speed setting, with 800 and 1000 ISO fairly common.

READ  The Four Basic Secrets to High School Sprint Training

6. Focus

If you camera has a servo mode focusing mode then set the camera to that, especially for track events. Otherwise consider pre-focusing at a certain point and taking the picture at the appropriate moment. In automatic focusing mode try tracking the target prior to taking the picture to allow the camera time to focus rather than just pressing the shutter release then waiting until the lens focuses before the photograph is taken.

7. Get a monopod

As you are using a long lens the slightest camera movement is exaggerated. Monopods will enable you to steady the camera to help prevent camera shake blur. Most people will have a tripod however these tend to be impracticable.

8. If In Doubt – Shoot

It costs nothing to take a digital picture unlike traditional film. If in doubt take the picture, you can always discard the images later but you just might get the photograph of the match.

9. Respect the Officials and Athletes

The event you are photographing is for the athletes not for you. Show the athletes the respect they deserve and also obey any instructions the officials might have. You want to build up a reputation as an amiable photographer that helps publicize the event, not someone who is a pain in the &*().

10. Make Sure You Have

Spare batteries, memory cards, lens cleaning material, clothing and equipment if it starts to rain or sun block for you if it is hot and sunny and lots of business cards. The list really is endless, but remember also that you will have to carry the equipment around with you.

11. Know who is competing

It helps if you are familiar with the subject you are shooting. If you are keen on athletics you will probably know who the stars are and who is likely to be worthy of photographing. Knowing who is likely to cross the line first makes life a lot easier by positioning yourself at the appropriate location. Most track and field events are undertaken at the same time so you can’t cover both the field events and the track events. get a program from the event organiser showing the times and participants in the events.

READ  Optimal Pacing for Running 400 & 800 Meter [Research Paper]

12. Expect the Unexpected

Have your wits about you. Be prepared to rapidly change what you are shooting, the expression on someone’s face when they realise they have broken a record, the hurdler who catches a hurdle with their foot and goes flying, the discus thrower who trips and falls out of the circle. You will find that there is so much going on that you won’t be able to take everything in. The crowd however is good at alerting you to something significant is happening.

Using these 12 guidelines you will find that your success rate in capturing the moment are greatly improved and hopefully with that your enjoyment and possibly profit.

Article Credits:

Paul Klein lives and works in Loughborough, Leicestershire. For examples of photographs of track and field events check the Loughborough University International Athletics.

  • Bio
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Latest Posts
Jimson Lee

Jimson Lee

Coach & Founder at SpeedEndurance.com
I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.
Jimson Lee

@speedendurance

Jimson Lee
Jimson Lee
Jimson Lee

Jimson Lee

Jimson Lee

Latest posts by Jimson Lee (see all)

  • Jana Pittman – 400mH World Champion, Bobsleigh, and now Doctor - December 8, 2020
  • Autogenic/Parasympathetic Breathing Techniques for Recovery & Regeneration – Episode 3 - May 22, 2020
  • PART 2: Viewing the Bio-Motor Abilities of 400m Hurdlers Relative to 800m Runners - May 13, 2020
Jimson Lee

Category iconCommentary,  Technology,  Track & Field

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jimson Lee says

    September 17, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    Here’s a cool photo, courtesy of PhotoRun.net

    Libor Charfreitag

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (5)
  • Jimson Lee (3)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • SpeedEndurance Products Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99
  • Globus SprintCoach LE Electrical Muscle Stimulation Globus Electrical Muscle Stimulation SprintCoach SPORT $849.00
  • Globus SprintCoach LE Electrical Muscle Stimulation Globus Electrical Muscle Stimulation SprintCoach SPORT Limited Edition (LE) $949.00

RECENT POSTS

  • Jana Pittman – 400mH World Champion, Bobsleigh, and now Doctor
  • Autogenic/Parasympathetic Breathing Techniques for Recovery & Regeneration – Episode 3
  • PART 2: Viewing the Bio-Motor Abilities of 400m Hurdlers Relative to 800m Runners
  • Remembering Mike Agostini (1935 – 2016)
  • Remembering CharlieFrancis Forum (10 Years later)
  • Microstretching vs PNF vs ELDOA: Live Zoom Chat (Episode 2)
  • Viewing the Bio-Motor Abilities of 400m Hurdlers Relative to 800m Runners (Part 1)
  • A Systematic Approach To Developing Individual Success Within A Dynamic Team Culture
  • How to do Repeat 100m Strides with No Marks or Measurements
  • Testing for Speed, Power, Strength, & Endurance [VIDEO]

Copyright © 2021. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy