How To Take Action Photos Of Your Children

As an amateur photographer, motion can the most difficult thing to master, but you don’t want to miss out on shots of your little athlete.

So, what do you do?

We out together some simple tips so you’ll be able to improve your sports photography in no time whether you’re using a DSLR camera or just your phone. Try them out and use your new skills to take photos for a team photo book at the end of the season.

Let’s get started!

Before you worry too much about mastering camera settings, consider learning more about your child’s sport. If they play a sport, you’re not familiar with it will make taking photos more challenging because you won’t be able to keep up with the fast pace.

Luckily kid’s sports don’t move as quickly as pros but being able to predict what might happen next is a great way to start improving your photography. When you know what’s happening on the field or next to the court, you’ll be more likely to snap a photo at a peak moment of action.

If you’ve ever missed the perfect shot by waiting too long to hit the shutter button, this tip is for you. Most smartphone cameras have a build-in feature called burst mode which allows you to capture multiple photos per second. The best part is that you don’t even have to change any setting to use it!

Instead of just tapping the shutter button once, hold it down until the action you’re trying to capture is complete. Afterward, you’ll have the ability to choose the clearest shot to keep.

As great as phone cameras have become, they lack some of the control you get from a traditional digital camera. Luckily, there are a few underutilized features that will not only improve your action shots but all of you pictures as well. Autofocus is typically good at choosing which part of the frame to focus on – especially if someone’s face is the focal point, but you can actually choose where you’d like the camera to focus by tapping the screen.

Additionally, most smartphones allow you to adjust exposure within the native camera app. Look for instructions on how to adjust exposure on your specific phone, and you’ll be on your way to brighter images. Both of these simple changes will drastically improve the quality of the photos you take with your phone.

Not only will bright flashes be distracting for the players, it actually won’t make much of a difference in your photos because at most sporting events you will be considerably far away from the players.

Also, the flash on most point and shoot cameras sends light parallel to the lens, creating a flat image that you definitely don’t want in sports photography. Lighting can be hard to control, but outdoors on cloudy days are the best because it reduces the harsh shadows on people’s faces.

If you’re a beginner photographer, most digital cameras offer a sports mode setting that’s easily accessible from the middle dial and usually looks like an icon of a person running. This special mode automatically optimizes your camera settings to capture the fast-paced nature of most sports.

Typically, it increases your ISO and shutter speed, reduces the f/stop and adjusts the autofocus. Some pros even opt for shooting in this mode so that they can concentrate on the action, not on their camera settings.

It can be all too tempting to zoom in directly in on your child, after all, that’s why you’re taking the photo – just don’t forget about the background. It can be just as impactful to get some of the elements of the field or the fans on the pavilions to really capture the moment.

A good way to get the field and a view of your subject in the frame is to shoot from a low angle. If you have permission, shooting from the side-lines instead of up in the pavilions can make a huge difference. The dramatic angle will make for a more interesting photo.

If you’re using a digital camera and want more control over the photograph, the first place to start is your shutter speed. In technical terms, the shutter speed is the length of time your camera shutter is open to expose light to the camera sensor.  Increasing the shutter speed will freeze the action in the frame, but in turn, let less light in.

To make up for this, increasing the ISO will help brighten your photos. A good rule-of-thumb to correct for this is to use aperture priority mode set to a large aperture. This will allow you to control one element that increases both shutter speed and ISO to ensure that your photos are sharp and bright enough to see all the action.

Most professional photographers shoot in RAW format because of the increased possibilities in editing for adjusting settings like exposure and sharpness. JPEG mode is generally for action shots and can be written to the card faster, thus allowing for burst photography, which is helpful when shooting photos at a sporting event.

Another benefit of JPEG’s over RAW photos is that they’re quicker to export and have smaller file sizes if those are things you’re concerned about.

The right cropping and editing can take a photo from ordinary to frame-worthy. When capturing action shots, it can be challenging to get the framing exactly right. It’s more important to be in the moment rather than fretting over the rule of thirds. You can always crop and straighten a photo later to fix any framing mistakes.

Similarly, shooting too zoomed in, especially on a phone camera, can cause an image to lose its quality and become grainy. Resist zooming in and try getting closer to the action instead or simply crop in to get closer to your subject. Once you’ve successfully edited your photos, consider fun ways to display them, like a photo wall or photo board in your child’s room.

All the photo-worthy action isn’t limited to the gameplay itself. You can get some of the best shots before the game even starts during the pre-game warm up. There are actually benefits to shooting photos during this time because everybody’s guard is down.

You also might get permission from the coach to get a little closer because you won’t be disrupting gameplay or distracting the players. Additionally, the post-game handshakes are a great time to capture the teamwork and sportsmanship that sports are all about.

Even if you’re not a professional photographer, these are tricks out there that will take your photos to the next level. For example, try panning the camera while you take your shot to create that streaked look that implies motion and speed.

Just hold down the shutter button, follow the action, and see what you get. Or maybe try out the panorama feature to capture the stadium where the game takes place. Let your creativity take over, and don’t worry about making mistakes.

Whether you keep the pictures for yourself, create photo prints for friends and family, or turn them into personalised gifts for the whole team – you’ll be glad you took the time to learn when you look back on the memories in years to come. Sports photography is a high energy environment that poses its own unique photo challenges, and just like the sport itself, practice makes perfect.

So, get out there and keep trying new things.

And once you’re happy with the results you can show all those action-packed professional-looking photos off in various ways with the help of Q-Photo. Turn them into amazing canvases to decorate your child’s room,or a fun photo book that’ll keep those sport moments alive for years, or just prints to give to the grandparents. With print you can relive those instants and be proud of your little athlete.

Want to find out what you can transform your sports photos into?

See here