Pull out the jerseys and the face paint. Baseball season is under way and this great snap from our ambassador Michael Bonocore has inspired us to write about how we can all achieve wonderful shots of our favorite players on the field.
Most of us don’t get the chance to sit in the front row, but you can still get a great picture from the nosebleed seats whether you have a DSLR or a point and shoot camera.
Point and Shoot Tips:
If you hold the shoot button halfway before you take the shot, the camera pre-focuses for you. Aim your camera where you want to take the shot holding the button halfway to pre-focus and you will be ready to shoot when the action gets to where you are aiming.
Try using the sports mode on your camera if you have that option. It will automatically change camera settings to adjust for fast movement shots.
If you prefer to be in control of adjusting settings, set your camera to shutter priority. This will allow you to take control of the ISO, which controls your camera’s sensitivity to light and impacts how much light will go through the lens and how fast your shutter speed will be.
Setting a low ISO will result in more crisp photos, but will have a slow shutter speed. A higher ISO will make the photo a little grainy, but will allow for a faster shutter speed and more light.
Since you will most likely be going for action shots during a baseball game, a higher ISO is recommended so you can get a fast shutter speed. I would suggest playing around with the ISO and finding the best option for your situation taking into consideration what kind of light you are shooting in.
DSLR Tips:
A telephoto lens with a range of around 70mm-300mm will cover most of the field and give you a good zoom range. If you are in a packed stadium, a tripod probably wouldn’t be a good thing to bring along which means you will be taking hand held shots. Image stabilization is very important in this case.
You should follow the same advice concerning the ISO as if you had a point and shoot, you will just probably have more flexibility and options with your DSLR. To sum that up, use a higher ISO to increase shutter speed.
Using a wide aperture setting is your best bet if you want to catch all the action. You want the fastest shutter speed available to reduce camera shake and subject motion. This also gives you a narrow depth of field, which allows you to focus solely on the subject and forces distractions in the background to become blurry.
Everyone keep in mind that whether you are photographing the World Series or your kid’s tee ball team, timing and speed are very important, and once you have the right gear and techniques it all comes down to practice.
Remember to share your photos from all sporting events!
