In photography, it’s all about the rules of the game

Sports photography is arguably one of the hardest disciplines of the art form. It takes an immense amount of patience and practice to follow and focus on a ball through 90 minutes of football, 70 minutes of hockey or an entire day’s play on the cricket field.
In fact sports photographers require to practice as much as the athletes they photograph do. First up knowledge of the sport one is covering is paramount. Without that knowledge getting the perfect photograph that epitomises a day’s play is virtually impossible. You need to recognize the key moments in a game, who the star players are, and also the standing of the game in the grand scheme of things. This knowledge will enable you to make sure that your camera’s at the ready seconds before a major event takes place during the course of a game.
The photographer needs to have the know-how to realize that a spectrum of passes from the right wing to the left and back to the centre is going to result in a goal for a particular team and should ensure that he follows the so that he gets the all-important moment of the goal being scored.
During a cricket match the photographer must realize that a bowler who has taken two wickets in the space of four overs, and is bowling to a new batsman, has a good chance of picking up another wicket. Time to get that camera ready.
Sports photography is also one of the more rewarding types of photography. Due to the sheer pace of the action, it is more difficult to master. The photographer is left with milliseconds in which to take into account angles, emotion, and even on which players he plans to focus. This is what sets it apart from other forms of photography where the shutterbug has minutes, if not hours to ponder composition, lighting, and allows him to plan a shot.
Sport stirs the soul – for millions of fans, watching their favourite teams fight for victory, even if they end up in defeat, inspires them in their day-to-day lives. Your photos can have a similar impact. Imagine a parent’s delight when you present them with a picture, through your newspaper, of their child scoring a goal in a nail-biting game of school hockey, it will affirm their dedication – and yours – and inspire them for many years to come.
Even as I close this weeks piece I would like to wish our readers a happy “Twenty Ten”, in the hope that the coming days will bring it a wealth of stunning imagery, for you and for me.