Nearly rivaling the importance and prestige of the Official Olympic Games, the 11th All Africa Games 2015 boasts a formidable athletic venue that will play host to 52 nations across the continent competing in 22 sporting events. Tens of thousands of international visitors worldwide are gearing up to partake of this sporting event in Brazzaville, and not only experience the players, teams, and exquisitely designed sports arenas, but also capture that perfect photographic memento.
While not every photographer can boost the latest gear, we can provide quick tips that will have you shooting sporting events like a pro.
Photograph Where the Action Will Be
Trying to capture the perfect moment of athletes in motion can be a daunting task, but staying one step ahead can help ensure your camera properly frames the action. Featured events at The All Africa Games, such as volleyball and basketball can offer photo opportunities near the net as athletes spike the ball or go in for a slam-dunk. Staying one step ahead of the game can be especially important for mobile phone photography due to the slight delay when capturing images.
The Eyes Have It
One critical detail to remember when photographing sports is to try and include the athlete’s eyes in your shots. The eyes can convey much emotion and help communicate the moment. The eye can also provide a good focal point when focusing your photo. While certain athletic events like fencing or swimming pose a difficult challenge for this tip, other events like football and judo can provide ample opportunities to focus on the eyes.
Closer is Better
Getting near the sidelines of any sporting event will ensure your camera can get close and personal to the event and truly capture the moment. This is especially true for event attendees who either don’t have the proper gear or simply want to use their mobile phones. Getting closer to the action provides more opportunities to properly capture the faces of athletes and better communicate the experience.
Burst into Action
Fast paced sporting events, such as cycling or tennis highlight athletic parous that plays out in an instant. When photographing sports, ensure to capture enough photos of key moments to later select the gems. Burst mode is the perfect option when trying to capture high speed sequences of action. You’re free to focus on the athletes while your camera does the rest.
Use JPEG Instead
While for most digital photography RAW is recommended for maximum image quality, JPEG is the winner when it comes to sports photography. Speed is the discernible factor here. The compressed JPEG format allows for an increased number of photos that can be taken during burst mode, which is helpful when capturing quick actions like shoulder throws in this year’s All Africa Games judo events.
Find Out More
At the Global Media Desk we have been providing top-quality photographers and video production crews for global sporting events around the world for fifteen years. Please contact us for future media needs for the All Africa Games 2015 in the Republic of the Congo, 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, World Games 2017 in Poland, 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia or other global sporting events.
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Photo credit: By tableatny (BXP135660) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons