Sport: Getting the shot

Sport photography is so much about being ready for a shot by anticipating what might happen next and being prepared for it rather than trying to capture it in the moment.

It’s challenging in that knowledge of the game, and sometimes the players themselves, is key to getting winning images.

As with many genres, the more you practice, the more likely you are to capture “that” shot. The downside I have found is the sheer number of photographs I tend to take to get one or two absolute keepers. The difference in a scene is literally 10th’s of a second like the image above. Luckily only a bit of first aid with an ice pack was required to cool down a fat lip gained in this clash.

Although the image is quite grainy, that’s because I needed to crop extensively to draw this out of a much wider frame - the downside of a lens that needed to extend between close ups and further away due to the size of the playing area. Lens choice is important, but you are still often limited by what you have in your bag.

The upside is, when you capture “that” shot, it comes with an enormous sense of satisfaction.