Sports photography

Equipment typically used for sports photography includes a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera or Mirrorless Camera with high continuous shooting speeds and interchangeable lenses ranging from 14mm to 400mm or longer in focal length, depending on the type of sport.

[citation needed] The proper lenses are very important as they allow the photographer to reach closer or further as quickly as possible to keep up with the gameplay.

The preferred camera bodies for modern sports photography have fast autofocus and high burst rates, typically 8 frames per second or faster.

Particularly visible are the Canon super telephoto lenses, whose distinctive white casing (to dissipate the sun's heat) is recognizable at many sporting events.

Indoor sports photography, as mentioned earlier, can present its own challenges with less distance between the action and photographer and extreme lighting.

For example, competition cheerleading allows for photographers to be up close to the action while looking upwards directly into harsh stage lighting against a black background.

Using a prime 50mm lens is a budget friendly option for many other indoor events such as school plays, concerts, dance recitals, etc.

Sports photographers may use remote cameras triggered by wireless shutter devices (i.e. Pocket Wizards) to photograph from places they could not otherwise stay, for example in an elevated position such as above a basketball basket, or to be in two places at once, i.e. at the start and the finish, like at horse racing.

At big events, professional photographers often shoot from VIP spots with the best views, usually as close to the action as possible.

Most sports require the photographer to frame their images with speed and adjust camera settings spontaneously to prevent blurring or incorrect exposure.

A frequent goal is to capture an instant with minimal blur, in which case a minimal shutter speed is desired, but in other cases a slower shutter speed is used so that blur shows to capture the motion, not simply the instant.

A sports photographer looking around during 2019 Pocono 400 .
Photographers at a game at Croke Park , Ireland. Note the use of telephoto lenses .
A cameraperson follows Ellen van Dijk at the 2012 Summer Olympics . Photographing from a motor is done often in endurance sports
Photographer on the sideline of an American football game with multiple cameras, long lenses, and monopods.
Photographers capture skier Mikaela Shiffrin
A live action shot of the game-winning goal in Game 7 of a 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs series in ice hockey. Such live action shots of a game-changing moment require the photographer to frame their images from a distance, with speed and adjust camera settings spontaneously.
Panning of Porsche 996 GT3 RSR