I'm a staff photographer for a small local newspaper near Boston. Most of my photography is centered around High School cross-country running as well as indoor and outdoor track and field events. I usually write an article and submit digital photos for editorial review on a weekly basis. If I'm lucky, I get a few photos printed with my article, and when I'm really lucky, I get a full page spread.

From my experience, here are my top ten sports photography tips:

Know Your Sport

Each sport has its photogenic moments. It might be a basketball player above the basket about to dunk the ball. A sprinter breaks the tape at the finish line. A high jumper gracefully arcs over the high jump bar. Take the time to get to know your sport. You will be more liikely in the right place at the right time to get that magic photo.

Know Your Athletes

Most people want to see pictures of winners. After you've been around a sport for a while, you will know who are the best athletes. If you know that a runner is about to break the State High School record in the mile, you'd be best interested to photograph the finish of that event, rather than photograph a less significant event nearby.

Get the Story

Each sport has its story. Take photos that describe the beginning, middle and end of an event. I will use a sprinter for an example. The sprinter stretches their legs before the race. The sprinter places themselves in the starting blocks. At the crack of the gun, the sprinter launches themselves from the starting blocks. The sprinter than dashes down the runway, breaking the tape at the finish line. After the race, the sprinter stands exhausted, unable to catch her breath.. The sprinter congratulates other runners. The sprinter smiles and waves on the podium, collecting their medal. The sprinter then poses for pictures with their medal, surrounded by family and friends. Every step of this story is potential for a outstanding photograph.

Anticipation

Most fast action sports require anticipation to get the best shot. The hurdler's front foot should be just clearing the hurdle. The basketball player is at the top of their jump shot. The high jumper is clearing the high jump bar.

Most cameras have shutter lag. You must click the shutter just before the penultimate moment. . With experience, you will know precisely when you need to press the shutter.

Freeze Frame

Freezing the frame is a signature of action photograpy. You don't want your pictures to be blurred by the athlete's movement. .Sports like running, tennis, and bicycling need a shutter speed of 1/250 a second or faster. Sometimes a photographer will shoot with a slower shutter speed and pan along with the athlete's movement so that background looks blurred. Use this effect sparingly. Get to know the shutter speed you will need to freeze the frame.

Shoot Wide (Crop Later)

You think you've captured a great shot until you realize you've cut the head or the feet off the athlete with poor framing. Frame your subject wide so that you can crop anywhere from fifteen to fifty percent of the shot later.

Newspaper editors and production staff love to crop your photo to fit into the column requirements of the newspaper. Production staff are much better than you at aesthetically cropping your photos. Why? Because production staff are very artistic and they crop photos all day. I always shoot extra wide for safety, and leave something for the production staff to crop later. You will get a higher percentage of usable photos if you shoot wide.

Take Lots of Shots

A Natoional Geographic photographer will take over five thousand images in athree month period to obtain thirty published photos. That's 125 photos or five rolls of film for one published shot. On average, I take 80 shots at one sporting event. I submit eight photos to the newspaper. The newspaper usually prints two. Forty photos to get one shot printed.

I used to beat myself up because every shot didn't turn out like Sports Illustrated or National Geographic. I know know that most shots I think are winners are losers and some shots I think are losers turn out to be winners. I hope for one good shot in 20 or a "20 to 1 ratio".

You're only using up rechargeable batteries if you're shooting with a digital camera. Last year I shot 3,000 images (equivalent to 120+ rolls of film) with my digital camera. My photography improved 100 percent. Imagine how you'd improve if you shot five thousand images in three months like a National Geographic photographer? Please, take lots of shots and give yourself the luxury of a 20, 30 or 40 shots to get one good shot.

Respect Light

I love natural light photography. Early morning or early evening light can do amazing things for your photography. Most photographers look where light is falling in the most interesting way. Most of my photography outdoors is natural light.

I use "fill flash" quite often to pick an athlete out of the background . Most pro photographers use fill flash even in bright daylight. That is, of course, unless they are presented with a beautiful natural light situation.

I use "slave flash" when shooting indoor track. These are small flash units mounted off the camera on a tripod. When the fill flash triggers on my camera, there are light sensors on the slave flash that causes the slave to flash as well. I usually use three flashes: the flash on my camera and two slave flashes with a diffusion filter on either side of the athlete. Why all this flash? Because the results are amazing! The athlete looks very three dimensional. I love sculpting light with slave flashes in low light situations.

Get Closer

At track and field events I get access to the inside of the track. I present my business card with the newspaper's name on it to the chief event organizer just before the track meet begins. The organisers know me now. They know I stay out of the officials and athlete's way while providing the sport with needed newspaper recognition.

You don't have to be associated with a newspaper to get access at sports events. Just create your own business card with the title "freelance photographer". As long as you respect the organiser's and officials wishes, they will be very happy to let you get close to the action for the best shots. To get a good shot, get close. Even if it means printing your own business cards.

Take "Out Takes"

I often take shots that have nothing to do with the sporting event. I took a picture of a group of female cross-country runners lying on a blanket, while one athlete raised her head to smile at me. That was one of my most favorite published photos. I've taken pictures of twin puppies, athletes walking through fall leaves and a number of "out takes" resulting in published pictures. Take time between events to look for human interest photos.

Express Yourself

Okay, this is tip number eleven. I can't contain myself. The difference between a "picture taker" and an artist is the way you express yourself. What do you find interesting about the situation you are about to photograph? How do you feel about it? How can you use your camera as a tool to express the way you feel about the photographic situation? You have become an artist when you can answer the above questions, and use all the photographic technique at your disposal to convey your answers to your photographic audience.

I have chosen sports photography as my artistic _expression (although I do other photography and get it published). My development as an artist has not finished, and hopefully yours hasn't either. Explore your interests, feeling and reactions and convey those same feelings to others by pressing your index finger down on the shutter