Sports Photography How To

Today’s camera gear is faster than ever and much of it is tailor-made for capturing any sort of motion or movement. So then why do so many photographers struggle to shoot compelling images of action? Part of it has to do with timing and part of it has to do with composition. Your camera and lens can only do so much and there’s more to a great action shot than simply capturing the moment and making sure it’s in focus. For this assignment, we were looking for images of anything from basketball to dance to wildlife, just as long as there was some kind of action in the scene. For the winning images, we were looking for great composition, effective use of backgrounds and scenery, and powerful emotion: human, animal, or otherwise. Here are our six favorites.

Tyler Stableford had always been passionate about storytelling, dating back to his college days. It began with the written word but soon metamorphosed into still photography. Before long, Stableford was working as an editor on two outdoor adventure publications, first Climbing Magazine, followed by Rock and Ice Magazine, where he was also able to pursue photography combined with his passion for adventure sports, which had had a hold on him since his teen years.

This month we talk with seven photographers pursuing their passion for action, adventure, and sports and find out how they are getting the work: Aaron Belford, Tegan Keller (Tegan K. Studios LLC), Chayce Lanphear, Joe Morahan (Morahan Visuals, LLC), Elli Morris, Jayms Ramirez, and Robert Snow.

The annual Red Bull Illume international photo contest showcases some of the most spectacular action and adventure sports images anywhere, and the finalists and winning images for the 2016 competition are amazing as always.

Last week Apple introduced the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus that boast a robust new camera system, and yesterday Sports Illustrated photographer David E. Klutho shot some impressive images with the iPhone 7 Plus while covering an NFL game for SI between the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings in Nashville.

Australian photographer Cameron Spencer may have captured the most iconic image of the Rio Olympics yesterday.

On Monday evening, February 8th, I got an e-mail okaying my request for press credentials to cover the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl victory parade. It was triple good news: I’m a Broncos fan, I’d get images for stock, and I wouldn’t have to travel far (I live about 10 miles from Denver).