The Rules - The nine rules for action photography

The Rules

Rule 1: Use continuous autofocus

Set your camera's autofocus to continuous mode. Continuous or dynamic AF is designed to lock-on to a moving subject and keeps it sharp by constantly focusing as long as the shutter button is half pressed, allowing you to concentrate on timing your shot.

Rule 2: Control the shutter speed

The higher your shutter speed, the more the action in your shot will be frozen. To begin with, you should experiment with high shutter speeds between 1/500s and 1/2000s. Set your camera to shutter-priority mode when starting out.

Rule 3: Keep an eye on the aperture

Larger apertures such as f/4 and f/5.6 capture more light than smaller apertures such as f/11 or f/16. A larger aperture will also lead to a more shallow depth of field in your shots, which will help to isolate your subject from the background and really highlight the action.

Rule 4: Understand ISO

Many cameras have an automatic ISO setting, and a good way to start freezing motion is to use your cameras manual exposure mode in combination with auto ISO. Set a fast shutter speed (1/1000sec) combined with a large aperture (f/4 or f/5.6), and let the camera choose the required ISO for you.

Rule 5: Get your timing right

When shooting fast action, the perfect moment can be difficult to capture. It can be very tempting to set your camera to 'burst' or continuous mode, and just fire off a sequence of images in the hope that the exact moment you wanted is captured within the series. This can be counter-productive. In many cases, burst mode is actually more of a hindrance. More often than not, you will achieve far better results learning to time your shot accurately.

Rule 6: Work on your angles

The main reason most snapshots are rather uninspiring has little or nothing to do with equipment or even a lack of technical photographic knowledge, it is because the average photographer shoots everything from eye-level. Experiment with shooting from ground level, or get as high as you can and try some angles you would not have previously considered.

Rule 7: Zoom in or zoom out?

The standard rules of composition also apply to action photographs. Try to keep your subject positioned for good composition, even while tracking movement. You can use the different focus points in your camera to help you with this.

Rule 8: Add some flash

Using your camera's flash or an external flashgun can also add valuable fill-light to your subject, especially in backlit situations. Just make sure your subject is always within range of the flash you are using and you'll be experimenting with flash effects and shutter speeds before you know it.

Rule 9: Predict your shot

It is vital for action photographers to know their subject matter in order to not only convey a sense of involvement and participation to the viewer, but to even be in a position where a good number of images can be effectively captured. Do as much research as you can and things will go a lot smoother on the day.