My First Sports Photography Game: Mistakes to Avoid

It was in September 2023 that I got my first chance to cover a live sports event. I had just moved to Canada two weeks earlier and had started studying at Conestoga. Everything was new, a new country, new experiences, new people and even a new sport. The game was a men's rugby match between Conestoga and Seneca college. I had never seen a rugby game and never photographed any kind of sport as well. But I was ready and waiting with my Nikon D5300.

I thought I would simply go and capture some great shots but soon I realized that sports photography is not like that. I made plenty of mistakes that day. If you're a beginner sports photographer, here are some of the mistakes I made that you can avoid.

1. Incorrect Camera Settings

I had zero experience of sports photography, but I had done some food and product photography back in India. I thought that I will just tweak my settings a little bit and it will be fine. But I was wrong my shutter speed was too slow, so a lot of my photos ended up blurry. My autofocus wasn't set correctly either, so I ended up with out-of-focus shots.

My Suggestion: I would suggest to always review your camera settings before the start of the game.

For sports, a fast shutter speed (min 1/1000 sec) is necessary to freeze the action and ensure that autofocus is set to track moving subjects.

2. Taking Too Many Photos

I was so nervous that I just kept hitting the shutter button nonstop. By the end of the game, I had shot almost 1,200 images. The next day when I sat down to edit those pictures it took me almost couple of hours just to sort them and I found out that I had lots of pictures that were way too much similar to each other.

My Suggestion: I would suggest to focus on quality over quantity. Also, remember if you are shooting more pictures you have to spend more time on editing them as well.

3. Not Anticipating the Action

As it was my first time watching a rugby game, I had no idea what was happening on the field and what to expect next. Due to this, I was constantly missing crucial moments on the field.

My Suggestion: I would suggest watching a few games of the sport that you are going to photograph to learn the rhythm and basics of the game. Then, position yourself at the best position where you could get some good action shots.

4. Ignoring Composition

As there was a lot of action happening on the field, I found myself often compromising on the composition of the frame because it was so fast and unexpected for me. Some of my photos had players cut off at the edges or distracting backgrounds in some of them.

My Suggestion: I would suggest paying attention to framing and background. Try to keep players in frame, leave space in the direction they're moving and try not to have cluttered backgrounds.

5. Not Checking My Shots During the Game

I was so focused on shooting the game that I didn't bother to check my shots. If I had, I would have noticed some mistakes earlier and adjusted during the game.

My Suggestion: I would suggest taking some time to review your shots while shooting. This helps you see mistakes, adjust settings before it is too late and also saves you a LOT of editing time

That first rugby game was a good learning process for me. I did many things wrong, but I learned from them. Sports photography is fast-paced and unpredictable, but it gets easier with practice. If you are just beginning, don't worry about perfection. Learn from your mistakes and keep getting better.

To wrap up this post, I’d like to share a couple of my favorite photos from that game. Despite all the mistakes, these shots remind me why I love the thrill of sports photography.

Have you ever tried your hand at sports photography? What mistakes did you make and what did you learn from them? Share your experiences in the comments!