Composition of Professional Sport Photography

It's so easy to hold the shutter button down and catch frame after frame of professional sport action. Before you go shutter crazy, its important to recognize what is worth capturing and from where can you get the best shot.

While multiple frame sequences can be a good way of capturing the action, you will often end up with wasteful pictures on your camera. The high end DSLR cameras can capture more than 10 frames per second but it's really the skills of a professional athlete photographer that count.

Different techniques can be learnt and used in commercial advertising sport photography. Mostly, these vary according to your taste in photos, comfort level with sports photography and the professional sport you are shooting. Try to experiment with different techniques during a commercial athlete photography shoot to cover the action from all angles.

You should always bear in mind that learning sports photography is all about telling a story about a basketball game, a triathlon, a National Basketball League game or a bodybuilding event. The best way to capture the action is to shoot from different perspectives.

1. The FACE is the primary source of all emotion and this is what makes a picture talk to the viewers. For a perfect commercial advertising athlete photography shot, be aware of the player's locations. For example, in basketball, you can only shoot people taking jump shots from the side line. If you can't see the face of a professional athlete, it's best not to take the shot. Positioning yourself in different locations during the game is very important part of sports photography.

2. In certain sports like triathlons, it may not be easy to take professional sport pictures. The easy solution is to use a fill flash. For commercial advertising sports photography, adequate lighting and a camera with long lens will come in handy. To catch a really good shot, you will need some sort of advanced equipment and good locations. With practice, you can be successful at all sorts of commercial athlete photography.

3. Another point to be considered is the SHAPE of your subject. If they are taller than they are wide, hold the camera vertically to fill the frame with a professional athlete in action. A tight head shot also fits better vertically. Mostly, professional sport photographs are shot in vertical form.

4. Commercial advertising sport photography involves both INDIVIDUAL and GROUP shots. Hold the camera vertically to highlight an individual. This is a common technique of sport photography in basketball, National Basketball League, bodybuilding, triathlon and other individual sports. When you want to capture the conflict in a game, shoot horizontally.

5. EMOTION forms an essential part of professional sport photography. Shots that have emotion are likely to become priceless frames. A good commercial athlete photography shot will have the energy and story telling ability that brings a photo to life. Whether it is small league basketball players or National Basketball League players, they all show emotion at varying points of the game. Commercial advertising sport photography requires a lot of shooting time and effort in editing pictures that lack emotion. Instead of focusing only on the professional athletes, take time to shoot the crowd, coaches, fans and officials.

Mike Greaves is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known travel consultant and internet marketer. Over the years he has traveled across the world and has numerous writings credited to his name in many renowned publications. His areas of writing include travel experiences including reviews of best resorts and he has also gained expertise in area of professional sports, professional athlete and commercial advertising sport photography.