How to Take Action Pictures with Your Digital Camera: Ten Useful Tips

One of the most difficult things to photograph well with a digital camera is that of a subject that is moving. The reason for this is because digital cameras have been optimized to take clear stationary pictures of people in good lighting and because so much of how digital cameras work is automated. To take good clear sharp pictures of someone or something that is moving, requires a deeper knowledge of how your camera works.

To take clear pictures of people or objects that are moving, the shutter on your camera has to open and close very quickly and your camera has to be held very still. If you're not familiar with camera technology, think of the shutter on your camera as akin to your own eyelids. Just as your eyelids open and close over the lens of your eye to let in light and images, so too does the shutter for your camera for its mechanical lens. In addition to the shutter there is also something called aperture. Think of this as analogous to your pupil and irises. When it's dark, your pupils grow larger, which is another way of saying your irises pull the opening to your lens wider to allow more light to enter. On a camera, the aperture does the same thing. It makes the hole through which light, and subsequently your images enter the lens for processing, larger or smaller. Normally the aperture size is determined automatically by the computer inside your camera. Most digital cameras allow you to adjust the size for yourself if you want though. This would be the section marked F-stops and other such things. If you'd like to learn more, check your user's guide, it's too broad of a topic to be discussed here.

Getting back to your shutter. There are two basic ways to change the speed of your camera's shutter. The easiest is to add more light. Digital cameras by design automatically adjust shutter speed according to how much light is present. More light, faster shutter speed. Less light, slower shutter speed. This is why it's often difficult to get good pictures in the dark. Slower shutter speeds means that the image being captured is held for a longer period of time. If the image moves during that time, than the result will be blurry. The other way to speed up the shutter is to force it manually. For most digital cameras this can be done through menu options that are too specific to camera brand to discuss here.

Now that we understand the fundamentals, below are ten useful tips for helping you to improve your action pictures taken with a digital camera:

1 - Lighting. No matter what the subject, your pictures will turn out better when there is more light. Granted, you don't always have control over the lighting in certain situations, but you do usually have the option of using the flash on your camera. Use it. You might also have some control over the angle of the natural light that is hitting your subject. For example, if you're trying to photograph your child in a footrace, you might try moving yourself to a position where the sun will be behind you and shining directly on your subject as they pass by.

2 - Equipment. One of the other things you can control when trying to take pictures of moving people or objects is to keep the camera as still as possible. In most cases this will mean purchasing a tripod. Usually, the manufacturer of your camera will make a tripod for your camera that will screw right into the bottom of it. Other types that can be set up more quickly have only one leg. Other equipment you might add to help with action photography are hand held lights. In general, it's best to use lights made specifically for photography as other types tend to cast a yellow or greenish tint to most digital camera images. One more thing. With most digital cameras you'll find you get better quality pictures in general if you add a memory card. This is because it allows you to take much larger pictures, which when squeezed down to fit in a smaller size, look a lot sharper than those taken originally at that size.

3 - Preparation & Planning. Another thing that can help to improve your action photography is to prepare and plan for your pictures. If you're going to take pictures at a sporting event for example, you might visit the site beforehand so as to learn where you might get the best angles and the best available light. You can also check to see if using your flash is allowed, or to see if you might be able to bring more lighting with you. You might also prepare your subject by having them dress in a more colorful outfit or uniform if possible to help make them stand out.

4 - Indoors vs Outdoors. Generally you'll get far better results at outdoor events than those that are held inside. This is because the lighting for digital photography is almost always better outside. For indoor action events, you'll want to get as close to your subject as possible, and if they are in range, use your flash. In range, for most digital cameras is generally 15 feet or less. You might also look into changing your shutter speed or aperture size manually. For outdoor picture taking, try to get as close as possible to your subject and to have the sun behind you. Angle yourself so as to have the most possible light on your subject. Use a tripod if you can.

5 - Children. Most digital cameras have a menu option for taking pictures of children. The idea being that children rarely sit still. Refer to your users guide, the odds are very good you'll get the best possible pictures of children using this option. If your camera doesn't have this option, try going outside where the light is usually better. Also, try moving closer to the child. This not only allows for more detail, but quite often causes the child to pause long enough for you to snap the picture. In any case, try to put the child in a place where there is plenty of light, but not so much as to make them squint. Use a tripod if possible and be sure to put yourself down low so as to be on their level.

6 - Animals. In general, most anything that applies to taking pictures of children also applies to taking pictures of animals. In fact, some digital cameras lump the two together on their menu options. In general, the quality of your pictures is going to have a lot to do with whether you intend to take pictures of wild versus domestic varieties. If you plan to take pictures of animals in the wild, you will definitely want a camera with a good zoom capability and a tripod. For domestic animals, the quality will depend on how still you can get them to pose. If you want to capture them in action, playing around, the best thing you can do is photograph them outside in the sunlight, using a tripod. If necessary, try adjusting the shutter speed or aperture size.

7 - Sports. Sometimes when taking pictures of action at a sporting event, blurring actually enhances the effect, which is good, because the only way you are going to get a clear picture of someone running full steam for example, is to change the shutter speed and quite possible they aperture size. You'll have to refer to your owner's guide for this. Other than that, try to angle yourself so as to have as much sun on your subject as possible, and use a tripod.

8 - Ceremonies. When trying to take pictures of people participating in ceremonies such as graduations, weddings and other processional type activities, you can try to catch your subject when they pause or are in mid stride. As with sporting events, sometimes it adds effect to a picture if the subjects legs are blurred. It gives the feeling of action. If you want sharp pictures of them as they walk though, you'll need to use your flash and a tripod. Depending on the camera, you'll probably have to adjust the shutter speed and the aperture size as well.

9 - Objects. In addition to catching people moving there are sometimes objects you'd like to photograph moving. Cars come to mind, as do trucks, trains and airplanes. You may also want to catch a football in mid-throw or a baseball soaring over the fence. Quite often photographers like to slow down the action, so as to capture the essence of movement. You might want to see the tail lights of a car, for example, stretched out over time. Or, you might want to have a trail behind a thrown object, to allow for tracing it's path. All of these techniques call for slowing down shutter speed, making the aperture smaller, and maintaining a nearly perfectly still camera. But keep in mind, it will also take a bit of luck.

10 - Take LOTS of pictures. No matter who or what you are trying to capture, you'll find you get better results if you take as many pictures as you possibly can. Play the odds. As you increase the number of pictures taken, you increase the number of good ones you'll produce. As you take more pictures, you'll begin to remember what you did to get those good pictures and apply those techniques to those you take in the future.

The ten tips above should help anyone interested in improving the quality of their action pictures taken with a digital camera. In addition to the tips above, one of the best things you can to do improve your action pictures as well as any other type of picture you might want to take, is to take your camera with you wherever you go, and use it. There is nothing that can help you more than your own experience. Good luck.