The MasterClass Series #1
Shooting split second action – bicyclist at Mechuka
Equipment
EOS 5D Mark III
EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM
EXIF
Focal Length: 24mm
Aperture: f/4
Shutter Speed: 1/1250
ISO: 100
Editing
Adobe Lightroom CC
The story
Here’s an image from a downhill mountain bicycle race held in Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh. While most of the race took place on a natural track, the organisers had placed a ramp closer to the finish line. Done to add to the excitement, cyclists used it to show their skill and control. In the shot, you see Vinay Menon in action. He finished second in this race.
The split second action challenge
In Sports Photography, we capture the thrill of the moment, the crescendo of action. While video techniques are ideal to highlight the drama, even well-shot stills can get a viewer’s adrenaline flowing. Challenge is to get the timing right, get a crisp shot, and capture the drama of the action.
The shot
Now, here’s the most important question. How to capture this vigour and verve? Check out these 4 pointers to catch great action shots.
- Choose a continuous focus setting suitable to focus on a subject suddenly entering the frame. In Canon parlance, continuous focus settings are AI Servo AF, and Nikon calls them AF-C. For this frame, I chose Case 3 AI Servo AF setting in my EOS 5D Mark III.
- Keep fast shutter speed to avoid any motion blur. My shutter speed was 1/1250. If light conditions are poor, pump up the ISO to get fast shutter speed.
- Here’s an either-or tip. Either keep the aperture small (f/8 or above) for getting a deeper depth of field. Or make sure the subject is at least at a hyperfocal distance of the focal length you are using. This ensures a focus from the subject to infinity. In this shot, I have focussed on the hyperfocal distance, keeping a wide enough aperture (f/4).
- Keep the camera in burst mode and shoot bursts. Action is quick. Shooting bursts is our insurance, to capture the right moment.
Now, why wait? Go on, catch the action!
Happy shooting!
