ACTION
With the Premier League football season and the Rugby World Cup under way, learn how to capture great sports shots with these expert tips
Check how many AF points are available on your camera and make your preferred selection, depending on the type of action you want to capture. AF tracking systems use cutting-edge tech to lock on to subjects and help pro photographers bag pin-sharp shots of special sporting moments, such as Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira celebrating after scoring the winning penalty in the 2023 FA Community Shield.
1 Master AF
Modern autofocus systems are fast – but don’t try to shoot with AF while you’re using Live View, as the way Live View achieves focus is slower. The exact number of AF points on a camera varies from model to model, but the greater the number of AF points you have available, then the more accurate your focusing will be. For ultra-accurate focus, select a single AF point rather than many. Your camera may allow you to select AF groups, which is a good way of achieving focus on a difficult subject.
Remember that you can change which AF point (or group) is active. On many cameras, the active AF point or group is selected via the D-pad or a little joystick on the rear of the camera body. If you are struggling to achieve focus, give yourself some space around the subject and use the centre AF point: it’s typically the most accurate.
2 Get a fast lens
A fast (and inevitably expensive) telephoto lens is recommended for shooting sports. A focal length of 300mm-plus gets you close to the action, while a fast aperture of f/2.8 means the lens can focus accurately, blur the background and get faster shutter speeds in tough condition
