Express Action Sports

I have a passion for photography. I’m in my early 20’s I really want to own a photography business. Do any of you own a photography business? Did you go to school for it? Any ideas, suggestions would be a great help Thanks for your time!

You don’t need a college degree. What you do need is (a) a good portfolio of your work, (b) a rock solid business plan and (c) enough capital to get the additional goods & services you need to launch and to keep the doors open during the first few months while you’re still building a customer base.

The business plan should identify who your target customers are, e.g. going after weddings in or near your home town vs. sports action photography…you get the idea. Who are they? How many of them are there? What are their buying habits? What do they read and watch (for placing advertising)? Etc. It should also identify your competition: who are they? How many of them are there? What sources of competitive advantage do you have over them, e.g. lower prices, specialization in some type of photography, etc.

It should also explain what you’ve got, what you need and how you’ll pay for it.

It needs to include your marketing plan: How will you reach your customers and bring them back for repeat business? (Hint: personal selling)

I do a lot of sports and action photography, specifically snowboarding and skateboarding. What is a good quality wireless flash trigger that will work with my Nikon D3100? I would like something compact and light weight to avoid any clutter in my backpack. Any suggestions and/or stores/links would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Amazon has a non OEM remote that has been rated highly & cost less than Nikon’s unit. Keep in mind the wire less function works only in line of sight.

I personally have had cameras that take lousy pictures, so thats what I was trying to get at by saying "professional" I understand the photographer is what makes the picture.
I have taken a few semesters of photography now, but nothing with digital, so hence the question.

Depends on what you intend to shoot, and your budget. I’m a Canon guy (but admire Nikon as well), so I’ll answer in "Canoneese", and under the assumption you’re not budgeting "top of the line", which are for a reason: Bear in mind though, the "quality" of your photos will probably be more dependent on your lens than your camera.

—— For general subjects:

On a budget, I’d recommend the EOS Rebel T1i EF-S. It’s got a generous 15 megapix, good low noise characteristics and is not too expensive. It also shoots Full-HD video. It basically has all the pro features of its bigger brothers.

On less of a budget, the EOS 5D Mark II is a —superb— "Advanced Amateur"/Pro camera! Its full-frame CCD gives image quality and low-noise characteristics only rivaled by cameras in the $5,000+ range (at half the price)! It’s a 21 Megapixel beauty, also shoots Full HD video, and has durable, pro-like construction. In the "within reason" price range, this is my top recommendation. Beware though: this camera will only work with regular film-type lenses (due to the full-size sensor). Lenses meant for your average DSLR will vignette tremendously. This in my opinion, is a good thing. If you feel like shooting film (or upgrade to a full-tilt boogie pro DSLR later), your lenses will work for that too (and obviously on any smaller sensor DSLR). The 5D Mark II also comes with a built in PC cord jack, meaning you can plug it into studio strobes without adaptors.

—— For Sports/Action photography, Journalism or Reportage:

Consider the EOS 7D. It sits in the middle price range between the last two. It’s 18 Megapix, also Full HD vid. What sets it apart is it can shoot 8 frames/second at full resolution! The two mentioned previously cap out at about 3.5.

Remember, as I mentioned, picture "quality" (i.e. sharpness, chromatic aberration etc.) will depend more on the lenses you buy. Canon’s site features buyer reviews and ratings on those (that’s how confident they are). What sets bodies apart is build, frame rate, resolution; and metering and focusing points (for the most part).

If you can, go with the EOS 5 Mark II. For image quality, it kicks every "regular" DSLR’s butt very badly! Most especially in low-light situations.

Hope that helps.

P.S.
If you’re talking about a compact camera that can produce pro-like results, try the Canon Powershot G10. You won’t have the flexibility of a DSLR, but it’s compact, and has a hotshoe allowing you to hook up Canon’s excellent 580 EZ flash or even a remote and up to 3 flashes, as a DSLR does. You will be limited to the built-in lens, but it’s a convenient "carry around" camera.

I am new to the advanced photography world, and I just purchased Canon Rebel XT because it seems to be a great entry level camera with good features. I am mostly interested in taking photos of dogs at dog park and events, etc. I want to be able to take clear photos of them running around. What are the lenses that would fit my criteria? I would like something on the cheaper side that does the job. Thanks a lot!

I’ll give you some criteria used in choosing a lens, and then suggest a few that I would use for this purpose.

1. Zoom or prime
Zoom lenses are lenses that cover multiple focal lengths. Prime lenses cover a single focal length. Zooms should NOT be confused with telephotos (lenses for shooting far away things), as telephotos can be either zoom or prime. Zooms give you greater flexibility, but primes offer superior image quality at a given price point. Primes are also available in larger apertures (see below).

2. Focal length
Remember that your DSLR is a "crop" sensor DSLR. This means that your sensor is significantly smaller than 35mm film, and only uses the center of the image circle created by a standard lens. The simplified result of this "crop effect" is that you need to multiply the focal length on the lens by 1.6 to get the effective length on your camera. (No, the lens doesn’t magically change, but the crop will make you move YOUR position, which will change the perspective rendered by the lens.)

The classic ranges for 35mm film are (give or take)
14-24mm = Ultra Wide Angle
24mm-35mm = Wide angle
40mm-70mm = Normal Perspective
70mm-135mm = Short Telephoto/Portrait
135mm-299mm = Telephoto
300mm + = Supertelephoto.

So take the lens’s focal length and multiply by 1.6 to figure out how the lens will work on YOUR camera.

Note that EF-S lenses are lenses designed for your reduced image circle. This doesn’t mean that you gain any optical benefits (quite the opposite in most cases), but some of these reduced-circle lenses represent great values, or at the wide end (EF-S 10-22) offer perspectives not available in full-frame lenses.

3. Maximum Aperture
When you see a number like f/2.8 or f/4-5.6 on the side of a lens, it tells you the maximum aperture that the lens is capable of achieving. Larger apertures give you a few capabilities. They allow you to shoot in lower light without flash (more light coming in = faster shutter speed). This is VITAL for sports photography, or any situation where the subject is apt to be moving. Larger apertures also allow you to shoot shallow depth-of-field shots, where the background and foreground are blurred to isolate the subject. A larger aperture lens can be stopped down for more depth-of-field or slower shutter, but a "slower" lens cannot be opened up. Larger apertures also offer faster auto-focus (with a few exceptions), as lenses slower than f/2.8 disable some of the AF sensors on your camera.

4. IS
Some Canon lenses offer IS. IS is a gyroscopic device that lives in the back of the lens and tries to correct for lens movement. This is extremely useful when you are shooting hand-held, but still can be useful on a tripod or monopod (although some older lenses require that you disable IS on a tripod). IS is great for shooting STATIC subjects in low light, as it will allow you to use a slower shutter speed than you would otherwise be able to. Some IS lenses offer "pan mode" which will stabilize the lens vertically, but allow you to pan the lens horizontally (think racecars with the background blurring as they move). IS is almost useless for most sports, as the key issue is not camera movement, but getting a shutter fast enough to stop the subject’s motion.

5. Little red rings
The Canon "L" series of lenses is the "L"uxury lineup of optics, and they all have a little red ring around the front. In reality, this designation has more to do with being designed for professionals than for use as a luxury item. The L series lenses are *typically* of higher optical quality AND build quality than their consumer grade cousins. For zooms in particular, there are VERY few offering really strong quality in the consumer lineup (EF-S 10-22, EF-S 17-50IS, 70-300IS being the most notable exceptions).

6. Third party lenses
Tamron, Sigma, Tokina…. people take sides on the "are third party lenses ok" debate as vehement as their stances on major political issues. In my experience, some third party lenses offer an excellent value for the money. That said, ALL lenses have a certain variation in quality between copies of identical lenses. Test 3 copies of a Canon 50mm 1.4 in the store, and you will likely see a difference in performance. This tends to be even more pronounced in 3rd party lenses! So I recommend that you only consider purchasing a 3rd party lens from one of the three manufacturers I listed, and only if you can test it in store, or if the store has a fair return policy.

There ARE other concerns when buying a lens, but this should be more than enough to get you started.

That said… for your stated purpose:
You need a focal length where you can shoot at a bit of a distance… so telephoto is where its at here. If it were me, I’d be looking at the EF85mm f/1.8 or EF100mm f/2 primes for a value option with this purpose. If you feel you need more reach, the EF200 f.2.8L is superb and value priced at about $500. If you decide that you need a zoom, the least expensive telezooms I recommend are the EF70-200 f/4L or the 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS. The non-IS 70-300 is not very well built and offers a different (and much inferior) optical design from its IS brother.

I have to do action photography for my art project. I chose to do lacrosse. Would you reccommend me using a nikon d40 or a fujifilm.

Of course. The D40 has a 1/4000th second shutter speed. I shot sports and action using cameras with a 1/1000th shutter speed for years with manually focusing lenses. The D40 shutter is four times faster and auto-focus.

I know youre going to say its not the camera its the photographer, but i need to make sure this shoots good for fast moving objects.

Im a beginner and i like action photography, like soccer, baseball and skateboarding. Is this a good camera to start off with?

Is this a good lens to begin with for sports?

I have a cousin that plays soccer, one that plays baseball and a good friend that plays football and i would like to start shooting for their games. Is that a good enough setup?(If you recommend a different lens at that price range or maybe just a little more expensive, let me know).

And these are the ones that i really want once i get a higher paying job.

Don’t know about football but I’ve shot plenty of soccer. The 55-200 will do but see if somehow you can’t find the money for the 55-300 or better yet, the 70-300

I plan to buya dslr camera but its main uses will be for sports and portrait photography. From the reviews I’ve read, I like the image stabilization of pentax which is built into the system, unlike nikon where you have to purchase an expensive VR labelled lens for image stabilization. However, I also discovered that pentax mainly uses PRIME lenses which do not have a high zoom functionality. I need a high zoom range because when I watch badminton tournaments, I am so far from where the action is and I will be needing zoom lenses. I am debating over these 2 dslr cameras or a 3rd option can be panasonic dmc fz50 which is not dslr but has 12x zoom. Please help me! Sorry for the long question. Thanks in advance.

I use a Nikon D200 which is a great camera but I was sorely tempted when I saw the specs on the new Pentax. The image stabilization and sensor cleaning are great features. However, the IS won’t help at all with action photography – you still need a fast shutter speed to stop the action. Nikon does have a nice selection of inexpensive zooms (including with VR, by the way). I’m not familiar with Pentax lenses but they’ve been around a long time and I would be surprised if they don’t have nice zooms also. They’re both good cameras. You will find a larger user group and support network with the Nikon probably – there’s just more people using them, especially pros – and absolutely tons of stuff on the Web. You should realize you’re not just buying a camera but into a whole "system" and "culture". IMHO, Nikon has the biggest and best at this time. (Now all the Canon and Leica people are going to attack me!).
You should also realize that your two uses (sports and portrait) are diametrically opposite ranges of activity for a camera, which makes the question a little amusing. However, modern DSLR’s are like computers – they can be configured for many different needs. In fact, depending on how far away from the game you are going to be, you may be able to get one zoom lens for both your needs. After you decide on your camera, if you go with Nikon, I can give you some insight on lenses. Hope this helps.

I want to begin some sport action photography.
But I would also like to use this camera for some general things.
I would like a lense that like moves(you can twist it)(i obviously dont know the term)
Hha, anyways, i need something with good quality and something affortable.
Help please?
thankss

If its movable lens you are looking for I would like to recommend the Ricoh Caplio GX100 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Wide Angle Zoom Lens and VF1 Removable LCD Viewfinder. I cost about $299. Quite affordable for a camera with a 1/6" Advanced HAD CCD Imager, 680K Pixels (Gross), 40X Optical / 2000X Digital Zoom, 2.7" Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD Display (123K Pixels), Professional Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens and uses a Info-lithium Battery with AccuPower Meter System.

I have just bought a Canon dslr 60d. I am wanting to take a lot of sports/action photography and I believe I need a memory card that is very good.

I have heard that sd is not good enough. So can anyone advise me on what card and what size I should get?

Also I am taking street photography. I guess a normal sd and 6gb is enough for that.

Thanks for your help!

You’re actually limited to some type of SD card, my friend. The following page on the Canon website for the EOS 60D camera states:

"Compatibility with SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards."

Cards above 2 GB are entitled SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) … until you get to massive cards, which are termed SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity). These are for cards that are up to 2 TB (Terabytes) or 2048 GB in size. (This is artificially limited to 32 GB by the SD 2.0 specification.)

The maximum transfer rate of SDXCs which follow the SD 3.0 specification was announced as 832 Mbit/s (these are called UHS104 speeds), with plans that the SD 4.0 specification shall increase this to 2.4 Gbit/s.

Nice camera, by the way.

A few of my clients want me to document their children DURING THE GAME. I am a natural light portrait photographer but would love to dip my toes in to sports action photography. On a small budget, I bought a Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX VR (with a weeks worth of practice with it) and set off to a game. The daylight shots of the action were great! But at dusk then night fall, I struggled! All my shoots were noisy, blurry and the white balance (no matter what settings I put it on) were horrible!

So the Q’s are:
What settings do I need to use?
ISO?
Shutter speed?
White Balance?
Do I need a speed light or will the stadium lights be fine?
Any other tips can anyone enlighten me with is greatly appreciated!

PS:
I shot in aperture priority and never use a flash. All these games are outdoors and scheduled from 2 hours before dusk and end about 1 hour after dusk.
PSS:
I shot RAW and I don’t use this lens for my portraits. I mainly use my Nikkor 50mm 1.4D for that! Thanks guys for the advice! Any other takers?
🙂

sorry to be the one to say it but you will struggle to get high quality shots with the 55-200mm 5.6 lens and would also think that natural light portraits will be a struggle too with that slow lens. ALL of the pros at the game will be using a minimum of a f4 lens but most will have a 2.8 or faster lens with about 400mm or longer. They will most likely be shooting a Nikon D3 with the ISO cranked to around 1600 or more. This is not a blight on your skill level because as you say, the daytime shots were great. You are going to have to drop about $6000 on a lens unfortunately but before that, try to hire a pro lens and try before you buy.

All the best.