Shutter Mike Photography

I got a chance to use the sports action exposure mode on my camera while I was in San Diego a few weeks ago.  The pier at Mission Beach is a great spot to watch the surfers.  There was a competition going on so it seemed like a good opportunity to see what the sports action mode was capable of producing.

This particular shoot was very spur-of-the-moment, but had I planned it out or next time there are a few things I would keep in mind.

• Vantage point is key when photographing something that is moving quickly.  The view of the surfers from the pier was pretty good due to the “from above” position, but I got a lot of their backsides.  Moving around to find the best spot is important.
• It would be helpful to do a little research on the sport you are shooting before hand.  Knowing something about surfing would help in predicting when a good photo opportunity might be about to happen.