Chapter 10: Event and Action Photography

Whether you’re shooting sports events, festivals, corporate gatherings, or weddings, the Canon 60D is a strong performer in the event and action shooting arenas. With a burst rate of 5.3 shots per second and a fast focusing system, the 60D has all you need to make one-of-a-kind images that capture the peak moments in action and emotion.

The 60D’s wide ISO range and low digital noise at higher ISO settings provides excellent latitude for shooting in low-light venues, and when you combine this with Image Stabilized (IS) lenses, you may be able to leave the tripod or monopod at home. And with the addition of High-Definition video, you can capture the story of sports and other events with both still and moving images.

Preparing for Event and Action Photography

There are few areas where you can hone your timing and photography skills as quickly as you can with event and action shooting. To capture the peak moments, it’s important both to know the 60D well and to have the appropriate gear available. Regardless of whether you’re shooting a baseball game or a couple walking down the aisle, the objective is to capture the decisive moments, and at 5.3 frames per second (fps) with up to 58 Large/Fine JPEG shots per burst, the 60D keeps up with the action.

There are at least two “givens” in event and action shooting. The first is that you have one, and only one, opportunity to capture the peak moments. Whether you’re shooting a sports event or a wedding, there are no do-overs. The second is that you’ll encounter everything from the best to the worst lighting. So being prepared is especially important for event and action photography.

Selecting gear

Part of capturing decisive moments is have the gear you need so that if anything goes wrong with it, you can switch to another camera or lens and keep shooting. Be sure to include backup gear in the camera bag so you can keep shooting without a hiccup.

The gear that you select relates directly to the subjects you’re shooting as well as other factors, including your distance from the action, the light and changing light, the weather, and the duration of the event.

Here are some suggestions to consider as you select your gear for action or event shooting:

Camera and backup camera. In an ideal world, you would have the EOS 60D as your main camera, and a backup EOS camera. If you have two cameras, you can mount a wide-angle lens on one camera and a telephoto lens on the other camera — or whatever lenses you need for the subject you’re shooting and switch between them as necessary.

If you don’t have a second EOS camera, then pack a capable compact camera such as the Canon G12, or, at the least, bring a point-and-shoot camera as a backup.

Lenses. Given that the lenses you need depend on the subject you’re shooting and your distance from the action or subjects, I’ve found the 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens (38.4-112mm on the 60D) and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM (112-320mm on the 60D) lens to be a versatile combination for many action and event venues. In good light, you can get more reach from your telephoto lens by using the Extender EF 1.4x III or Extender EF 2x III.

Other good telephoto lens choices are the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (44.8-216mm), the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (160-640mm), or the EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (112-480mm) lens. For low-light events such as concerts, fast lenses such as the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM (80mm on the 60D) practically shoot in the dark. For any outdoor events where dirt and wind collide, such as motocross, be sure to use lens hoods and have lens-cleaning cloths handy as well.

Monopod or tripod. If the event continues through sunset and evening hours, you’ll be glad to have the solid support of a tripod. I carry the TrekPod Go! PRO, a lightweight monopod that has three foldout legs that give an extra measure of stability as the light fades.

Image recording and storage media. Any event that features action means that you’ll take a lot of images. Bring a plentiful supply of SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, and have a system for keeping used cards separate from empty cards. For long events, you can offload images to a laptop or handheld storage unit during lulls in the action. Certainly you want a minimum of one spare charged battery and maybe two, depending on the duration of the event.

Camera protection. If it rains or if you’re shooting in fog or mist or blowing dirt, having a weatherproof camera jacket and lens sleeve is good insurance against camera damage and malfunctions.

Setting up the 60D for event and action shooting

Another part of preparation is setting up the camera in advance of the event. I typically scout the venue or location before the event to get a feel for the light, area, sun direction and intensity, and any challenges the venue presents. Then before leaving for the event, I set up the 60D as far as possible knowing that I have to make minor tweaks when I arrive.

I’m a big fan of the 60D’s Camera User Settings (C) shooting mode. If you routinely shoot events in a specific venue such as an arena, then you can set up and register settings for the C mode specifically for that venue. Once you arrive, you have few if any camera adjustments to make before you begin shooting.

Here are some suggestions for camera settings and Custom Functions that are especially helpful for action and event photography. Again, consider these suggestions as a jumping-off point for your shooting needs.

Image quality setting. The 60D provides image sizes tailored for everything from large files for making 11×16-inch prints to small files suitable for a digital photo frame or posting on the Web. And you can choose to shoot JPEG, RAW, or both. Certainly the plethora of options can be handy, but to ensure that you’ll have the best-quality image, choose either Large/fine JPEG or full-size RAW quality setting. Then when you get that one stunning image, you have the largest file size that enables you to get the best prints. But if you want to have a JPEG handy for quickly posting to Web sites or to send in e-mail, you can choose the RAW+JPEG option and select among a variety of JPEG sizes. Alternatively, you can choose Medium or Small RAW+JPEG image quality options if you want to conserve space on the media card. The JPEG images enable you to immediately post images to the Web site while the RAW or Medium and Small RAW images give you the option to process exceptional shots for maximum potential or tweak shots that need more attention.

Shutter-priority AE (Tv) shooting mode. This shooting mode gives you quick control over the shutter speed so that you can stop the motion of athletes or subjects in midmotion with no motion blur, or show motion blur depending on your goal. Just remember that for non-IS lenses, the handholding guideline is 1/[focal length]. So for a 200mm lens, you need at least a 1/200 second shutter speed to be able to handhold the camera and lens and get a sharp image. And by using Tv shooting mode, you can set the camera to maintain that shutter speed unless the light is too low.

Focus options. AI Servo AF mode is designed for action shooting because it tracks focus on a moving subject. For events such as a parade, fair, or graduation, One-Shot mode or AI Focus AF, which switches from One-shot AF mode to AI Servo AF mode, are good choices.

When you know you won’t be focusing at the close range of the lens, you can use the focus limiter switch, which is available on many Canon lenses, to limit the range the autofocus system covers when hunting for focus. This helps speed up focusing.

Drive mode. For sports and action shooting, High-speed Continuous shooting (5.3 fps) allows a succession of shots up to 58 Large/Fine JPEGs. When the internal camera buffer is full, you’re able to continue shooting as images are offloaded to the SD/SDHC/SDXC card. When the buffer fills, you’ll see a Busy warning in the viewfinder. Also, if you see Full in the viewfinder, wait until the red access lamp goes out to replace the card. The camera displays a warning if you open the media card door while images are being recorded. For events with slower action, you can opt for Low-speed continuous shooting (3 fps).

If the 60D is not shooting the burst rate that you expect, check to see if you have enabled C.Fn II-2, High ISO speed noise reduction, which can reduce the burst rate depending on the option chosen.

Metering mode. Evaluative metering mode performs well in a variety of different lighting situations, including backlighting.

10.3 With event shooting, you can’t choose the subject position or lighting. In this parade image, the light was bright in the back and dark to the front. To hold highlight detail, I used a –1-stop of Exposure Compensation, and then I lightened the girl’s face during image editing. Exposure: ISO 200, f/5, 1/2500 second with –1-stop Exposure Compensation using an EF 70-200m f/2.8L IS USM lens.

Picture Style. The Standard Picture Style is a good choice, particularly if you’ve previously tested it and examined the prints. If the light is bright, the Neutral Picture Style helps keep images from becoming too contrasty.

Custom Functions. For low-light action and event shooting, consider enabling ISO expansion, C.Fn I-3, but you should test the H (12800) setting for digital noise level before using it. For weddings, there is no question that using Highlight Tone Priority, C.Fn II-3, provides an increased highlight range so that the highlights are less likely to blow out.

You can also use the AF-ON button to focus in P, Tv, Av, and M shooting mode. This technique enables you to control the focus with your thumb as the subject starts, stops, and moves through the venue. Safety Shift, C.Fn I-6, automatically adjusts the exposure if the light suddenly changes enough to make the current exposure settings inaccurate. This can be helpful for outdoor events as well as for indoor events where the lighting varies across a stage.

Shooting Events and Action Images

With a fast shutter action and good burst depth, the 60D gives you versatility in shooting a broad range of events and games. Couple that with shutter speeds ranging from 1/8000 to 30 seconds (and Bulb), and you have ample opportunity to freeze or show motion, and to create interesting panned images. Action photography and the techniques used for it are by no means limited to sports. Any event — from a football game to a carnival or concert — is an opportunity to use action-shooting techniques.

Exposure approaches

A classic exposure approach is to capture the athlete or participant in midwhatever — midjump, midrun, middrop — with tack-sharp focus and no motion blur. Fast shutter speeds are required for stopping subject motion, and fast shutter speeds require ample light, or an increased ISO sensitivity setting. The shutter speed that you need to stop motion depends on the subject’s direction in relation to the camera. Table 10.1 provides some common action situations and the shutter speeds needed to stop motion and to pan with the motion of the subject.

Table. 10.1 Recommended Shutter Speeds for Action Shooting
Subject direction in relation to camera	Shutter speeds in seconds
Subject is moving toward camera	1/250
Subject is moving side to side or up and down	1/500 to 1/2000
Panning with the motion of the subject	1/25 to 1/8

Depending on the light and the speed of the lens that you’re using, getting a fast shutter speed often means increasing the ISO sensitivity setting. I recommend shooting test shots at the higher ISO settings, and then evaluating the images for digital noise at 100 percent enlargement on the computer to know how high you want to set the ISO.

A fast lens is generally considered to be a lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or faster.

10.4 For action shooting, timing the shutter release is everything. Capturing the biker in midair juxtaposed with other kids shows the context park and keeps the viewer’s eye moving through the composition. Exposure: ISO 200, f/3.2, 1/800 second with a –1 stop of Exposure Compensation.

In addition to using High ISO Noise Reduction, C.Fn II-2, you can minimize digital noise, especially in high ISO images, by biasing exposures to the right of the histogram. This exposure approach increases the amount of light captured, and, thereby maximizes the signal-to-noise ratio, particularly in the shadow areas where digital noise is most prevalent. Biasing the exposure to the right means exposing so that the highlight pixels just touch the right side of the histogram without blowing the highlights. If the histogram shows some underexposure, and if you’re shooting in Program AE (P), Shutter-priority AE (Tv), or Aperture-priority AE (Av) shooting mode, just set some positive Exposure Compensation to bias the exposure to the right without clipping highlight tones.

Getting accurate and visually pleasing color is important as well. When you shoot JPEG images at outdoor events and games, the preset White Balance settings such as Daylight, Cloudy, and so on provide excellent color, and you always get better color by using one of these settings versus setting Auto white balance (AWB). The only time I recommend using AWB is in mixed light or indoors where you aren’t sure what type of lighting is used or when there is light from two or more sources.

Because I shoot RAW, I carry either a small gray card or white card and take a picture of it in the event light. If the light changes, I shoot a new picture of the card. Then I open the images taken under the same light as a group with the picture of the gray card in a RAW conversion program. I can select all the images, click the gray card, and color-balance the entire image series. Other photographers prefer using the ExpoDisc, a calibrated 18 percent gray lens filter.

Find your own gray card attached in the back of this book.

Alternate shooting approaches

Professional sports photographers have various opinions on what makes a great action shot. Some say the great shots are those that demand the attention of the viewer and keep it longer than a few seconds. Others believe that getting as close to the action — and to the emotions — of the event as possible is the key to getting great shots. But all agree that it all comes down to getting the shot and capturing the right moment that encapsulates the story of the event. These goals apply equally well to weddings, graduations, corporate events, concerts, and other events.

Most often, capturing the story involves stopping the action in midmotion by using a fast shutter speed. But while stopping subject motion is what you most often see in event and action images, there are also countless scenes where a slow shutter speed creates a rich display of motion, whether it’s the blur of jumbled bodies during a tackle or the blurred lights of a Ferris wheel. And you can explore the effect in not only athletic events, but also during music concerts and some phases of weddings.

When you combine a flash with a slow shutter, you open new doors for creative renderings that include the dynamic aspect of motion. One technique that is popular with wedding photography is called dragging the shutter, and while it can be used with or without a flash, it’s very often used in combination with flash. This technique has several components. First, the flash suspends subject motion for a sharply focused subject; second, a slow shutter speed allows the existing light to fully register during the exposure; and third, panning the camera creates blur that adds the dynamic sense of motion to the image.

You can set the Speedlite to second-curtain sync so that the flash fires at the end of the exposure rather than at the beginning. That way, the motion is recorded and the subject motion is frozen at the end of the exposure with the pop of flash. During the long exposure, you can pan the camera with or against the direction of the subject motion. You can also turn the camera to create a circular background blur, or you can zoom the lens during the exposure.

Of course, the subject should be sharply focused, so the usual lens handholding guidelines apply.

Event and Action Photography Tips

Beyond the point of selecting the correct shutter speed to capture the action, the biggest challenges of action shooting are timing shots and composing images. The first challenge is to anticipate the moments of high emotion and the decisive moment. When the mirror flips up, you hold your breath during the blackout hoping that you captured the critical moment. Because the subject is in constant motion, there is limited time to compose the image as you react to the subject’s motion.

In many scenarios, action shooting often means getting a handful of keepers from 50 to 100 exposures. You can use a few approaches to increase your odds of getting good action images.

In a venue with spotty lighting, find an area with good light. Prefocus on the area, and then wait for the action to come to that spot. You might choose to prefocus on an area such as the goal line.

Know the sport or event. Not only does knowing the sport or event sequence help you anticipate actions, it also helps you time shots to capture peak action.

Keep exposure changes to a minimum for as long as the light allows so that you can concentrate on capturing the important moments and composing images.

Anticipate the action. Whether the event is a football game or a wedding recessional, knowing what is likely to happen next means that you can set up for the next action sequence before the subject gets to the area.

You can switch between using a telephoto lens to photograph action and a wide-angle lens to capture establishing shots of the overall venue, the audience, and crowd reactions. These are the shots that help create the full story and spirit of the event.

© Peter Burian

10.7 To bring the action close, Peter used the 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens for this shot of racers coming over the crest of the hill. Exposure: ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/ 500 second.