Sports Photos

Updated October 2026

Good sports photos are mostly about being in the right spot before anything happens. Get as close as you're allowed, near where the action tends to end up: the goal, the finish line, home plate. Knowing the game helps you guess when the moment is coming.

On a phone, use burst mode. Depending on the phone, you either hold the shutter button or slide it. On a camera, use Sports mode or shutter priority, and aim for about 1/500 of a second or faster to freeze most action. Set the autofocus to continuous (Nikon calls it AF-C, Canon calls it AI Servo) so it follows the player.

Use real zoom. A phone's telephoto lens or a camera's optical zoom is far better than pinching to zoom. If you have a long lens, a monopod saves your arms.

Turn around sometimes. The bench, the celebrations and the parents in the stands are part of the story.

Some venues and leagues restrict cameras, and flash can distract players, so check before the game and leave the flash off.