0:01

How's it going everybody.

0:03

Welcome back to the travel adventure photography

0:06

school, the podcast where we explore

0:08

the world of adventure and travel photography, to help you

0:10

master this style of

0:12

photography. As always I'm your host

0:14

Robert Massey. And in today's episode, we're

0:16

delving into the thrilling world of action

0:18

photography from hiking to rock climbing,

0:20

surfing to wildlife encounters, capturing

0:23

dynamic action shots is an essential

0:25

skill for any adventure or travel

0:27

photographer. If you've listened to previous

0:29

episodes, you may know that my start in photography

0:32

came from my time as a photo journalist

0:34

and a sports photographer in particular.

0:37

So I've spent hundreds of hours

0:39

capturing high action events, like hockey, rodeos,

0:41

basketball track, and field,

0:43

rugby, rock climbing,

0:46

skijoring recently all sorts

0:48

of amazing high octane

0:50

events. This was my bread and butter

0:52

for a years in photography.

0:54

So I am stoked to share some of my knowledge

0:57

with you and to get to talk about something

0:59

that I don't do as often as I used to. And I really

1:01

loved. So at the end of today,

1:03

you should know everything. You need to start capturing

1:06

those decisive moments in fast paced environments.

1:08

And honestly, it is super exciting

1:10

to get to be there. All right. Let's

1:13

get going. Let's

1:15

start by diving into the fundamentals

1:17

of action photography. At its core

1:19

action photography is about capturing moments of movement,

1:22

energy, and critical points in a game or

1:24

an adventure. Whether it's a surfer

1:26

catching a wave, a rock climber scaling a

1:28

cliff, a trail runner racing through rugged

1:30

terrain, action photography allows

1:32

us to freeze those adrenaline fueled

1:34

experiences in detail you actually can't

1:37

experience while doing those activities and

1:39

people can't experience while watching them. So

1:42

the first thing you need to know is understanding

1:44

your shutter speed's roll in freezing motion.

1:46

That is central to mastering action

1:48

photography. Shutter speed refers

1:51

to the amount of time your camera shutter remains open

1:53

to allow light onto the camera's sensor.

1:55

In action photography, a fast shutter speed

1:57

is essential to freeze fast

2:00

moving subjects and capture sharp, detailed,

2:02

images. Now if you don't know what I mean

2:05

by fast shutter speeds. Definitely

2:07

go and review the episodes on the exposure

2:09

triangle. We go over all of those details and how

2:11

the exposure triangle kind of interacts. But

2:13

we're going to dig into that just a little bit here for you.

2:16

So for example, when photographing rock climbing,

2:18

where climbers, ascend, vertical cliffs with speed

2:21

and agility, a shutter speed of at least

2:23

one, 500th of a second or faster is recommended

2:25

to freeze the climbers in mid action. This

2:28

is great for most forms of rock climbing. Like when people

2:30

are moving a little bit slower, they're reaching for

2:32

rocks, they're doing the typical, slower,

2:35

more thoughtful movements in rock climbing. But if you're

2:37

getting into speed climbing, when people are

2:39

doing things like a dyno, you'll need an even

2:41

faster shutter speed to avoid that

2:43

motion blur and really show them frozen

2:45

in the action. Similarly when

2:47

capturing trail running, a shutter speed of around one, 1000th

2:50

of a second or faster is going to be necessary

2:52

to freeze those runners in motion. And this really depends on

2:54

how fast they are running, but generally speaking,

2:56

you'll need one, 1000th to start. And

2:59

then to play with it from there. Now, these

3:01

are really just a few examples there to get your mind going

3:03

in to get you thinking about it. And it's really

3:05

going to be variable and depend

3:07

a lot on the situation that you're in, on

3:10

the speed of your subject. What you're trying

3:12

to freeze, what's critical for you. All

3:14

sorts of other little details, but that should give you an idea

3:17

of start thinking of just how fast your shutter needs

3:19

to go to start freezing action. Now,

3:21

honestly, there were moments during rodeos

3:24

where I knew I wanted the dust itself

3:26

frozen in the air. That means

3:28

an even faster shutter speed than I needed

3:30

just to freeze the athletes and the animals

3:32

doing their thing. So I would look

3:34

at a shutter speed of at least 3,200. Sometimes

3:37

I could get it up to 8,000 and that

3:39

was letting me get just little droplets

3:41

of mud frozen in the air around

3:44

the athlete that was allowing me to get every single

3:46

minute, little detail. They almost

3:48

felt over detailed at points when you were

3:50

looking at them, which was exactly what I wanted.

3:52

I wanted people to really be engrossed

3:55

and see everything just frozen in time.

3:58

But now it's crucial to recognize that

4:00

give and take higher shutter speeds

4:02

cause, and that adjusting the shutter speed

4:04

is really just one part of that exposure triangle we were

4:06

talking about that includes aperture

4:08

and ISO. Now the exposure triangle

4:10

represents that delicate balance between

4:13

these three elements and adjusting one affects

4:15

the others. And so you need to find

4:18

that balance between them. When selecting

4:20

a shutter speed to freeze action, you'll need to consider how fast

4:22

your subject is going, what you can capture in there, what

4:24

you need to capture in there. And a faster

4:26

shutter speed allows for better motion freezing,

4:29

but may require a wider aperture or higher ISO

4:31

to maintain your proper exposure.

4:34

For example, when capturing the high-octane

4:36

events, Skijoring where horses pull skiers

4:39

and snowboarders down a series of jumps while they pull

4:41

tricks. Yes, this is a real thing. It

4:43

is spectacular to watch. And it

4:45

goes by in the blink of an eye, you

4:47

just have no idea how fast these horses are moving

4:49

with these skiers and snowboarders until you watch

4:51

them just rip past you on the track.

4:54

So while I was shooting this, I knew I wanted a

4:56

wider depth of field so I could capture the athletes

4:59

and all of them because they were moving so

5:01

quickly. Sometimes they would just blow

5:03

through the camera, being able to focus on those. So I wanted

5:06

a better chance to make sure more of them

5:08

was in focused. I knew I didn't want to razor thin aperture

5:10

because those athletes were moving so quickly, that

5:12

that gave me less of a chance of being able

5:14

to capture more of them

5:16

in focus, to be able to deliver a high

5:19

impact image. I knew I

5:21

also wanted that wider depth of field so I could capture the

5:23

athlete as well as the reaction of the crowd

5:25

to their stunts. And there are some spectacular

5:27

facial reactions as somebody goes off a jump

5:30

and pulls off a full backflip 30

5:32

feet in the air it's mind

5:35

blowing to watch, and then they land

5:37

and you can see these people's faces of just awe

5:39

and amazement. And had I been shooting with a razor thin

5:41

aperture. I might not have been able

5:43

to see those people's faces. So I

5:46

knew that I had to do this, but the offset

5:48

to being able to have a high shutter speed and

5:50

a fairly high aperture. Was that I

5:52

needed to crank my ISO.

5:55

And in my eyes, that is a well worthwhile

5:57

trade off. To be able to see that whole

5:59

story of the event, to be able to see that

6:01

story of how people were reacting to it.

6:04

Plus I knew the limits of the camera was shooting

6:06

on. It was a Sony, a seven four that has

6:08

a really great sensor in it where you

6:11

can actually get that ISO pretty high before you get

6:13

out of the usable range of

6:15

an image. So I knew that I'd be able to recover

6:17

a lot of that detail and I knew things would be pretty

6:19

good. So by understanding

6:21

that interplay between shutter speed aperture and ISO

6:23

you can really effectively balance these elements to tell

6:26

the story you want. Alright,

6:28

next up is the gear you're going to need. This

6:30

is one of those places where the camera really

6:33

does make a difference. A lot of times

6:35

you can shoot pretty much anything

6:37

on any type of camera, but in this

6:39

case, high action

6:41

really does need certain specialized

6:44

pieces of equipment. It's cause some cameras

6:46

actually top out at a shutter speed of like 3,200.

6:49

And that is not even close to what

6:51

you'll need to freeze. Action. So first

6:53

and foremost, your camera should be capable of shooting

6:55

at high shutter speeds to freeze motion. Most

6:58

cameras today can achieve a minimum of one, 8000th

7:00

of a second with their physical shutter or

7:02

even more with the electronic shutters. And

7:04

Sony's new A nine three with that

7:06

fantastic global shutter can

7:09

even get to 120 frames

7:11

per second while tracking

7:13

a subject. That is

7:15

truly mind blowing to me. And I would have

7:18

loved to have had that as a sports

7:20

photographer. It would have been a total

7:22

game changer. So look

7:25

for your camera that has that really

7:27

quick shutter speed to it. Now,

7:29

in addition to pure speed, you'll need a camera

7:31

with fast auto focus capabilities to ensure

7:33

that your subject remains sharply in focus.

7:36

Even amidst that fast paced

7:38

action. So look for a camera that offers

7:40

snappy autofocus performance and allows you to track

7:43

moving subjects. This is critical

7:45

as you'll be following subjects through frames

7:47

and through scenes and your camera needs to keep

7:50

up. And with the other critical things that you'll need

7:52

is an autofocus system that doesn't jump

7:55

between subjects. You'll need to find

7:57

one. That allows you to focus

7:59

on one specific subject. It identifies

8:01

it, and you'll be able to track it as they pass

8:03

between other players as they pass behind

8:05

objects, as they move through things that

8:07

could cause that autofocus to jump onto another

8:09

subject. You want one that will know

8:12

this is what I'm looking at. This

8:14

is what I need to stay on. Even when it

8:16

moves behind something. Alright,

8:18

now let's talk lenses. A fast lens with wide aperture

8:21

is essential for capturing sharp images in

8:23

environments where you can't add additional

8:25

light. So look for a lens with a wide, maximum

8:27

aperture, such as 2.8 or wider.

8:30

To allow plenty of light to reach your camera's

8:32

sensor. This is especially important

8:34

when shooting inside places like a hockey rink

8:36

or a climbing gym where you can't set

8:38

up external flashes to help compensate for how

8:40

dark it is. And you need to capture that movement

8:42

really quickly. One of the other

8:44

benefits to wide apertures, is that you can also create better separation

8:47

between your subject and their background, isolating

8:49

your subject and drawing attention to the action because that

8:51

background becomes a little bit blurrier. And

8:54

finally, one of the other things you should consider with lenses

8:56

is how fast that lens itself focuses.

8:59

Some lenses are really sluggish and

9:01

that focus motor just can't keep up

9:03

or focus hunts. And it kind of guesses around

9:06

at what it's trying to do. That is

9:08

not a problem with your camera. That actually is

9:10

a problem with the focus motor on

9:12

the lens itself. And this is particularly

9:14

a problem with cheaper lenses

9:16

and older lenses where they just can't

9:18

keep up with the focus capabilities of cameras

9:21

today. So they will skip, they will stutter and you

9:23

will end up missing more

9:25

shots because of that. So

9:27

if you're really into action photography, you

9:29

need to look for a lens that

9:31

can keep up with your camera. Now.

9:35

Sticking with lenses. We're going to talk about focal length and

9:37

you need to consider the specific type of action photography

9:39

you'll be focusing on. So, for example,

9:41

if you're capturing fast moving subjects, like wildlife,

9:44

and they're going to be at a distance from you. A

9:46

telephoto lens with a long focal length will allow you

9:48

to zoom in and capture that stuff from a distance.

9:51

It's especially important in wildlife photography,

9:53

where you really won't be able to get up to that wildlife.

9:55

And you really shouldn't be getting up to that wildlife. So telephoto

9:58

lenses are super important. On

10:00

the other hand, if you're shooting action in tight spaces

10:03

or need to capture a wide field of view, wide

10:05

angle lenses may be more suitable. It

10:07

really is dependent on the situation and where

10:09

you will be able to shoot from. It'll

10:11

also depend on your own personal

10:14

stylistic choices. For

10:16

the most part when I was a photo journalist, I used medium

10:18

telephoto lenses. But when capturing

10:20

things like biking, I love an

10:22

excellent wide angle lens to get that viewer

10:25

into the action of really let that bike

10:27

come really uptight to the camera. And

10:29

this was especially important in situations where

10:31

it wasn't a competition. So I was able

10:33

to get right onto the track with the athletes and they were

10:36

able to work with me to get really close

10:38

to the lens. Now, one

10:40

last thing you should consider investing in is

10:42

a good camera strap or a harness that allows for

10:44

quick and easy access to your camera. While,

10:46

keeping it secure to your body. I have a harness

10:48

set up that allows me to carry two cameras at once. And

10:51

keeps them in easy reach. So they're just hanging

10:53

down by my hips and I can just grab one and pull it up,

10:55

put it down, grabbing the other and pull it up. So I always had

10:58

typically a, something like a 24 to 70

11:00

and then a 70 to 200 or. Similar

11:03

kind of ranges. So I'd be able to capture something at

11:05

a distance and then something close up. If

11:07

you look at sports photographers on the sidelines

11:09

of like an NFL game, you'll see that they

11:11

typically have four or five cameras

11:14

attached to them. One's on a monopod. That's

11:16

normally like a 400 or 500 millimeter

11:18

lens. You'll see another one that's something like a 70

11:20

to 200. You'll see another one. That's. You know,

11:22

a 24 to 70, you'll see another one. That's a 16

11:24

mil. They are ready for

11:26

anything to happen in front of them. And

11:29

yeah, that does get heavy when you start attaching that

11:31

many cameras to you and it gets awkward to start shooting.

11:33

So one of the things I love about my harness set up, especially

11:35

when I'm trying to move fast and light is that I can

11:38

easily grab them while I'm running

11:40

to different spots to shoot different photos and

11:42

I can hold onto them, which helps me prevent them from

11:44

banging it objects while I go running by. All

11:47

right. Some techniques for freezing action.

11:50

As we've previously discussed one key component

11:52

of action photography is using a fast shutter

11:54

speed to freeze motion. We're not covering that again.

11:57

Instead, let's explore another valuable technique burst

11:59

mode. Burst mode also known as continuous

12:01

shooting allows you to quickly capture

12:04

a rapid series of images with just a single

12:06

press of the shutter. This can be incredibly

12:09

useful in fast paced action scenarios.

12:11

As it increases your chances of capturing that

12:13

perfect moment. Now, one caveat

12:16

to this, you can also miss the perfect

12:18

moment if you are just as old school reporters,

12:20

put it spraying and praying. This

12:23

is where you continuously shoot everything with

12:25

burst mode. And you're just praying

12:27

that what you want is going to be there in front of you.

12:30

And that's instead of just waiting for those

12:32

pivotal moments. So

12:34

you are better off getting to understand the sport you are shooting

12:36

and waiting for those pivotal moments and then

12:39

letting the shutter fly. Cause if you're here just shooting. Absolutely

12:41

everything. A, you have a lot more photos to go through,

12:44

which means you can actually miss that critical photo

12:46

in there. There's more of a chance that your buffer

12:48

on your camera's going to be buffering and

12:50

you're going to miss the critical photo. Or

12:53

you're just going to be in between moments

12:55

and you just won't have that exact

12:57

right. Second to capture what you need. And

13:00

I learned this from one of the Getty images,

13:02

sports photographers. He used to shoot in Calgary

13:04

all the time. And that was

13:06

his big thing. He would wait and wait and wait

13:09

until right as a critical moment was

13:11

occurring and then shoot. And that was because

13:13

he learned when he was just spraying

13:16

and praying that a lot of the times that critical moment

13:18

was happening, between the images

13:20

that we're firing off. So he

13:22

would wait and he would learn how the action was coming

13:24

in front of him and then fire something off.

13:26

Plus it saved him time behind the computer because he wasn't

13:28

hunting as much for the right photo. In

13:31

addition to burst mode, consider using

13:33

predictive auto focus to track moving subjects

13:35

and maintain focus as they move across the frame. This

13:38

allows you to keep your subject in focus even as they change

13:40

speed or direction, ensuring that your

13:42

action shots are still sharp and well focused.

13:45

We were talking about this before, where you need a camera that

13:47

will track your subject as you were going. Now,

13:50

one of the other ways to ensure that your subject is in focus

13:52

is to practice zone focusing.

13:55

This comes from the world of manual focus. And

13:57

from a time before autofocus was as reliable

13:59

as it is today. It's where you

14:01

focus on a zone of action, you

14:04

know, your subject will pass through. Then when

14:06

they come into it, you are guaranteed to capture

14:08

images in focus at that point. It's

14:10

definitely a little more cumbersome, but if your camera

14:12

doesn't have tracking capabilities or you

14:14

can't track the subject before they come into the frame,

14:16

like they are coming out from behind a building or

14:18

they're in a lot of trees. This is a great

14:21

option. Now to do this. Put

14:23

your lens into manual focus and focus on an important

14:26

area where your subject will pass through and

14:28

then wait. Don't move your camera or your focus

14:30

zone will change. And then when they start coming into

14:32

that area, fire off your shutter use

14:34

burst mode, let them pass through that zone.

14:37

And something in there should be in focus

14:39

for you. This does take a lot of practice. But

14:42

it's a well worthwhile thing to learn

14:44

how to do, because it just increases

14:46

your chances again, of getting a great photo.

14:49

Finally, one of the more advanced techniques to consider is panning.

14:51

Panning involves moving your camera along with the subject,

14:54

as it moves, keeping the subject relatively

14:56

sharp while blurring the background, creating

14:58

a sense of motion and energy in the image.

15:01

This technique works particularly well for capturing

15:03

subjects like cyclists, runners or cars in motion.

15:06

The key is to keep the camera moving consistently

15:09

and match your subject's movement and pace. And

15:11

typically if you're capturing something like a car or runners,

15:14

you will want to keep your camera moving just

15:17

in a horizontal line. You don't want to be going up and down

15:19

at all. So shooting this on a

15:21

monopod really helps. Because

15:23

then you are more likely to just keep it in one

15:25

specific spot or you can also use the panning head

15:27

on a tripod. Now, well, we've emphasized

15:30

the importance of using a fast shutter speed

15:32

to freeze motion and action photography. There

15:34

are times when deliberately dropping your shutter

15:36

speed can enhance the visual impact of your images.

15:39

In certain situations, allowing parts of your image to blur

15:41

intentionally can add a sense of energy

15:44

and create more compelling visuals that evoke

15:46

excitement and some emotion into

15:48

that scene. So one scenario where

15:50

dropping your shutter speed can be beneficial is when you want

15:52

to convey a sense of speed and motion to your images.

15:55

For example, when photographing a cyclist, racing down

15:57

a winding trail or a skier carving through fresh powder,

15:59

intentionally lowering your shutter speed can accentuate

16:01

the sense of speed and motion creating dynamic,

16:04

streaks and blurs that convey that thrill

16:06

of movement and motion. Similarly dropping your shutter

16:08

speed can be effective when photographing subjects with repetitive

16:10

or rhythmic movements such as dancers

16:12

or athletes in motion. By allowing some

16:15

aspects of the image to blur while keeping the main subject

16:17

sharp, you can create a sense of fluidity and

16:19

rhythm capturing the dynamic energy

16:21

of that scene. So we're thinking about

16:23

keeping that dancers torso.

16:26

Kind of frozen their head kind of frozen depending

16:28

on how they're positioning and then watching their arms

16:30

turn into a blurry windmill. That really shows

16:32

how fast that dancer is moving and

16:34

the control they have over their body, because it's just

16:36

one part that's blurring. And the rest of them is

16:39

nice and tight and sharp. So

16:41

it's really important to note that when you're intentionally introducing

16:43

motion blur into your images, you need to be very

16:45

careful with your composition and with your framing.

16:48

And you need to consider the direction of movement

16:50

within the frame and position your main subject accordingly

16:53

to create that sense of flow and directionality

16:55

and make sure that everything kind of makes sense

16:57

in the frame. Ultimately the decision

17:00

dropped your shutter and introduced motion blur into your action photography

17:02

should be driven by your creative vision and

17:04

the story you really want to convey.

17:07

Okay. onto the most critical aspect of

17:09

a great action shot. Composition. This

17:12

may not seem as important with action shots as

17:14

it does with say weddings or

17:16

landscapes, because the primary focus

17:19

should be what's happening in the sport or in the

17:21

action in front of you. And that's kind of true,

17:23

but only to a point. There

17:25

are some critical components to composing a strong

17:28

action photo that will help your photo stand out.

17:30

So the first thing you need to decide is if you are shooting tight

17:32

or wide, Tight, let you get right

17:35

into the action. Showing small details and

17:37

moments. This great for showing facial expressions,

17:39

small details and things spectators may miss.

17:42

Wide get you a more comprehensive look at the scene, showing

17:44

the surroundings or providing a larger than

17:46

life feeling if your subject comes right up to

17:48

your lens. Now you need

17:50

to look for ways to get your subject to stand out in the shop. Can

17:53

you isolate them against the solid background? So your

17:55

subject isn't lost in a messy background where your viewer

17:57

struggles to see them. Can you have

17:59

them go through a bright spot in that image where they

18:01

will be spotlighted against everything else around

18:04

them? Can you capture them framed by something

18:06

interesting, like a mountain peak or a building?

18:08

Can you find a leading line that draws your

18:10

viewer into the action? These are all kinds

18:12

of the questions that you can ask yourself when composing

18:15

your action scene. Now, one of

18:17

the best piece of advice I've ever read, came

18:19

from a mountain bike photographer, who said she

18:21

sets up a beautiful landscape shot.

18:24

And then has the cyclist right through it. Her

18:26

idea, being that if that landscape shot

18:29

is beautiful. You're going to see that cyclist

18:31

come into it and it's still going to be a beautiful photo and it's

18:33

going to become a beautiful action photo.

18:36

This always plays in my mind when I'm out

18:38

capturing biking or trail running, I'm always

18:40

looking for ways to show that athlete in the landscape,

18:42

they participate in. Now, whether

18:44

you're capturing a sporting event or working with athletes

18:47

to capture photos directly. Your positioning

18:49

is critical. Get to

18:51

know the best spots on a course or in

18:53

an arena if you're capturing a live

18:56

sporting event. This gives you

18:58

the best chance of capturing the critical moments

19:00

during a game. And you need to understand the strengths

19:02

and weaknesses of each one of those locations.

19:05

One of the things I learned while shooting hockey, was that

19:08

it was great to start the first period where you could

19:10

see an overarching look at the entire

19:12

game. So you kind of wanted to get up high.

19:14

You want to be able to look over the whole ice surface and be able

19:16

to capture a little bit of the benches, the players

19:19

in action, a few face offs, but then as

19:21

the game went on, you wanted to get right up tight to the

19:23

action, to be able to show some of

19:25

those critical moments of goals being

19:27

scored, saves being made. You want

19:29

it to be able to show the power

19:31

and the energy of the sport. So

19:33

I actually moved around arenas quite a bit to be

19:35

able to capture exactly what I needed.

19:38

And then typically, especially because I got to know the teams

19:40

really well. I was able to go onto their bench

19:42

to shoot for the third period. And that really

19:44

helped because. No matter what the outcome

19:47

to the game was, if they win or if they lose,

19:49

I was so close to the

19:51

emotional reactions of those players that I was able

19:53

to capture it. So that was a huge benefit.

19:56

But I also knew that's where I wanted

19:58

to be to capture that end

20:00

game emotion. Now, if you

20:02

were working directly with athletes, work with them

20:04

to find trails, that will show off the story you were looking

20:06

to tell. Work with them to find

20:08

the right locations and anything else that's

20:11

going to help show off what

20:13

action they are doing and then

20:15

get yourself into the right spots to capture

20:17

the images you need. Get low, get high, climb,

20:20

a tree, move all over the place just

20:22

to find that right angle. And don't

20:24

be afraid to get dirty. Some

20:26

of my best photos have come from laying

20:28

in the mud and letting people spray me. Or

20:31

getting paddlers to launch water at me while I'm

20:33

shoulder deep in a lake. Or sitting

20:35

on a fence and having rodeo guys

20:38

kick mud and dirt up into my face.

20:40

Those are some of the best photos I've taken because I

20:43

am in the action. And the action is right there

20:45

in front of the lens. And one last thought.

20:47

If you're working with athletes directly, pick

20:49

their wardrobe carefully. Consider

20:52

where you will capture their photos and choose clothing

20:54

that will help them pop out from the background. We've talked about

20:56

this a lot. But just

20:58

to remind you in forests, yellows, and reds, really

21:00

pop, out against, those typical blues greens

21:02

and grays of the forest landscapes. In

21:05

the desert blues and whites look crisp

21:07

against those deep reds. And you've really just got

21:09

to consider that color space and

21:11

that color balance to help your athlete

21:13

and your subject pop. Now,

21:15

the last opportunities episode is about capturing the

21:17

decisive moment. This is really what

21:19

you are here to do. Get

21:21

that second, when the important thing

21:23

happens, that goal gets scored.

21:26

The person hits the post

21:28

while they are hurdling. They come across the finish

21:30

line. The mountain biker pulls off their trick.

21:33

The mountain biker crashes into a tree. Whatever

21:35

that critical thing is that happens.

21:38

That's what you, we're here to capture. So

21:40

it's essential to familiarize yourself with the activity

21:42

you're photographing and anticipate key moments of

21:44

action. Whether you're studying the movements

21:46

of a surfer or observing the behavior of wildlife,

21:49

understanding the subject's behavior will enable you to

21:51

anticipate and capture those decisive moments.

21:54

When I shot the same hockey teams

21:56

over and over again. I got

21:58

to know the players really well, and I got

22:00

to know what their standard movement patterns were

22:02

and what they were predisposed to do during

22:04

certain game moments. This

22:06

meant I could anticipate what they would do and

22:08

ensure I followed them through a play

22:11

and I captured more critical moments during

22:13

games, because I could anticipate

22:15

what these players were doing. So getting

22:17

to this point in a sport will really help your action

22:20

photos pop. That's why it is so

22:22

cool to shoot something and shoot an activity

22:24

that you love doing. If you love trail running.

22:27

You have a pretty good idea of what somebody is going to be doing.

22:30

When they are approaching certain obstacles.

22:32

If you love mountain biking, it's the same thing. If you love hockey,

22:34

same thing. Shooting those sports

22:36

that you love will really help your action

22:39

photos to pop. All right.

22:41

And that's it for today. Those are my simple tips

22:43

for starting to capture high octane events.

22:46

And I really hope you found our exploration of action photography

22:48

techniques, informative and inspiring.

22:51

Mastering these techniques will elevate your adventure

22:53

and travel photography to new heights. If

22:55

you have any questions, feedback, ideas for future episodes.

22:58

I'd love to hear from you. Reach out to me on instagram

23:01

@robertmasseyphotography or visit my website at robertmasseyphotography.ca,

23:04

where you can reach out as well. Your input helps

23:06

shape the content of this podcast. And

23:08

I'm always eager to connect with fellow adventure photographers

23:11

like you. I love having

23:13

conversations like this. So reach out to me. And,

23:16

heartfelt, thank you for listening. Your

23:18

support means the world to me. And I'm so grateful

23:20

for the opportunity to be part of your photography

23:22

journey. So if you enjoy today's

23:24

episode and you want to stay tuned for more and

23:26

you want to be updated, definitely subscribe. And

23:28

follow along so that, you know, when more episodes

23:30

are released. All right. That's it for today,

23:33

everybody. Get out there. Let's adventure.

23:36

Bye for now.