TRAIL RUNNING
Tip 7 : “ The best advice for capturing a great action photo is to get close and get low .”
Tip 8 : “ When shooting in poor lighting , increase the ISO in order to capture enough light while keeping the shutter speed high .” camera is that the DSLR uses a mirror to project the image onto the viewfinder , giving you an optical view of the scene in front of the camera , while a mirrorless camera uses an electronic viewfinder ( EVF ), which gives an accurate depiction of exactly what the photo will look like when you hit the shutter . This ‘ what you see is what you get ’ ability of mirrorless cameras is what makes them the perfect tool for sports photography , and they are also much lighter , more compact , and have faster autofocus than the old-school DSLR .
Is the lens really that important ?
A decent-quality lens will have a much bigger impact on image quality than any upgrade you make to your camera body , because the lens is the primary factor in determining how sharp and detailed an image is . The lens is responsible for the amount of light that enters the camera , the depth of field , and the angle of view , all of which affect the overall image quality . A good quality lens can help to minimise distortion and aberrations , and produces sharper , more detailed images . In contrast , an upgraded camera body may have a higher resolution and improved processing power , but it does not affect the quality of the image anywhere near as much as a good lens does .
Don ’ t carry too many lenses
When I began shooting sports , I would often carry four or five lenses with me , to ensure that I had the right lens for any situation . This was often a cumbersome task , as the lenses added a lot of extra weight to my gear . Additionally , I was often shooting in dusty or windy environments , and changing lenses in those environments opened a risk of getting dust and other particles onto the camera sensor .
To reduce the weight I was carrying , I began to carry fewer lenses , and nowadays I usually only bring the two lenses that I know are essential for the particular shoot I am doing . Occasionally , I ’ ll add a lightweight fisheye lens , when I know I ’ ll be shooting in tight spaces . The main reason you would only carry a combination of a wide-angle and a zoom lens is that they are the two most versatile lenses and can be used in a variety of situations . You really won ’ t have time to be doing much lens changing on the side of the trail . You are either moving or shooting .
A long lens will be your best friend when shooting trail running photos , allowing you to capture close-up shots of your subject without having to be right next to them . A 70-200mm lens is perfect for our purposes , and if you can stomach the extra weight , a 100-400mm is even better . Conversely , much of the time , a wide-angle lens is going to be the lens of choice , because it can help you capture the vastness of the landscape and place the runner into context within it . Just be careful not to get too close to the runner , as a wide-angle lens will tend to distort their features .
The angle of the dangle
You will often hear that the best advice for capturing a great action photo is to “ get close and get low .” That ’ s very good advice . Shooting from a low angle can give the illusion of speed and make your subject look more powerful . Conversely , shooting from a high angle can make your subject look small and insignificant . It all depends on the look you ’ re going for . Shooting up close is closely linked to shooting from down low . This might seem like a no-brainer , but it ’ s worth mentioning . If you want to get great shots of the runner , you need to be close to the action . This means getting off the sidelines and getting into the thick of things . Just be careful not to get in the way !
Tip 6 : “ A wide-angle lens helps you capture the vastness of the landscape and place the runner into context within it .”
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