Motion

Yesterday I posted this image on Scavenger Hunt Sunday for the "Motion" prompt.

  Several people complimented me on the capture.  Believe me, I did not just get lucky and capture this image at the right moment.  Well, timing played some part, but the equipment helped.  If you're going to shoot sports, you're going to need a couple of things.  First of all you will need a good DSLR camera with the ability to capture multiple images.  I own a Nikon D7000 and it will shoot 7 frames per second in continuous mode.  Next, you need a good lens.  Most pros will tell you that, starting out your best bet is a 70-200mm f2.8 lens.  This will capture sharp images in relatively low light...and that is critical.  Now back to the image.  Truth is, this is the second image in the burst.  See.

 These six images happened in about one second.  By having a continuous shooting mode I was able to press the shutter when the athlete left the board and release it when he landed.  I know that the "good shot" will be in there somewhere.  I pre-focused the camera on an area in the sand prior to the jump.  As you will note the final image is actually a little fuzzy.  That's because the athlete jumped beyond the area I had pre-focused on.  So why is image number two the best.  You can see his face, it is in focus, and it tells the story of what is happening.  Even his eyes are open and focused on the landing zone.  I got the "good shot" because I was able to take six images in less that a second.  While almost any camera will take a really good photograph, sometimes the equipment makes the difference between getting a decent snapshot and getting the "money shot".