5 Tips for Unique Speed Skating Photographs

Photographing competitive events can be challenging for almost any photographer. Capturing a competitive event like speed skating can be even harder because of the fast paced action and movement. These five tips will help you improve your shots when photographing speed skating events. These tips can also help improve your other sports photography as well.

1. Focus on your target area
When photographing speed skaters you should start be reviewing the course and visualizing where the skaters will be. Arrive a day or two in advance to survey the seating and press area where you may get the best pictures. The day of the event, arrive a couple of hours early to set up and warm up.

Watch the skaters as they warm up on the course to see where your best impact of focus will be. When you have chosen the best possible spot, stay there and mentally focus on a specific target area. As the skaters warm up take a few shots as there riders pass through the pre specified target zone. First follow the skaters with your viewfinder and as they enter the pre focused destination slowly hit the shutter release. This will give you a sharp, well composed shot.

2. Pan your camera with the skater
Panning your shots with long shutter speeds will give you a high impact photograph. The skater you are focusing on will remain sharp and clear, while the background becomes blurred. Practice achieving a smooth, sweeping, panning motion, before you shoot the skater. Use extended shutter speeds while following the skater into your focused area for the best composition.

Start by following the skater and gently release the shutter while continuing to smoothly pan at the same speed as the skater. You have to use your photographic sense of timing and speed when performing this type of photography. Take as many shots as possible because you may find the first few are blurred.

3. Create abstract images
If you want to take panning shots to the next level just increase the shutter speed to �¼ or �½ or more. This is a very valuable technique to learn when shooting skaters that are riding tightly as a group. Focus on only one skater, preferably the foremost or most visible. As you pan the group, focus on that one skater while shooting. The speeds of the other skaters will leave ghostly trails in the picture while the single skater remains sharp and unobstructed. Try setting your camera in continuous shooting mode because, like regular panning the first few may come out jagged and blurred. You want to achieve smooth as possible results.

4. Use a camera bracket
If you have prior consent of a skater or of the team, consider mounting a camera on one of the skater’s helmets. You can buy brackets that connect to the tripod brushing on your camera and then are attached to the helmets. There are specific camera brackets for helmets that are light weight and do not cause a lot of drag for the skater.

How do you take the pictures? The best way is to connect a radio transmitter so you can remotely fire the shutter release. This technique is best if you want to have pictures directly on the ice, but you know you can’t be there.

5. Use the outtakes
When you get a chance to develop you photographs you may find that a lot of them are blurred, fuzzy, or just lacking in composition. Don’t worry, with a little bit of time spent using Photoshop you will be able to polish your photographs in no time, and keep most of the images as stock sports photos.