Sports & Action Photography In A Day For Dummies
by Jonathan Streetman
Sports & Action Photography In a Day For Dummies
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John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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ISBN 978-1-118-38529-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-38526-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-38528-9 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction
P rofessional photographers capture great images because theyve been doing it for a very long time. Theyve shot thousands of pictures and have failed in more ways than you can imagine. But theyve also figured out what works and know what to look for on their next assignment.
It would be completely unfair to yourself, either as a beginner or even a novice photographer, to compare your work to the pros. Professional photographers make their living taking photographs and their pictures should be better than yours. However, that doesnt mean you cant learn from them.
Pretty soon you too will be in on the action. But dont worry. Through the course of this book, I discuss all the different types of equipment available, where you should stand in anticipation of that winning shot, and how you can edit your photo to make it look the best it possibly can.
What You Can Do In A Day
As with all books in the In A Day For Dummies series, I designed this book to contain about a days worth of reading (or a couple days if youre taking your time). By the time you finish this book, youll feel confident taking your camera where the action is and come away with a feeling of pride and a memory card full of solid images.
Foolish Assumptions
I can say with absolute certainty that you wont master the art of sports photography in one single day. But here are some assumptions that Ive made about you, the reader, when writing this book that will help you get your start and put you well on your way to mastering the craft:
You understand that sports are fast-paced and shouldnt be treated like still-life photography.
Once you have a camera in your hand, you know how to turn it on, which way to point it, and where the shutter release button is.
You know how to plug a USB cord into your camera and computer to get the files from one to the other.
You have a desire to take more than just snapshots of smiling faces. True sports photography catches the action, which is exactly what you want to do.
Icons Used in This Book
The icons in this book help you sort through everything and make some important things stick out:
You see this icon when I want to point out things that, through my experience, Ive come to realize are helpful in certain situations.
Some things seem like simple decision, such as answering yes or no to formatting your memory card. However, some of these simple decisions could have disastrous results. This icon is used to warn you about these dangerous situations.
Although I try not to flood you with too much information, some information is worth reading a couple times. This icon identifies information that is pretty important and worth committing to memory.