On your marks: top tips for shooting action

Action photography sets a unique combination of challenges for photographers and their kit: the world is full of movement, but how do you capture it in a single image? Successful action photography requires you to understand some essential camera settings and features, and the impact they have on your photos. Mastering these will enable you to record blurred images to convey motion, or 'freeze' the image to capture a moment in time. There are also action techniques you can try, such as panning and tips specifically for anyone looking to photograph water sports or shoot action video.

It's also really beneficial if you're shooting with fast and lightweight kit. Canon has designed a comparatively compact and affordable range of highly capable cameras and lenses that can deliver excellent results when shooting action, including entry-level telephoto lenses that enable you to get as close to the scene as possible.

Here we outline the essential settings and camera features you need for shooting action and share some top tips and techniques to help you create incredible images.

If you're new to action photography, you can start simple by using the Sports mode featured in most of Canon's entry-level and mid-range cameras. This will configure the camera with Servo (continuous) autofocus for tracking action and fast shutter speeds to freeze motion, as well as enabling you to take a sequence of shots by keeping the shutter button pressed. Simply turn your camera's shooting mode dial to the Sports position or look for it in the Scene modes menu.

Although the Sports mode in Canon cameras is a great starting point for shooting action, it can pay to get more adventurous as you learn new skills. Creative use of shutter speed, exposure and AF tracking settings will ensure you get the results you want.

Shutter speed

Exposure

AF tracking

While fast shutter speeds are great for freezing motion, they can sometimes drain the excitement from action shots. For example, if you shoot a racing car flashing past using a shutter speed of 1/2000 sec, it will look like it's standing still. Slow the shutter speed to around 1/60 sec and pan the camera to add motion blur and convey a true sense of speed.

Panning is when you move the camera lens to follow a subject that's moving parallel to you. It's often combined with slower shutter speeds, so the subject is sharp while the stationary foreground and background are blurred. To practise, use the viewfinder and pivot from your hips to keep the motion smooth. If your lens has Image Stabilisation (IS), check the side of the lens for an IS Mode switch and set it to IS Mode 2. This sets the lens to ignore the panning movement and compensate only for movement that is perpendicular to the panning direction.

Use AI Servo AF and Continuous shooting mode, keeping the shutter button fully pressed, to take a burst of shots. Effective panning can take practice and patience, but a good tip is to continue your panning movement even after you've finished taking the shot or sequence of shots. This gives you a better chance of keeping the moving subject sharp.

Surfing, kayaking and other water sports make striking subjects for photography. The thrills, spills, jumps, turns and speed mean getting great results requires effort and patience. On the plus side, when sailing boats, kayaks, jet skis and the like are following a set course, you can better anticipate what's going to happen next and be prepared. As with most action photography, you'll generally need a telephoto or super-telephoto lens so that you can shoot from a distance.

Camera settings for shooting water sports

Accessories for shooting water sports

Great sporting shots aren't just about winners. It's the little details – the match ball, the referee, the emotion of a single fan in the crowd – that add richness and depth to your portrait of the event. In these instances, your standard or Auto settings should be adequate.

Shoot wider views that show the whole environment of the sport and crowd. If you look at newspapers, only a few shots are detailed close-ups of the sporting action. Instead, many are wider shots that put the sport in context showing the location and crowds of fans.

Be on the lookout for something unusual or extraordinary. Often the best sports images are the ones that make you look twice and question how something happened. Much of this is down to the luck of being in the right place at the right time but the skill is in being prepared for anything. Shoot around the action – by this we mean also focus your attention away from the main action. Competitors preparing their equipment, spectators, mechanics, etc, also provide interesting subjects and tell the story of the event.

Canon's cameras are equally adept at capturing high-quality 1080p, 4K or even 8K video footage, so it's well worth putting this to good use.

When you first arrive at an event, film some wide-angle shots to set the scene. It helps to avoid zooming too much while recording. Often, it's better to pause, change the composition of your scene, plus the framing and zoom, then restart filming. When panning with your camera to capture the location or follow the action, ensure you stop your pan before you stop recording to help with editing your footage together.

Rather than fix your position and put the camera on a tripod, try moving the camera with the action. You will find this easier with a wider shot. If there are several competitors one after another, then try different focal lengths for each. Remember it's fine for a distant subject to get larger in the frame as they approach the camera, so set the zoom to make sure that when the subject gets really close, they are still in shot.

Anyone with a Canon camera can launch into action photography with the kit they already have, but if you're considering an upgrade, here are some of the best buys for shooting action.

Canon EOS R7

Canon EOS R6

Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III

Canon PowerShot ZOOM