Five key factors for action shots

Most photographers enjoy the challenge of depicting action in still photos, whether they shoot sports, dance, wildlife or simply family activities. The best shots capture the essence of the movement – speed, flow and/or position – in the instant recorded in the frame. Regardless of your level of expertise, all photographers must deal with five vital criteria when planning an action shoot.

A thousand gates

By Anders Woztke. A gloomy day in Kyoto did little to stop thousands of tourists – myself included – from flocking to the famous orange gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine. Stubbornly determined to get a shot without the flood of fellow admirers in frame, I waited until a break in traffic granted me precious few seconds to snap this composition of my travelling companion. The result was notably underexposed due to the overcast day, but by shooting RAW, I was able to bring it to life in the edit. I couldn’t be more pleased with the result!