Some Basic Tips To Improve Your Running Photography

In the beautiful meadows of the Sierra Mountains, Corey Rich takes you behind the scenes for some key tips to improve your sports photography. Documenting sports comes with a certain amount of challenges, especially while shooting in an uncontrollable environment. From working with major clients such as Nikon, The North Face, and Patagonia, Rich has plenty of experience and insights to share when it comes to demanding adventure and sports photography.

Emphasizing the importance of paying attention to a strict checklist of details, Rich outlines the elements that he focuses on most to achieve the desired action photos. Paying attention to the model, attire, location and lensing, Rich is able to take the guesswork out of his images. Photographing distance runners, as with most sports, places a great demand on speed and accuracy. To master these required elements while still composing a compelling photograph, it's necessary to have a flawless method of approach.

Some of these tips may seem pretty basic and self-explanatory, but when it comes to nailing your shots in a limited environment it is paramount to pay close attention to the rules regarding method. Perhaps the biggest takeaway on method from this video is the application of your own set list of guidelines for accomplishing the final product. It can be easy to get carried away on location. Sticking to your list of rules for meeting your client's demands will help you work more efficiently, ultimately becoming a better photographer.

[via Adorama]

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Jason Hudson is a writer and photographer living in Central Coast California. Jason is currently a full time photographer and designer at a reputable branding firm and has freelance clients ranging from GoPro, Phillips, Outdoor Magazine and more. For inquiries about Jason's work, The Keller Whale, visit www.thekellerwhale.com

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9 Comments

From the title I was expecting tips for shooting actual sports competitions of some sort.

This doesn't improve my sports-photography. My commercial skills pherhaps, but not my sports :D

Perhaps you're right, the lessons here ARE pretty basic. However, when it comes to the methodical approach it's a good rule of thumb to follow a checklist you set for yourself. Def agree this would help with commercial skills - in general though I wouldn't classify these "tech tips", but I def think it's helpful!

Only thing this article illustrates is the value of the proper point of view. Nothing specific to sports, or active events. Pretty much a waste of time as far as being 'educational. Don't publish a lot of this kind of article and expect readership to remain stable or improve.

Thanks for you comment Dudley, I tried to be specific in my title that this was a "basic" tip. We have all kinds of readers of different skill levels. I'm sorry if your skill level is past this article, it's my mission to aggregate the best content for all levels!

Has NOTHING to do with skill levels. It has EVERYTHING to do with TITLES matching content...a relatively simple concept really.

Dudley, I'm very sorry you feel that way. I'm not sure how my title doesn't match my content; but I will gladly focus on addressing that in my future posts. Hope you have a happy new year!

I liked the video; it was a quick lesson in photographing runners. My only complaint is the spelling error at 2:09 and at the end. There was plenty missing so part 2 would be helpful to give info on when to use continuous shooting, whether to shoot RAW or JPG in this circumstance, choosing angle/POV, and comments on using natural light.

Good stuff Jason, ... thanks for posting!