7 Photography Tips for Soccer Moms

Going to soccer practice with your little girl(s) or boy(s) everyday is a part of the daily routine for some mothers. But how many of you soccer-crazy moms have always acted upon that plan which has been brewing in that head of yours – taking good and quality pictures of your kids playing soccer?

Photographing a soccer match or practice session can be a very fulfilling experience if you have the right equipment and know-how of photography. It is a great way to utlise your time, practicsing your photography skills sitting there with other moms, instead of gossiping about useless things.

So that when the big match finally takes place in which your little one is taking the centre-stage, you are well equipped to capture that special moment in your camera.

• Get a DSLR: There is simply no other way of doing it. Camera phones won’t do. Point and shoot cameras won’t do either. Good photographs need a good lens and a good camera. So invest in one.
• Now that you have bought it, read the camera manual A-Z to understand how the camera works in different conditions. The settings you should be looking for, are the camera settings which professional photographers use while shooting soccer matches.
• Since there is going to be a lot of action and running around on the soccer field, get these pointers straight – fast moving objects should be either shot in the pre-loaded sports mode, or adjust the settings yourself to get the desired results. You can click soccer pictures in two styles- Motion Blur and Freeze Motion.
• Motion Blur can be achieved in a photo when you want to the speeding object to look smeared across the frame in the direction of the motion. The photo gives a sense of speed and relative motion and is blurred in appearance. Motion Blur can be achieved by using slow shutter speed and clicking in ‘Shutter Priority’ mode. Do keep your camera steady or use a tripod. Not recommended all the time though, a couple of photos with motion blur is fine.
• However, Freeze Photo or Freeze Motion is a better option. It is a still photo of an object in action where every element of the photo is clearly visible. Speed and movement is usually obvious, like a picture of your girl playing Frisbee or swimming in a pool. This technique is popularly known as sports photography and is used by professionals in all sporting events.

  Freeze motion is achieved by setting a fast shutter speed, maybe 1/250 or more. You need to focus on the frame and the object and only then go for the kill.

• Capture all the moments during a soccer match. Right from the time when the players walk into the field, start there warm-up, and are pep-talked by their coach to the moment when they are shaking hands with the rival team after the match is over. Oh! And the match too in between.
• Experiment with angles. Yes, even during a soccer match. Capturing the sporting action is the best way to shoot a match, but take some portrait photographs, close-ups of emotions when a goal is scored/missed, the kit lying by the bench, the foot with dirty shoes etc. These are some ideas, but you can use your own creativity as well.

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