Sports photography is one of the harder aspects of photography for many people. Trying to take good images can be a little challenging when your subjects are continually moving and you have to try and anticipate what is going to happen next. Some sports action is easier than others but here are a few tips to consider when trying to photograph someone at the next sports event.

Equipment
You don’t need to have masses of expensive equipment to shoot sports photography but it does help to have a camera that is responsive. If you have to wait a second after pressing the shutter to take the photo, you might be missing that key action. You might also want a tripod to help compose the shots, but often it’s easier to hold the camera and pan especially if you are following the action with your camera. A fast memory card will help if you are taking lots of continuous shots.

Know the Sport
Not to say you need to be an expert, but it helps if you know something about soccer or hockey so you can anticipate the shots you want and plan accordingly. A little research beforehand will let you know if there are any conditions on equipment you can bring with you such as flashes or overly big lenses.

On Location
There’s just not much point in trying to shoot the action from the furthest corner of the stadium or court. Try to get as close as you can without being in the way and try to find a location where you can be sure the action will come to you at some point. Take note of lighting conditions, and try to keep distractions to a minimum. Keep in mind composition and what you want in the background as well as the foreground. Access might be an issue, so check beforehand where you are allowed to go.

Lighting
Unless it’s a clear sunny day outside, in which case you’re in luck, you will have to think carefully about lighting. If it’s night time or indoors and the lighting isn’t that great then you could consider a good flash, but sometimes it’s not allowed. They might be distracting to the players. You can’t use a slower shutter speed since with most sports, the subjects are moving fast and all you’ll end up with is blur. So you’ll either have to have a fast lens that has a really big aperture though you will be sacrificing Depth of Field, or you will have to bump up the ISO sensitivity.

Autofocus
Because in sports photography your subject is pretty much always moving, it's a good idea to set your camera's autofocus on continuous if it's not already set there. It will use up more battery but it will save you time trying to focus and refocus. Also set your AF point to the middle and just follow the action as it moves.

Technique
Learn to pan, it's not the easiest thing but with a little practice and a good monopod, you can follow the subject as it moves past. Otherwise you can plan ahead and set the focus to where you know the action is going to be and click the shutter just as they come into the field of view. Also continuous shooting is a godsend for sports photography. You can capture a stream of photos and review them later.

Don't forget the sidelines
Don’t get so caught up in the action that you forget things that are happening around you. Sports photography is more than just about pictures of racing winners crossing the line or footballs in midair, it’s about the players themselves before and after the game and about the people who come to watch. Some of the most exciting shots happen just before the game when tensions are mounting and just after when the winners are celebrating.