RECORD SPORTING EVENTS

When my nephew made the football team, my sister's career as a videographer instantly went into high gear. Hollywood has never made a film as entertaining to 10-year-olds as watching themselves make that touchdown over and over and over. I, of course, realized it was politically dangerous to my career if my sister was making bad videos, so we launched a game plan. Huddle up, everyone.

Pre-planning

As with any recording situation, there are certain things that doing ahead of time will make much better. Some things to look out for before recording your first sporting event:

• Access to electricity - can you plug your camera in? If not, be sure to pack enough batteries.
• Tripod space? - will you have room to set up your tripod? If not, you might want to consider a monopod. Some very clever monopods actually have small tripod legs at the very bottom, making them more stable.
• Sun in your eyes? - will you be shooting into the sun from where you're sitting? If so, you might want to consider moving, even if it puts you in the visitors' bleachers - just try not to cheer too loudly.
• Hey, down in front! - is there a space specifically for press? If not, get a seat where people won't be standing between you and the action. When Junior makes his touchdown, you don't want the back of some guy's head to be the only record you have of it.

Randy Hansen, chief photographer for WINK-TV, has been recording sports for years and recommends that at a minimum you should have a camera with a good quick zoom and extra batteries. read more...