5 things to do & not do when first when first working in sports
With a lot of first hand experience! - Mikaela
Don’t make my mistakes
Whatever you do, please do not shoot only in JPEG! RAW files are very important when it comes to preserving data and being able to edit the full extend of your images in post-processing. If you are working an event that requires quick edits immediately, shoot JPEG+RAW - that way you can quickly edit and export your photos as JPEGS, but can edit the RAW image fully when you have more time.
Do not shoot in JPEG!
Understand your camera
You don’t need the most expensive, top of the line camera to make good work. Learn your camera’s specs and what it is capable of and use it to your advantage. Learn how exposure works and how the factors of the exposure triangle affect each other. Good things to look after in a camera is the frames per second (FPS), megapixels and autofocus time.
Shooting photos of the back of someone’s head isn’t as interesting as finding their face. While you can use the back of people’s heads to frame the main subject’s face, focus on finding ways to see their faces and to capture expressions.
find the faces
If you see a bunch of photographers and videographers sitting in the same spot, even if it’s the “prime” shooting spot, find somewhere else to work from. You will create a more diverse portfolio and have more interesting photos to look at if they aren’t all shot from the same location as everyone else’s. using different angles, locations and even heights can help make your work stand out and diversify the shots you are getting.
get your own spot
While presets can be useful at times, learning how to edit photos on your own is way more important. Crafting your own style allows you to stand out from other photographers and can often lead to you experimenting with new looks. Your first few attempts aren’t going to be as good as everyone else’s and you will cringe later down the line, but it will help you learn about lighting and colors and help you adjust how you shoot photos overtime. But also experiment!!! Even if you find a look you like, don’t settle with just that, see how far you can push yourself into creating more styles and seeing what your work can look like in those different styles.