Timing Is Everything In Action Photography

Whether you are photographing a major sport, or a less popular sport, timing is everything in action photography.

I am a true believer that as a photographer you can make better photographs by understanding and knowing the subject really well.

Here’s an example. For the past couple years I have been hired to photograph various karate sessions for a book.

As you can see in this photo, the man on the left is high in the air with a beautiful stance, ready to kick the man on the right.

It did take a couple takes to get it right, but I knew from experience when to push the shutter button.

When I was younger I took karate classes. I made up a few belts before stopping the classes. I honestly don’t remember why I stopped, but to this day I have complete respect for it. In fact, download my free ebook When Photography And Karate Merge.

Here are my recommendations for both sides of the situation.

1. If you are hiring a photographer to photograph a project like this, see if the photograph has experience with what you’re doing.
2. If you are a photographer looking to photograph projects like this, learn about it. You don’t need to master those skills, but you need to have a vast understanding of it.

Those recommendations go way beyond karate of course. They work for football, baseball, basketball or any other sport.

In the end I’m happy with the result, and so is the author.

Thanks for reading,

Scott