Sports Photography How To

We’ve had a few opportunities to shoot alongside top sports photographer Patrick Murphy-Racey, and on every occasion we gained a wealth of information about capturing action. By watching the 10-minute tutorial below you’ll learn a few of Murpey-Racey’s secrets for shooting spectacular sports images.

Murphy-Racey is a Sony Artisan based in Knoxville, TN. In this video with Miguel Quiles from AdoramaTV, Murphy-Racey shares a number of invaluable tips that you’ll see him employ during a live volleyball match on a beach in Chicago.

Murphy-Racey says that positioning oneself properly is of the utmost importance when photographing any sport, and he explains how to select a prime spot from which to shoot. If you want great images, positioning should be your number one concern whether you’re shooting football from the sideline, tennis or volleyball from courtside, or snowboarding on a mountain.

The video also reveals Murphy-Racey’s choice of lenses, and he demonstrates why fast autofocus is a must and why he always shoots in manual exposure mode with the lens wide open. He also describes how other camera settings like face-detect AF can make a big difference in your results.  

You can find more shooting tips on the AdoramaTV YouTube channel, and see a variety of Murphy-Racey’s images on the Sony Alpha Universe website. And be sure to check out our earlier story in which another photographer describes the perils of being a pro adventure sports shooter.