How to capture the fast action moments

Show days are great for taking photos, as there’s so much scope for shooting action and people.

First, I checked the programme to find out what was on. In this instance I chose the Bolddog motorbike freestyle team. Arriving well before the start, I made sure my camera settings were right. I switched my metering to Centre Weighted to avoid the sky fooling the meter, selected Continuous Servo Focus mode to keep the subjects sharp and continuous shooting mode for bursts of three shots.

As the action began, I spent a couple of minutes watching where the bikes would be at the crucial moment. Standing with a 300mm lens fixed on the action I began the shoot. At these events, the most impressive action happens towards the end, so I used the first five minutes to check exposure and focus.

I shot 110 images in roughly 15 minutes and was happy with around 40 images. Of those 40 pictures, I chose ten that captured the soul of motorbike freestyle and only one, opposite, that was an extraordinarily great image.

How to choose the best camera setting

A: Use Continuous Servo focusing mode for any fast moving or unpredictable subjects.
B: Leave your camera switched on at all times in Shutter Priority mode so you're ready to shoot
C: Shoot with one eye open and anticipate the action as it happens by watching carefully

Plus:

1. Pre-focus where the action will happen and lock it by switching your lens to Manual
2. Avoid fully automatic modes, such as Auto and Program. These will select a slow a shutter speed, resulting in very blurry pictures
3. Set your white balance to match the lighting conditions. It's good practice to do this

Improve your techniques for shooting a sequence

Shooting a three-shot sequence in Continuous mode will always pay dividends. Pressing the shutter a split second before the pinnacle of the action and holding it for a succession of three shots will increase your chances of bagging that illusive ‘money’ shot.

Shooting three images 1/5 second apart happens pretty quickly. The first picture in the sequence is 'loose' and builds up to the peak action and the last shot has lost all momentum. It's the middle frame that hits the spot.