Capturing Moment in Sports Photography

Timothy Mucciante is a Michigan-based photographer and writer with more than three decades of experience creating content. Having started his photographic journey as a student sports photographer, Timothy Mucciante’s work has included written and photographic coverage of political, sports, and cultural events. While most people snapping photos at a sporting event won’t go on to make photography their career, there are a few things that can help anyone to create better images.

1. Avoid auto mode. Whether shooting with a smartphone or a DSLR, learning to use all the features available on a camera will help the photographer to have more control over their images. Extensive guidance can be found online or in user’s manuals, but the best way to learn is simply to practice experimenting with a variety of settings.

2. Make the emotions of the sport the focus of some images. Photos that portray moments of joy, disappointment, or achievement are often the most compelling. This can be achieved by narrowing in on a specific subject for the photo, whether it’s a group of players interacting in a huddle or a runner’s face as they cross the finish line.

3. Capture the environment. While most of the action takes place on the field or court, interesting subject matter can also be found in the surrounding area. This could include a view of fans reacting to a goal, the vibrant colors of team merchandise on display, or simply a wide-angle shot of a sunset or group of dark clouds over a football field.

With practice and a sense of perspective, anyone can improve their action-shots and learn to capture the moment through sports photography.

 

Getty Images and CHF Select Fund

An experienced freelance writer and photographer, Timothy Mucciante has worked for several visual media companies, such as Getty Images, over his 44-year career. Since 2018, Timothy Mucciante has taken photographs for the company that has expanded to become the world leader in visual communications.

In December 2020, Getty Images and the Chris Hondros Fund (CHF) selected three organizations for its ninth annual Getty Images and CHF Award. This year, the award amount was $20,000. As opposed to selecting an individual photographer, the two entities decided to give funding to organizations that support photographers in a year that has done work challenging for everyone.

The Bronx Documentary Center was one of the winners of the award. The Center assists emerging photographers whose images explore vital issues through a community-based, documentary lens. Prism Photo Workshop was another selection, and its focus is on assisting young photographers. Through the Prism Photo Workshop, photographers from diverse backgrounds tell stories of underrepresented people from a place of dignity.

Finally, the two organizations chose Black Women Photographers, an organization that works toward unearthing Black creatives. Black Women Photographers seek to ensure there is representation in this medium.

Outside of awarding these three organizations, the rest of the funding went toward the CHF Relief Fund, a fund that provides emergency grants to individual photographers on an on-going basis. Incidentally, Chris Hondros was a photographer killed in 2011 on assignment in Libya, and the fund was established in his honor and to further his legacy.