The 5 Golden Rules of Football Photography

1. Prepare well 

Shooting football is all about concentration. Set yourself up before the match. Are you sitting comfortably? Is your monopod at the right height? Can you see clearly? Get this right at the start to give yourself no distractions once the action starts. Also make sure you can reach all your cameras and lenses quickly, a split second delay will cost you the best picture!

2. Know the story

You can’t predict football matches exactly, but with a bit of research you can have a good guess! Which team is playing well, which player is in form, who’s under pressure? All factors that can help you be ahead of the game before kick off.

3. Take a chance

Don’t be afraid to sit away from the pack. In football, pictures can happen all over the pitch. The best place to sit is on the edge of the penalty area behind the goal line, but often the best goal pictures are from very close to the posts, or even behind the net. Players sometimes celebrate back to their manager. Take a chance to shoot the pictures no one else has got.

4. Be selective

Don’t take too many pictures! Be patient, sometimes you need to arrive at the action before the ball does so watching, not shooting the play when it’s far away will help you predict when the big moments are about to happen, then you can be ready.

5. Check the weather

Some of the best pictures happen during a downpour but always make sure you know what to expect before you leave the house. Don’t get caught out by a drenching, make sure you have waterproof coverings for all your bags and cameras so you can carry on shooting no matter what.