Softball season is almost over where I am from, which means that the playoffs are coming around. If you have kids in Softball then you are likely going to be trying hard to get great shots of your children during the playoffs. Today I wanted to share some strategy tips for planning out your sports shoot to give you maximum coverage.

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The worst thing that can happen after a game (excluding wrong exposures, or technically bad images) is to have all of your shots from the same location. It’s boring and does not make for a good series of images at all. If you are looking to change up your normal routine of sitting behind home plate snapping shots then pay attention because I am about to share some great tips for getting the most out of your shooting while at a softball game.

  • Tip #1 – Plan Ahead and do Your ResearchKnowing as much as possible about both teams and the location of the game is key to getting your job done right. If you know that this girl bats lefty or but the rest of the girls bat right then you can plan for this and make sure to be in position to capture the lefty and the righty girls without having to run around with your head cut off.
  • Tip #2 – Plan your Game RouteWhen you show up to the game plan out you route. Which side of the field are you going to start on? Which players can you shoot from that position based on your gear? These are important questions to know the answers to.
  • Tip #3 – Know the GameKnow the rules and common strategy that coaches may employ during a game. For example, if you know that a coach is going to have a player steal a base or where the infielders are going to try and make a play you can be ready to try and capture that action rather than being too slow to react and missing it completely.
  • Tip #4 – Do a walkthroughAfter you arrive and figure out your route do a walkthrough of that route. Envision yourself during the game at each spot and think about angles, shots, and other things that you may like to capture from each location. This gets you into the photographer’s mindset instead of the spectator’s mindset. It’s very easy if you are any kind of sports fan to get caught up in the emotion and miss the action.
  • Tip #5 – Watch the Game through your LensToo many times have I been caught watching the game as a spectator and not as a photographer. A great way to keep this from happening is to watch the game through your lens as much as possible. This way if you see something you can easily snap a shot of it vs if you were watching with you r camera at your waist you would need to raise the camera to react and would end up missing the shot.

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Well these are the tips and strategy that I use when I shoot Softball games. I have found that when I follow those tips above things go much smoother, I get better shots and I don’t ever feel overwhelmed by possible shooting locations. I am confident that if you follow those steps you should get some great shots of your team/participant from the playoffs.