Photographing Outdoor Sports: The Right Settings, Gear, and Tips for Capturing Baseball, Soccer, Surfing, and Other Outdoor Events

Surfing

Living close to the ocean in Southern California makes it possible for me to photograph some of the best surfing spots in the world. Successfully photographing surfing depends a lot on Mother Nature—and on some seriously long lenses. To successfully photograph surfers cutting down the face of a wave or getting air off the lip, you first need waves. That depends on the ocean swells and the tide and the direction the beach faces. Once all those elements line up, you need a lens that allows you to capture the surfers from the shore. Some breaks are just too far out to sea to be successfully captured from the shore, while others are actually quite close.

Tip

Watch the tide; you don’t want to be caught by the water as the tide rises, especially ...