What's in a picture? An amateur's thoughts on taking pictures of rugby matches...

A challenge we have at Unofficial England rugby is getting hold of photographs that convey the action from recent games or are good library photos for future articles. I have been taking photos of rugby for nearly 20 years and I'm still learning. I thought I would share my experiences of trying to learn how to take photos and capture some semblance of the action.

My first camera that I used at a rugby game was a Chinon CE4 - fixed lens, very light, ok light meter but with a focal length of 45mm I was never going to capture anything close up - not unless the players ran into me! These days I'm blessed with a Canon 20D, a range of lenses the most flexible of which is the 50-500mm and the light meter is great. In fact the camera once setup does it all for me. And I can do things that would never have been possible with my Chinon. But the equipment is only half the solution. Learning to see is the greatest challenge.

What's she on about I hear you ask? Learning to see - must be easy especially for those who have been watching the game for years. Maybe but there is a big difference between following the sport with the frame a human eye can see and the view down a lens. And us amateurs have challenges that most of the professionals don't even think about - how many professionals have photos ruined by their Mum leaping up in front of them? I do most games! Pitchside sat on their little stools, huge lenses, monopods and laptops, the professionals have the run of the park. I sit at Franklin's Gardens in A Block about a third of the way up i.e. effectively in a corner which for a photographer is great because for part of the match the players will be running face on towards me. The odd line out is likely to occur in front of me and 5 metre scrums are a God send. Tries thanks to my Mum can be a challenge! But unlike the professional, I can't change my viewing point and so to my first tip...

My first tip is when you take your seat, think about what might happen and how you will photograph it - for the stuff in front of me I'm usually working at a focal length of 200mm whereas the other end of the ground it's nearer 400mm. If you haven't got a lens that long it's still possible to take some cracking photos - just make sure you have the best settings you can and expect to take fewer photos - the camera won't be able to keep up with the plays so all the more reason to take a few minutes to think about what you want to achieve. By selecting the best settings, you then have excellent quality to work with i.e. you can crop the image and still get a reasonable sized photo.

Think about how your team plays - photographing Carlos Spencer is a real challenge because his hand speed results in the ball moving very quickly in directions you least expect. But Carlos always provides some great action opportunities - Carlos' concentration reveals itself in some extraordinary facial expressions. When taking photos of England, Jason Robinson used to do the same. It makes for some great action shots. Understanding how the pack is going to play gives some indication on how the breakdown will work - these days I keep a close eye on Paul Tupai who is never far away from the action on the floor! The key is to think about how you will fill the frame with events that are relevant and add to the shot.

This thinking time is especially important at grounds where you are a visiting supporter - a couple of seasons ago when I was at Welford Road, I elected to be very selective with my shots restricting myself to set plays in front of me because I was using my Powershot. When I was at Twickenham in 2004, I spent more time thinking about how I was going to capture any images at all because it was virtually dark by the second half. Yet I managed some of my best shots in that second half simply because I was so careful about the camera set up.

My second tip is don't just watch the game, watch what is happening around you... one of my favourite photos from last year was Roy Maybank warming up - that photo always makes me smile! Or when Bruce Reihana asked the Saints supporters on the terrace to take a conversion for him. Or when there was a fantastic sunset - an injury break later and I have some great photos of Franklin's Gardens.

My third tip is make some effort to understand your camera - I never cease to be amazed by the number of people who have no idea what their cameras can do. Forget sports modes and all that nonsense - learn about your camera! A common sight is a camera such as a Canon 350D being used on sports mode - noooooo! All you 350D owners out there use these settings as a start and tell me things haven't improved!

1. Set the ISO to at least 800 unless it's a really sunny day. If it's a cold dark winter's day or evening go with 1600. And if the lighting changes, change the ISO
2. Set the camera to Aperture Priority mode and open the aperture as wide as you can. This means you will get the fastest speed the camera can manage and a shallower depth of field which blurs the background and keeps the attention on the subject
3. Set the focus to AI Servo - let the lens do the work. Professionals use manual focus but like me, you probably won't have the skill to follow the play so let the camera follow it for you
4. Set the focusing point to the centre - the nine metering points are great for landscapes but you really shouldn't care about anything except the centre of your frame
5. Set the Drive mode to multiple frames and get a big compact flash card and keep taking photos! One of a sequence will be the best. Trying to take one frame at a time will likely mean you miss the best bit of the play
6. Switch off that flash - your little flash will do nothing except irritate the players and those around you so switch it off!

My last tip is always improve your photos by working on them using photo editing software. Even the best photo can be improved and by taking a few minutes to cast a critical eye, you can make useful improvements. Not one of the photos I publish is in its original form. The minimum I always do is check the lighting and cropping of the photo. If you couldn't get in tight to the action when taking the photo you can when working with the photo off-line. Too often I see photos which are ruined because the photographer hasn't taken the time to remove the irrelevant bits - the crowd really isn't important unless it's the subject of the photo!!

So learning to see is about understanding and thinking about the photos that are possible from where you are in the ground; recognising it's not just the match that will provide opportunities; understanding the camera you are using and making the best out what you have taken. Rather more than just point and shoot but not a huge amount of effort to get some great photos.

Most of all have fun taking photos. It is meant to be fun - as amateurs we're not in it to make money. In fact the opportunity to take photos at many grounds is given on the basis that we won't make money. So just enjoy taking photos of some of the finest sportsmen in the country playing the sport we enjoying watching. And all you 350D owners out there... tell me if I'm wrong about those settings!

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