1. Introduction
Capturing the excitement of live sporting events in photographs is a very exciting and challenging activity. A good photograph can do something that no video or film of an event can, create an image that sticks with people that is both easy to share and to reproduce. Good photography can inspire athletes as well as encourage and entertain sports enthusiasts. To help potential photographers of school sports action achieve the best possible results, we have produced the following guidelines.
We have also laid out some basic rules that must be followed for all contributions to schoolsportsaction.tv. These rules form part of the terms and conditions of the site and must be obeyed by everyone who visits the site. Please read the rules now.
(All photographs and other content uploaded to School Sports Action TV must follow and comply with rules designed to protect the right of children and young people to participate in sport and online activities in a safe, supportive and enjoyable environment. See Online Safety.
2. Aims, Goals, Technique
Your photos should capture the best of the action in whatever sport you are photographing. This includes what we traditionally think of as "match highlights" such as goals scored and tackles made; but it can also include other aspects of the sport where one or more players excel, such as a great pass or a skilful assist.
At School Sports Action TV we really do believe it's how you play the game, not whether you win or lose. And if the sport is a team sport, then it's all about how the team performs, as a team. Of course, if you're shooting a rugby match and the winger makes a spectacular run all alone on the outside, a good shot of that is clearly going to be a contender for uploading, and the focus is obviously going to be on that winger. The point is not to focus your attention solely on outstanding individual action. Shots of set pieces such as lineouts, scrums, or penalties can be powerful and convey the energy and excitement of team effort.
How you shoot the action will depend on several factors, not all of them in your control. There is the question of vantage point, lighting, and the capabilities of your camera. We have some tips online here and this section is growing as more people participate. We encourage you to share your sports photography experiences here and perhaps contribute tips and techniques you have picked up.
3. Rights and Responsibilities
School Sports Action TV is dedicated to the proposition that persons of all ages have the right to enjoy the benefits of the Internet without fear of deception or harassment or abuse of any kind. Furthermore, we actively support the right of all young people, whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief or sexual identity, to protection from abuse. To this end School Sports Action TV follows the National School Sport Strategy Protocol for Safeguarding Children. All School Sports Action TV content, including photographs, is reviewed and moderated with this in mind. Content which is not supportive of these rights, responsibilities and protocols will be removed.
4. Photography Rules
Please keep the "Rights and Responsibilities in mind when taking photographs intended for upload to School Sports Action TV. Avoid embarrassing shots and extreme close-ups, particularly when shooting sports such as athletics and gymnastics. Photographers shooting school and club action should not engage in one-on-one shooting sessions with young athletes. School Sports Action TV will not host, and strongly discourages, staged or posed photography.
When you supply descriptions of your photos please do not comment on or portray any player in a way that may humiliate or embarrass them. Please refer to players only by first name and team position. Avoid revealing other personally identifiable information (for example, you don’t want to say "Mike Wainwright, the Epson Grammar School fly half, keeps in shape by running with his golden retriever Goofy along Markham Avenue every morning"; but you could say "Mike, the fly half, keeps in shape by running with his dog every day"). Wherever possible, refer to teams by team name and not location specific names. Further advice and helpful discussions can be found in the online School Sports Action TV Media Centre Forums.
5. Copyright and Permissions
Photographs submitted to School Sports Action TV must comply with the School Sports Action TV Site Terms and Conditions including Copyright and Permissions.
6. Technical Issues
The technology of digital photography is constantly evolving and so it is difficult to make hard and fast rules about what works best. You might think higher resolution is always better, but sometimes a low resolution shot can convey the scene just as effectively. Not every picture has to be razor sharp. Motion blurring can be very effective in conveying action. Also, there is an upper limit of around 5 megabytes on uploads. The exact limit depends to some extent on your Internet connection speed as there is a timeout limit on uploading of 10 minutes. A 5 megabyte image file will take around 2 minutes to upload with a standard broadband connection. This can take longer however when the site is busy.
The Photo Gallery has a maximum display area of 600 x 350 pixels. It will automatically resize your photo to fit in to the display area, whilst maintaining the original width to height ratio. See the Media Centre Forums for more on how best to prepare your photo for uploading.