RESEARCHING  THE  SPORT If you have never photographed a particular sport, prepare  yourself  by  conducting  research.  Go  to  the library and read upon the sport, and if possible, watch a  game  or  two  (either  on  television  or  one  played  by local teams). Understanding basic strategies, rules and plays will help you capture the important moments of the game. COVERAGE    PLANNING When you plan phorographic coverage of sporting events, you should keep in mind the two main areas of action and people. Action Physical  activity  is  the  key  ingredient  of  a  sports photograph.  Your  photograph  should  not  be  static  — sports action must take place. For instance, in football, the running back might break a tackle, the quarterback release  a  long  pass  and  the  linebacker  make  a sensational,   back-breaking   tackle.   In   baseball,   the power forward might take the ball to the rim, the center slam-dunk his points home and the shooting guard drain a  three-pointer.  In  softball/baseball,  the  extra  hitter (designated  hitter)  could  send  an  0-2  pitch  over  the fence, the base runner tag up at second and go to third or the shortstop make a sensational diving stop in the hole. Regardless of the sport, the point is that you must know and consider the sport you are photographing in order to key in on the action that sells that sport. You must anticipate the action and squeeze the shutter a split second  before  the  receiver  catches  the  football.  By anticipating  the  play,  you  can  capture  the  reception, rather than what happened immediately after the catch. Shoot plenty of film when you cover sports. Often a shot you think will be good turns out to be unusable, while one you think you missed will run on the first page of the sports section. People Amateur  Navy  athletes  are  personalities  within  their communities.  Your  audience  enjoys  reading  about  them and  seeing  their  photographs  in  your  newspaper. Because   the   players   are   personalities,   you   should photograph  them  so  they  can  be  recognized  in  the picture. The best sports photographs identify key players. “Identifying the players” means presenting the athlete from a profile to full-frontal view, if possible, to show the  number  on  his  uniform.  A  three-quarter  to full-frontal view is best but is not always available. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR POPULAR SPORTS Each sport has some peculiarities you must consider when you cover it. In the following text are some tips that  will  help  you  cover  the  “big  three”  sports  — softball/baseball, football and basketball. Softball/Baseball If  you  make  the  proper  arrangements  with  the base/station sports director, you can take photographs on the field in foul ground. However, as a courtesy, you should still ask the home plate umpire for permission. Photograph left-handed hitters from the third-base side; conversely, right-handed hitters are best covered from  the  first-base  side.  You  should  shoot  right-handed pitchers  from  the  third-base  side  and  left-handed pitchers from the first-base side. In softball, both left- and right-handed pitchers throw the ball while facing home plate, so you can shoot on the other side of the backstop or from directly behind home plate. Home plate action is best shot from the third-base side of the field. Exercise caution, though. If you get in the  way,  you  will  probably  be  unwelcome  at  future games. Get a variety of angles by moving around — go up in the stands, lie on the ground look over a shoulder or use any other creative angle that will not interfere with others. Because you may need to photograph key plays on the  opposite  side  of  the  field  from  where  you  are standing, be sure to use lenses with a long focal length Football If  you  are  covering  your  station  or  base  football team, stay on that team’s side of the field and follow the action from that location. (In an assignment where you are covering both teams equally, you may move to the other  sideline  at  the  appropriate  time.)  Move  up  and down  the  field  with  the  action  and  photograph  the players as they run, pass, kick tackle and score. Football photography focuses on the offensive and defensive lines and the star players making or breaking 12-25