As a professional photographer since 1979, I have seen many things both good & bad. When I see something that I feel can improve the way I do business, I incorporate it. Conversely, if I do not feel it will be an improvement, I pass it by. This is what I have done with action photography.

When I first started in photography I was primarily a wedding and portrait photographer. In these fields of photography there are two basic style's one could aspire to. They are "formal" and "candid" photography. I chose formal. This was a lot more work for me as it required me to create images, not just capture them. Whether photographing weddings or sports portraits, when creating images you must take into consideration many variables. Over many years I have strived to create a certain look to my pictures. That look takes into account all of the following; First, I try to choose a good location, for my pictures, where I will be able to minimize distractions in the background and have some control over the lighting in order to minimize shadows and squinting. Then I work on a particular pose & composition. Finally, I try and draw out of each child a pleasing expression. To complete the look we try to pay attention to caps, hair and clothing, neatening all when possible. None of these things can be the major concern in action photography.

As a comparison, when video became ever more popular, many photographers worried that the video media would become dominate over still photography. I looked at this in a different way. I would just have to make my work even better, to further separate it from candid/video photography. My wedding business never suffered due to video. In fact video was a great compliment as I created “Lasting Images” while video “captured the moment”.

About 3 years ago I took a close look at action photography. After observing some of the business models used by the innovators, I decided that action photography, although certainly having merits (and yes, being different), would not be an improvement for me or my customers. Just as with other aspects of my photography business, customers are primarily looking for quality portraits. They may compliment these portraits with candid's, in the sports photography field, “action photos”, but shouldn’t replace them. The continued popularity of my portraits, for your league as well as my other customers, supports my thinking. I do think that action photography could be great as an addition to a formal picture day, especially for your older, more skilled players. A perfect opportunity would be at the play off or all star games.

These are my feelings on action photography. All things considered, I did feel the need to impart them to anyone who would take the time to listen and hope they will be “food for thought”, for all concerned.