[Ken Streeter]

There's lots of excellent advice here in the postings by JasonJMonroe. I particularly like his advice that stopping all the action isn't always the best answer to getting a great action photo:

Originally Posted by jasonjmonroe

Blur is not a bad thing! ... We perceive it to convey motion, or to draw your eye to the area of attention. Turn it from being a detriment to an asset by using blur to convey context and liven up your picture.

One of my favorites from this year, captured on a Nikon D200 at the BAE Systems Granite State Regional, was taken by my father-in-law, who is a long-time amateur photographer:



The above pic was taken using aperture priority at an f-stop of f/4.5 with an effective ISO of 400. Camera was panned by hand, steadied against the forehead using the viewfinder (rather than the screen). Auto-exposure was 10/250 of a second. (Discussion on photo here on CD.)

The real trick to getting photos like this is practice and experimentation to learn the right combination of shutter speed and camera panning to use to have the moving subject be sharp while very slightly blurring the background. Experimentation (and digital film) is your friend for this!

Tripods do not work well with as many people at an event as FRC and no one paying attention to where they are walking. You also want to be mobile to get around as quickly as the fast paced game itself. A tripod will only slow you down.

Lots of good advice here, too! Some videographers love a monopod to balance the needs for flexibility of movement to choose the correct location for the shot with the need for a stable platform for the camera.

Best Regards!
--ken