What are you looking for with your action and course images?
For action I need a wide spread of shots – driving, putting, chipping, bunker shots and so on. On some holes I will crank up the shutter speed to 1/2000th to try to get player, club and ball into the picture. There are standard swing shots that I have to take but once I've got those I'm looking for reactions from the players, which could be punching the air when a putt drops or throwing a club when they make a bad shot. Patience as well as planning is key to all of this and knowing which players are likely to do what.
With course shots I'm looking for contrast and lots of shadows to show movement in the subject. I prefer a hilly or mountainous backdrop, as this is more dramatic than a flat horizon. If the flat horizon is the ocean then it's OK, but if it's not, the image is generally less dramatic. The first thing I look for is what might spoil the image – buildings, fences, aerials or other such things. Clean is the key word – nothing but golf course and a deep blue sky with white, fluffy clouds.
Film v Digital – is there any debate?
Digital is so much sharper, and being instant you know what you've got as soon as you've shot it. If there are any problems with the equipment you know right away.
