- 1). Find a good location to shoot from. Safety is the most important factor; make sure you are out of the path of skateboarders so you don't have any accidents. Look for a spot to the side of a ramp, or wherever the fancy moves are happening. Avoid facing the sun so you don't get lens flare. Try to keep the sun behind you, or to your side for more dramatic shadows.
- 2). Adjust your shutter speed to at least 1/800 of a second, or higher. This will reduce blur as the camera snaps the photo faster than if it were set for a lower shutter speed, like 1/400.
- 3). Mind your composition. Don't frame your shot so that your skateboarder is dead in the center. Slightly off-center subjects are much more visually interesting. Use your zoom lens to capture more of your subject and less of the surrounding area for a tighter shot. Take some action photos, but also take candid photos when your skateboarder is still, and portraits when you get his attention. Capture the smiles, the frustration and the excitement.
- 4). Anticipate the action. In action photography, if you are watching the action in your viewfinder while you take the photo, you've already missed it. When a skateboarder is going up a ramp, snap the photo as he is getting to the top, not after he has gotten there.
- 5). Wait for the moment of suspended action. Whenever a something goes up, it will pause a fraction of a second before it comes down again. Work on your timing to capture that fraction of a second when your skateboarder jump in the air, or reaches the top of the ramp. That still moment will render you a clear shot. This is the best technique to use if you have a very basic, point-and-shoot camera that doesn't allow you to adjust the shutter speed, since your subject will be almost motionless for that instant.
- 6). Take photos of the skateboarders as they are approaching you, or as they are skating away from you, rather than when they are breezing past you. Trying to take a photo of someone quickly passing you while holding your camera still can result your subject coming out as a big blur.
- 7). Pan your camera if you do want to get a photograph of someone skateboarding right past you. Panning is when you move your camera with the subject as they go by you and snap the picture while it is moving with the subject. It takes some practice to get this technique down, but it can make a visually stunning photograph. If you pan correctly, the subject will be clear, and the background will be blurry, which will give the photo the feeling of motion and speed.
- 8). Practice a lot. Your eye for a good shot and timing instincts will develop with the more shots you take.
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