Capturing a great action shot is one of the hardest things you can do with your digital camera. But with some patience and practise, images like this one are perfectly possible. Basically, the key principle you need to remember is that pointing your camera in a fixed direction and hoping to capture a fast-moving subject as it speeds past is a lost cause – your finger will simply not be fast enough. Instead, you need to pre-focus your camera onto the subject before you shoot by half-pressing the shutter button. This will save the time it takes for the camera to lock focus before taking its exposure.

Once you’ve done this you should follow the moving subject as it travels (a technique known as ‘panning’). Do so to ensure that the subject constantly remains in the frame. This will result in a blurred background, but that doesn’t matter – it all adds to the sense of speed. This technique should increase your chances of a good shot, but your most important tool – and one that’s available on most mid-range to high-end cameras – is the Continuous or Burst shooting mode. Selecting this mode will set your camera to capture a quick-fire series of shots (normally until the buffer is full) when you keep your finger pressed on the shutter button. Using this handy feature, the chances of at least one exposure being the perfect shot you’re after is significantly increased.

1. Panning

Pan your camera to follow your subject as it moves along. This will result in a blurred background, but this only enhances the sense of speed.

2. Zoom in

The bike in this picture is cropped in places, but it’s better to get a sharp close-up shot than to keep your camera at a distance. You don’t always need to keep the whole subject in the frame.

3. Pre-focus

Pre-focus your camera onto a specific point on your subject, such as the rider’s helmet, to ensure it remains in sharp focus, even if peripheral areas lose clarity.

4. Empty space

When framing your shot, ensure you leave an empty space in front of your moving subject for it to ‘move into’. This helps to enhance the impression of forward momentum.