When you're a parent to a child enrolled in sports, it's ideal to invest in some quality camera gear that allows you to take professional-caliber shots of your young athlete. Instead of standing atop the bleachers and shooting a blurry photo with your smartphone camera, you can instead stand on the sidelines with your camera and your gear and take shots about which you can be proud — and you may even be offered a few bucks to shoot quality images of the other players on the team. Beyond a good camera (or two) and some lessons in sports photography, having the right gear can be a real asset. Here are some essential things to keep with you.

Quick Release Clamp

A quick release clamp, such as from Acratech, is an ideal camera accessory to carry and use when you're shooting sports. It pairs with a tripod or monopod and affixes to the base of your camera, allowing you to attach the camera to its support easily — and remove it just as easily. This is preferable to having to tighten the mounting screw to secure the camera to the tripod, which takes several seconds. All you'll need to do is flick a switch and the camera will pop off. You'll use this accessory a lot if you shoot with two cameras equipped with a wide-angled lens and a zoom lens. With this clamp mounted to the bottom of each camera, you'll be able to easily switch from one camera to the other in mere seconds.

Monopod

A quick release clamp on the bottom of your camera can secure the camera to several types of devices, but a monopod is your best bet when you're shooting sports. Tripods are too bulky to carry up and down the sidelines, and also take too much time to set up. A monopod is essentially just one long piece of material, which means that it's easy to carry and also that you can quickly lift it out of the way if an athlete slides outs of bounds near you. Additionally, the monopod will keep the camera steady, which is essential when you're shooting shots from a long distance.

Over-Shoulder Harness

Amateurs hang their camera around their neck, but professionals know to invest in a better option. The solution comes in the form of an over-shoulder harness, which you wear over both shoulders to avoid the camera's weight pulling at your neck. This is ideal for sports photography because you could be standing for an hour or more at a time, and you want to be comfortable.