BEST of On The Road
"Tour of Champions Documentary"

August, 2006

Welcome to this edition of On The Road. Photographing Figure Skating has been a part of my career for a long time. So when the opportunity to shoot for Tom Collins and his Champions on Ice tour comes up ... I jump ......... or should I say "axle".......Here is what I found interesting during one tour stop.................

Image #1 Wardrobe ... No, this is not my closet but the wardrobe room for the skaters costumes. A very simple image that goes together well with the documentary style of images I gathered during the afternoon prior to showtime. Nikon D200, ISO200, 1/60 at f4.5, Nikon 12-24mm Lens, Aperture Priority EV -1.3, WB 3300K, Two SB800 Speedlights using the i-TTL setting and the Remote mode are banded together (tandem) for twice the power and 1/2 the recycle time each with the Warming Gel (orange colored gel) that comes standard with each SB800 power output +1.3 Hand Held in my left hand, SU800 Commander on the Hotshoe is used as the Master to trigger the remote SB800s, Lexar 4G Flash Card.
Image #2 Ready and Waiting ... Michelle Kwan waits for her turn on the ice during the cast introductions at the opening of the show. I set the exposure for the performer on the ice by "taking a shot and taking a look" on the LED screen on the back of my D200. The skaters who are waiting are in complete darkness so I prefocused on my outstretched hand that I could silhouette against the ice. This distance is about the same as the distance that Michelle is from me (an arm length.) I positioned my hand held tandem SB800 Speedlights with warming gels out to my left and took a "shot in the dark" and revealed Michelle from total dankness while preserving the performer on the ice. Nikon D200, ISO500, 1/13 at f2.8, Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Lens, WB 3300K, Two remote SB800s with Gels (tandem) power output +1.3, SU800 Commander, Lexar 4G Flash Card. I like this image. It is simple image in content but not often seen as I had special permission to join the skaters in this restricted location. (NOTE: I zoomed one SB800 to 105mm in order to spotlight Michelle and set the other SB800 on 24mm in order to spread light and illuminate the other skaters nearby.)
Image #3 Star Wars ... Great theater and great athletics best describes the Champions On Ice tour. This image of Marina Anissina and Gwendal Piezerat of France, Gold Medalists in Ice Dancing at the 2004 Winter Olympic Games, performed a brilliant program complete with a Light Saber duel to a medley of themes from the Star Wars movies . Nikon D2X, ISO800, 1/60 at f2.8, Nikon 300mm Lens, WB 3300K, Nikon Pistol Grip for lens support of the 300mm Lens, Lexar 4G Flash Card.
Image #4 Backstage ... My special location at the entrance to the ice made it easy to slip backstage. While Dan Hollander skates beyond the curtain Johnny Weir, Tanith Belbin and Rudy Galindo are waiting for their "Q" to step into the spotlight. Here again is a situation where I set my exposure for the performer on the ice and then used my Speedlights to reveal the skaters waiting in complete darkness off ice backstage. Nikon D200, ISO500, 1/4 at f2.8, Nikon 10.5 Fisheye Lens, Two SB800s with warming gels, tandem, with a power output of 1.7, SU800 Commander, Lexar 4G Flash Card. I like to rubber band the SB800 Speedlights together for a tandem package that is easy to hold and delivers twice the power and faster recycle time. The rubber bands also allow me to swivel the two tandem speedlights so that in this case I can illuminate both Johnny Weir on my left and Tanith/Rudy straight ahead individually without flooding light all over the scene ....a sort of spotlight effect on each of my subjects. This system works well and the more I use the "tandem" speedlight set up the more applications I find.
Image #5 Classic Michelle ... My long time work with Michelle has been a key highlight of my sports photography career. No other athlete has been so generous with her time and skill. Her family has on several occasions opened their home and their lives to me. I always enjoy photographing Michelle. Nikon D2X, ISO800, 1/200 at f2.8, Nikon 300mm Lens with Nikon Pistol Grip for lens support, WB 10,000K, Lexar 4G Flash Card. The choice of using a WB of 10,000K was to counter the deep blue spotlights that Michelle used while performing her final program of the night.
Image #6 "Au Revoir"... Gwendal Piezerat strips out of his costume immediately following the evening show as he heads backstage while the sold out audience continues their standing ovation. It is a special treat and a privilege to photograph so many of the greatest champions of the decade in one show. Nikon D200, ISO500, 1/25 at f2.8, Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Lens, Two Nikon SB800 Speedlights (tandem) with warming gels, power output of 1.7, SU800 Commander, Lexar 4G Flash Card. Gwendal is on the move and rushing past me as the show ends. The 1/25 shutter speed allows the background to pan blur while the SB800 freezes Gwendal and creates a wonderful mood of "Au Revoir" to the image.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this slightly different look at the Champions On Ice Tour. Creative lighting is not just for portraits but can be very effective when doing documentary work On The Road.

Adios, ............ Dave