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"Take It from the Top"Workshop at the Ranch Hi, and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch.
Most of the time the sports photographer finds themselves shooting
from the same court side position time and time again. Occasionally
I will ask a fellow photographer at an event "what's up?"
to which I get a reply like "same old thing." Sometimes
we need to break tradition and get a new outlook on our subjects.
I have found that sports action takes on a whole new perspective
when captured from above. Editors relish the unique view so
I try to incorporate it into my assignments whenever possible.
I hope you all have enjoyed this edition of Workshop
at the Ranch. Images that are taken from a position above the
competition floor tend to grab the attention of the editor do
to there graphically pleasing background and composition. Whether
you use a remote or obtain permission to position yourself in
the catwalks I encourage all of you explore the possibilities
of making images Taken From the Top.
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Image
#1 Lady Wrestlers ... This, of course, is not basketball.
We have all seen pictures of basketball from overhead and
they are terrific ........ that's why an overhead view of
other sports is such a good idea. I try and give my clients
something new to look at, something they don't usually see.
Wrestling is almost always shot from floor level but this
overhead view worked very well. The graphics of the mat
added a wonderful dimension and a splash of sweeping color.
My athletes fit nicely into the design. I did not use a
remote camera but obtained permission from the event director
to photograph from the catwalks over the competition floor.
I shot 3 matches from this vantage point and made a variety
of images as the wrestlers moved about the mat. This particular
image has resold many times over the years. It is generic
and illustrates ladies wrestling in a clean and graphically
pleasing way. It was simple to capture. All I did was hand
hold my camera, wait for the action to fit into the area
I wanted and take a picture. I did not use anything fancy
... no strobes, no remote triggering devices, no clamps
....... just compose, focus and shoot. Nikon D2H, ISO800,
1/640 at f3.5, Nikon 70-200mm Lens, WB Tungsten, Lexar 4G
Flash Card. Using a camera remotely is great but sometimes
I want to control the images, compose the scene and follow
the action. It is well worth the sacrifice of not being
on the floor when you have access to stand in the catwalks.
The rule is SAFETY FIRST ..... and when photographers follow
this rule it is always to their advantage.
Image
#2 Ice Jungle Swirl ... Sometimes the catwalks do not
extend over the competition surface or the event director
does not grant you access to be directly over the athletes.
In this case with figure skating no photographers and
no remotes were allowed directly over the ice surface.
However, there were catwalks located just off the end
zones that were not directly overhead and permission was
granted for a remote camera. Although not my first desire
it was good enough for some different looking images of
a sport almost never photographed from above. Once the
camera was secured in place I pre focused on an area of
ice that I knew skaters would perform spins in and then
turned off the auto focus switch. This is called ZONE
FOCUSING which means that an area or ZONE is pre focused.
When an athlete enters the ZONE I will trigger the camera
and my subject will be in focus. Even though I've turned
off the auto focus I will tape the focus ring on the barrel
of the lens to make certain that it will not move during
the competition. Nikon D2X, ISO800, 1/640 at f2.8, Nikon
300mm f2.8, WB Custom Setting, Bogen Super Clamp with
SLIK Super Ball Head, Pocket Wizard Multi Max Transceivers,
N90-M3 Pre Release cable, Safety Strap, Lexar 4G Flash
Card. I was located in the ice-level photo position opposite
the end of the rink where my remote camera was. Each time
a skater would perform a spin or skill in the area of
ice that I aimed my remote camera at I would take a few
pictures. Sometimes it can be difficult to estimate if
the athlete is in the "pre-focused ZONE" that
my remote camera is pointed at, but usually there are
enough good images among which one or two are perfect
for the client. (NOTE: I have a custom channel in my Pocket
Wizards so that no other photographer also using pocket
wizards will trigger my camera. LPA Design will install
the custom channel for a small fee). 
Image #3 The Dig ... This image was shot a few years ago
and illustrates the idea of recognizing that the competitive
floor has potential for a strong image from above. The solid
blue volleyball court makes a terrific background for the
player and his shadow. This image is not only shot with a
remote camera but makes use of Sport Strobe lighting as well.
As always, I asked ahead of time about the use of remote cameras
and strobes during the event. Once access to the catwalks
was granted I found the elevator, went to the catwalks and
installed my sport strobes for general competition shots from
court level. I then installed 2 additional lights aimed at
the practice areas off the court that were solid blue. A separate
remote camera would be connected to these two sport strobes
just for pictures of players warming up on this end-zone off-court
area during time outs. I wanted to capture graphic images
that were similar to the wrestling image, that is, generic
images that would illustrate volleyball but not key in on
any significant player. I was located in the court side photo-position
all during the competition but captured images with the remote
camera each time players warmed up in the blue area during
time outs. Nikon D1X, ISO125, 1/500 at f5.6, Nikon 80-200mm
Lens, WB Cloudy, Two Elinchrom 1000R Sport Strobes with Sport
Reflectors, Bogen Super Clamps for each strobe and Safety
Straps, Bogen Super Clamp and Magic Arm for the Remote Camera
and Safety Strap, Pocket Wizard Multi Max Transceivers were
used to trigger the camera which in turn triggered the strobes,
an M90-N3 Pre Release cable was used from the Transceiver
to the remote camera, Lexar 2G Flash Card. The power output
on the strobe located in the catwalk behind the player was
much higher than the strobe in front of him. This creates
a more distinctive shadow of his body in front of him and
helps draw the viewers attention to the volleyball in flight.
Image
#4 Turn'em Loose! ... This is one of my favorite rodeo pictures.
I used a remote camera and Sport Strobe lighting very similar
to the previous image of the volleyball player. I positioned
the remote camera directly over shoot #6. Each time there
was action in shoot #6 I had an opportunity to make pictures.
Same steps as always, arrive early and determine is this a
good arena for an overhead camera, do I need a remote camera
or can I stand in the catwalk and hand hold a camera, get
permission from the event director, proof of liability insurance,
find the elevator, etc, etc. Position the remote camera, pre
focus on a ZONE, turn off the focus, tape the focus ring,
connect the Pocket Wizard Multi Max Transceiver to the camera
with the M90-N3 Pre Release Cable, Place another Pocket Wizard
on the Hot Shoe for triggering the strobes, make a few test
shots and set your exposure accordingly and then go have lunch.
Yes, have some lunch because the event doesn't start until
3pm and you should be all set up and ready to go by Noon.
No kidding. Always arrive early and have everything installed
and ready before anyone sets foot on the competition floor
.......... remember, SAFETY FIRST. Nikon D2H, ISO200, 1/250
at f5.6, Nikon 70-200mm Lens, WB 5600K, Bogen Super Clamps
and Magic Arms, Safety Straps, Pocket Wizard Multi Max Transceivers,
M90-N3 Pre Release Trigger cable, 4 Elichrom 1000R Sport Strobes
with Sport Reflectors, Lexar 4G Flash Card.
