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.
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.

Usually, when I first walk into an arena, I determine if the floor or court or playing surface has potential for a graphically pleasing picture from above. The second task is to look up and see if there is a catwalk system over the floor or court or playing surface. The third task is to obtain permission to either photograph from or place a remote camera in the catwalks above the playing surface. This can take a little salesmanship but I have found it well worth the effort. (NOTE: It is usually a requirement that you have liability insurance in the sum of 3 million dollars {usually a policy costing a few hundred dollars per year} and can prove it on site if you plan on working in the catwalks at most arenas. A photo copy of your insurance policy is easy to carry in your bag. ) The fourth task is to find the elevator and go to the catwalks and have a look. At this point I would advise removing loose items like a hat, sunglasses, car keys cell phone etc …… anything that might have the potential to fall to the floor below. Safety is the #1 concern of the photographer when working above the competition floor or audience. With all these things taken care of, Let’s “Take It from the Top” ……………..

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.

Image #5      Skyward Bound … This image of 2000 Olympic trampolinist Jennifer Parrilla required some extra thinking. I rented a single man Genie Lift that would place the camera some 25 feet above the trampoline. Then I clamped an 8 foot steel pipe that I found in an alley behind the gym to the operator’s cage of the Genie Lift so that it acted like a boom arm that extended over the center of the trampoline. I secured the remote camera to the make shift boom arm and then I could adjust the height of the camera by raising or lowering the Genie Lift. I placed 4 Elinchrom 1000R Sport Strobes about 20 feet off each corner of the trampoline and aimed them at the gym ceiling. The light bounced off the ceiling and showered a soft quality of light all around the gym. I estimated that Jennifer would perform her gymnastics maneuvers about 10 feet from the camera when the Genie Lift was raised to it’s maximum height so I pre focused the lens for 10 feet. I asked Jennifer to “smile” each time she passed by the camera. Nikon D1, ISO200, 1/500 at f16, Nikon 18mm Lens, WB Cloudy, Bogen Super Clamps, SLIK Super Ball Head, 4 Elinchrom 1000R Sport Strobe with Sport Reflectors, Pocket Wizard Multi Max Transceivers, Single man Genie Lift with a Steel Pipe attached as a Boom Arm, Lexar 126 MB Flash Card.

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.

See you next time at Workshop at the Ranch …………… Adios. Dave