Re: [Leica] Ted's advice on sports pictures (snowboarding)

["Robert G. Stevens" <robsteve@istar.ca>]

Ted:

The film is in the soup now!  I will let you know how it turns out.  I was
able to get very close for the half pipe shots.  I was within six feet of
the boarders when they went airborne.  I uses the 35mm Summicron and backed
off and used the 90mm Summicron.  It was overcast and I tried panning and
on some I used a fill flash.

For the GS, I used the 400mm for the gate shots and then the 105-280 for
some of the pan shots.

You were right about the R8 winder being painfully slow.  I was doing pans
of the competitors in the air while I was at the edge of the half pipe
using the R6 and motor and taking bursts of two or three shots.  With the
R8 it was pointless to try more than one shot at a time because by the time
it was ready for the second shot the boarder was gone.  The R8 does feel
good in the hands though.  Maybe I will have to add my name to the list of
Canadian customers wanting a drive when they are available.


Regards,

Robert

At 09:16 PM 1/23/99 -0800, you wrote:
>Robert Stevens wrote:
>
>>Since you are a man from the Province that created Canada's Gold Medal
>>winner in snowboading and weed controversy, I thought you may have some
>>tips on shooting snowboarding and avoiding second hand smoke ;-)
>
>Hi Robert,
>
>I'm glad it wasn't the other way around and asking for advice on the
"weed!" :)
>
>But I never inhaled! :)............ Well at least never on a snow board! :)
>
>OK lets get serious.
>
>I'd use 400mm rather than short and a location where they are going to get
>airborn, the higher the better and for that crowd, higher is higher in the
>air in this case, not mind blown.:)
>
>I'd have the 105-280 on the R8 with the winder. But I bet you'll be ready
>to throw it down the hill before the day is out because the winder isn't
>the motor and this sport cries for motor winding ability.  With the winder,
>you have to completely concentrate on the action as though you were
>shooting one frame and then hand advancing, not like the motor where you
>fire the exact one you want, then let the motor carry on in the follow
>through.
>
>You might try some "swishy Pans" as I call them. That is panning with
>athlete using a slow shutter speed to create a blurring effect of the
>background as they blow by. Given how fast the boarder goes, I'd sart
>shooting at 125th as the highest speed and go slower from there, but not
>likely slower than 1/30th unless you've done lots of this before. Swishy
>pans that is.  Be expected to shoot lots of film as you have no way of
>knowing exactly what it will look like other than the background will be
>blurred, as well as the boarder in some cases.
>
>Airborn "swishies don't work"  as you require the blurr of the background
>for the effect. Shoot them as they go by across your front. And don't
>forget to follow through like swinging a golf club or baseball bat.
>
>Obviously the 400mm is on the R6 with motor. I wouldn't get loaded down
>with too much gear as climbing the hill will kill you, no matter how good a
>shape one is in. Unless you are going to be shooting tight heads and faces
>at the bottom when they have finished their run.  I wouldn't carry more
>than the 400, 105-280 zoom and a wide angle, the 21mm if you want some wild
>distorted board shots with the designs and faces.
>
><<<<<I thought the wide angle set up under a jump with a remote might make
>some interesting pictures.  What are your suggestions?>>>>>>>
>
>I like the remote wide shot idea, but you need this camera where they are
>doing something almost right above. The danger is some guy coming down on
>it and that's a Murphies law, that if a boarder is going to fall, it's
>going to be right on your gear.
>
>And can you afford to loose it?  Never mind the Boarder, they heal and are
>mainly brain damaged to start with anyway. :)
>
>I don't know if I can give you a lead for film as it depends on what you're
>going to do with it. But I'd use E100 or similar, unless the weather is the
>pits and you have to go to higher asa or you push the E100 a stop or two as
>it can handle a one stop push very nicely.  Or the option would be E200.
>
>But if possible I'd stick with slower films as long as you can get the
>highest possible shutter speed for the stopped action stuff. 1/500 at
>least.  Even if you're using the 400mm wide open!
>
>The swishy pans are "hand held" no matter what lens you are using as you
>can't pan the lens fast enough on a tripod, maybe on a monopod, but I
>prefer this type of pan action hand held and swinging my body from the
>waist.  Very quickly! :)
>
><<<I will have full access to the hill as I was invited by the Manager of
>the Ski hill. >>>>>>
>
>That's OK, but just make sure you have some kind of outer ware markings
>that show you are "official" something or other. Otherwise the course
>security guys will be constantly telling you to get behind the safety
>fence.
>
>And "safety fence" brings me to another thing.  Think about a boarder doing
>a crash and burn where you pick your photo position, is he going to come
>flying into you, away from you?  It might be you wont have a choice, as the
>safety marshalls control the course no matter whom your shooting for.
>
>It pays to be at the event much earlier than for a track meet due to the
>safety thing for yourself and competitor, hauling gear up to the location
>and becoming calmed down before the races start, so that you're relaxed and
>not muscle tensed from climbing the hill.
>
>Final thing: Establish the best shooting location from someone who really
>knows the hill and where the best action should be. Keep in mind:
>
>             "YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT AT THEM AS THEY GO BY! :)
>
>Apart from this, good luck and keep warm!  Also if you can, have someone
>helping with the gear!
>ted
>
>Ted Grant
>This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
>http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
>
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