[Leica] OT: world press winners 2006

[telyt at earthlink.net (Douglas Herr)]

Ted, my experience with sports mirrors yours with birds ;-) but for wildlife
at least digital capture with fast frame rates has turned technique upside
down from where it was just a few years ago.  Standard practice is indeed to
shoot a burst and pick a good one from the sequence later.

--
Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com



on 2/11/06 9:19 PM, Ted Grant at tedgrant@shaw.ca wrote:

> Doug Herr offered:
> Subject: Re: [Leica] OT: world press winners 2006
>>>> At 8 frames per second and zero perceived variable cost who needs good
>> reactions?  Push the button when the dive starts, if nothing spectacular
>> happens delete the whole damn sequence and repeat with the next diver.<<
> 
> Oh Doug,
> I know you're not serious or forgot the smiley! I'm sure. Right? :-) If you
> are serious I'm glad I didn't see this to read, nor hear you saying it!
> 
> Sure when motor drives came out nearly every guy shooting news thought he
> was going to have the greatest sport action photographs ever.
> 
> Guess what? The camera still missed it because the camera was changing film
> frames as the peak action happened. And capturing the "peak action" is what
> it's all about!
> 
> Actually at the 1971 Pan American games in Cali, Columbia I was using a
> Leica produced two camera bracket for motor driven SLR's with a micro
> switch. First pressure lightly, one camera would fire. If I squeezed down
> hard both cameras fired alternately. As the first was changing film, the
> second body fired. Then we edited the rolls alternating the frames on the
> light table, interesting rig.
> 
> I figured I was going to have the best action pictures in the world. :-)
> NOPE!!!
> 
> It was a great contraption as I used different focal lengths and made the
> cameras lock on at the same position. I used the longer of the two lenses 
> to
> view through and direct both cameras, the slightly wider lens was focused
> where I knew if anything was going to happen it was in focus using a
> slightly smaller aperture for a little extra depth.
> 
> I suppose one could say... "getting those gorgeous bird pictures is easy!"
> All you have to do is focus, hit the motor drive button and if you miss it,
> delete all and shoot the next one! ;-) Yeah I know that's a crock and
> wouldn't work no more than motor driving a diver.
> 
> Trust me I've shot way to many sports events around the world, amateur and
> professional and know using a motor drive to get the ultimate single photo
> is doomed to failure.
> 
> The photographer who knows the sport and is prepared for things to happen
> are the successful shooters. The really good shooters shoot the first frame
> due to their ability to re-act as fast or faster than the athlete, while
> using the motor to do a follow through after the finish line or head
> bashing.
> 
> Holding down on the motor drive release sure as hell wont guarantee a
> successful photograph! Unless it's a rock, fern or non-breathing thing.
> 
> What do you think we did shooting football, down hill ski races, track and
> field events when we were using 4X5 non-motor driven Speed Graphics? There
> were many wonderful large format sport pictures shot long before motor
> drives at whatever speed you want, came along. But we did ours "One sheet 
> at
> a time!" ;-)
> 
> And we captured some incredible "stopped action!" One does not require a
> motor drive as you describe if you know the sport and are mentally prepared
> for any eventuality.
> 
> ted 
> 
> 
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