Tucson Sports Photography

Warm and dry...

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:43:00 +0000

If you would have asked me a couple of years back what my thoughts are on “protection” for my camera equipment I would have probably given you a funny look and said something along the lines of “from what“

Today were going to take a look at what exactly it is that each photographer needs to keep not only them safe but there camera gear safe as well.

As I’m sure you can guess by now this is not the spf 80 kind of protection were talking about here. Im talking about something much more substantial and quite frankly isn’t usually on the mind of most people that take to the sidelines each weekend.

Inevitability though it happens; your sitting there enjoying the football game, blasting off burst shots at 10 frames a second and something hits you… Literally!

Nope it’s not a football or a sparsely dressed cheerleader;

it’s a raindrop.

CRAP …..

We have all had that feeling …. You know the one where you start to tingle and think about putting the camera away or pounding out a few more shots. Technically it’s called the “fight or flight response” and according to The National Brain conference it’s…

“The sub cortical arousal system (Thalamus, hippocampus, brainstem and hypothalamus) which mobilizes the body for action. Increasing heart rate, respirator rate and muscle tone”

Medical jargon aside, it’s the point where most people do one of two things:

Put there camera away

OR

Keep Shooting

Now I know what you’re thinking “That’s CRAZY” …. But it’s really not. Think about it, you have diffused, even light and no shadows ….. Hmmm, sounds like prime shooting to me!!

Remember above how we touched on the whole concept of “protection” well here is where that comes in... Before you go off and use your camera mid-storm there are a few things you need to know:

#1 your camera IS NOT WATER-PROOF. Sorry to burst your bubble there but it’s true. Even camera’s like mine with “weather resistant” guards on each of the lens(s) does not ensure that your equipment will not damaged in the event of a sudden downpour.

#2 While highly amusing to other photographers and spectators a like Im sorry to tell you that Duct Tape and grocery bags are for the most part ineffective in keeping rain off your camera and lens they are hardly the proper solution …..

#3 If you see/hear lightning STOP shooting and go somewhere safe! I feel foolish saying that but to be honest some people have no idea of the danger that they are putting themselves in. Use your best judgment here folks…

So what do you do ? ? ?

Well to be honest it’s relatively simple. There are several GREAT products out there that are specifically designed to protect your camera and other equipment in the event of unfavorable weather.

Here are a few helpful links and photos that can get you back on to the right track:

Aquatech makes some GREAT rain covers that can be found HERE Here are a few photos of there products to give you a rough idea of what they look like:

Also there is:

ThinkTankPhoto

They have a great product called Hydrophobia™ 300 - 600 This cover is designed for your big primes 300 mm -600 mm

Generally speaking prices range from about $99.00 all the way up to about $300.00 depending on your needs.

I can tell you though with a large degree of confidence that when the time comes and the rain drops are starting to fall I have complete confidence that my equipment will be kept safe and sound in one of the above mentioned products.

Go ahead, give the links a click… you won’t be disappointed.

Shooting Through The Fence (TTF)

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:59:00 +0000

So it’s the day of the big game and if you’re anything like me odds are that you have a bag of sunflower seeds in one hand and in the other you’re sporting some serious glass.

On problem though … There is an awful contraption in your way that resembles a torture device from the Spanish inquisition...

Want to guess what that is?

If you guessed that it’s a chain link fence you’re absolutely right!

"GRRR... It always messes up my shots!!" --The frustrated photographer

In the next few paragraphs I’ll touch a bit on overcoming obstacles to get that "perfect shot".

As seen in the shot above there isn’t a whole lot of room between each link in the fence but combined with proper technique your results at the ballpark will drastically increase. Here are a few tips that I use each time I venture out to the ballpark:

Pro Tip #1

Get right up there close to the fence (with or without your lens hood on)

Pro Tip #2

Shoot perpendicular to the fence

DO NOT attempt to shoot through the fence at a funky angle. By doing this you’re setting yourself up for disaster…. Trust me, I know…

Pro Tip #3

If you decide to shoot without your lens hood on WATCH OUT for your front element,

Yup you heard me…

Don’t scratch your lens on the fence …

Pro Tip #4

This is the important one … Listen up kiddos

Take your LEFT hand and place it on the fence then hold the front of the camera element between your thumb and forefinger.

This will not only keep your lens from moving around but it will help you center it on an opening in the chain link … and if that wasn’t good enough it helps maintain the proper distance so you don’t scratch up your fancy lens … Cool beans Eh?

Pro Tip #5

If your lens is equipped with a focus limiter switch (like most pro gear is) make sure you have it properly adjusted. In most cases that mean that you have it adjusted so it only focuses on objects several meters away and nothing close to you. This will help the camera from trying to acquire a focus lock on the fence.

The Following are a couple of shots donated by my good friends over at the Nikon Cafe With good technique they managed to get some fantastic results!!

This photo was donated by Tim Kelly (TJK60)

And this one was courtesy of Chris Wraight (Aqualung)

Not to shabby huh ?

Im looking forward to seeing your results !

To crop or not to crop ...

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:37:00 +0000

Nope were not talking corn here were talking about the good ole cutting out of excess pixels

On a good day I’ll post process between 8-10 gigs of photos; while doing just that today I came to the realization that maybe I should talk about cropping. More specifically expand a bit on what I do in regards to cropping while in post production.

The following is one of the shots from from morning's post production work. Note that there is a substantial amount of excess space around the soccer player that detracts from the photo.

In order to fix this were going to need to crop out some of the photo so that our main focus is the player and not the distracting background or wasted space.

When selecting which parts of your photo to remove there are a few things that you may want to keep in mind:

#1 keep your player out of the center of the photo. It’s always important to remember the rule of thirds which can be found HERE. Not every photo applies with this rule but it’s something good to keep in mind when you pick up the knife.

#2 Look where your player is moving. If they are moving left to right you want to show them running in to the photo not out of the photo. As with all things, directionality is important

#3 Unless otherwise unavoidable, resist the urge to sever body parts. Your photos are not a low budget horror film. Granted, sometimes yes this is an acceptable practice but unless you have a long prime and you know what your doing as soon as body parts start coming off I promise THINGS WILL GET MESSY FAST.

Remember that photo from above?

Here you can see how I have prepared it to be cropped with the player clearly running from the right of the frame to the left. Even though the player is for the most part running right at the viewer the photo sill retains a good sense of directionally from left to right.

Not to shabby eh?

Go out and give It a try !

Batteries

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:56:00 +0000

Last week I was at talking with my buddy Noah and we got on the subject of batteries, to be specific rechargeable batteries.

As photographers we are constantly replace batteries in our flashes and honestly I don’t see a point in using “disposable” batteries. Let’s face it they last for about 45 minutes, give us slow recycle times and when there dead, there dead.

The logical solution is NIMH rechargeable batteries. They last longer, provide shorter recycle times and when they are drained you can RECHARGE them….

How cool is that?

Don’t get me wrong, there is a down side.

According to Thomas Distributing “Batteries have a property to release the stored energy in small amounts (this phenomenon is called ‘self-discharge’). “

Yep … it’s true…. After about a week of sitting on the shelf your batteries start to loose there charge …. That’s no fun at all. Fear not, there is a way around this but I’ll touch back on that later.

Generally speaking when you are looking for a good rechargeable battery you normally want to pick one that offers the most amount of power possible. Currently the highest rechargeable(s) that I have seen are in the 2700 mha range.

Here at Tucson Sports Photography we use 2 different types of rechargeable AA size batteries for all our small flash work, they are as follows:

The first type that we use is the Sanyo NIMH 2700 mha. I like these because they pack a whopping 2700 mha and power my equipment through the long hours and hard abuse of sports photography.

HERE is where I got them

The second type of battery that we typically use (and prefer) is the Sanyo Eneloop 2000 mha. Yes I know these have a bit less punch but here is the GREAT part about them. They are special LOW DISCHARGE batteries. What does that mean? It means that unlike traditional batters that loose there charge while sitting on the shelf. The Sanyo Eneloop batteries keep 90% of Charged Capacity after 6 months and 85% Capacity after 12 months.

Here is a photo of what they look like

And HERE is where to get them.

Once again, if there are any more questions that any of you have or topics that you would like to see us cover, please be sure to drop us an E-mail.

Hockey 101

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:36:00 +0000

I have exciting news,

Today you guys are in for a treat. My friend Tim Kelly from Tim Kelly Photos has agreed to write us a guest article on shooting ambient light hockey (indoor). Although Tim is slowly progressing to shooting with artificial light for indoor sports he has a wealth of information to offer on the subject.

Kick back, put your feet up and settle in for a GREAT read !

So you want to shoot some hockey?

Ice hockey is a sport that presents many issues for many sports photographers: its cold, it’s dark and there is stuff in your way! Here is a little primer on how to overcome these issues and still get acceptable pictures.

First and foremost, it’s dark. For the most part, unless you are in a college or pro type arenas you are going to need a fast lens; one that is at least f/2.8. Exposure levels in most junior hockey arenas look something like this:

ISO 1000+, f/2.8 and 1/200 – 1/250.

Here’s a step by step guide to get the best pictures you can:

Preset your white balance:

You can do this one of several ways: Presetting it using the ice is possible, set your camera to measure the white balance, aim it at the ice in a semi-well lit spot and press the shutter. This should be close enough to perfect that you will not need to tweak in post processing. I however use a Lastolite grey card (can be found HERE). To do this I get down on the ice, or near it, turn my back to the ice (so that the lights from the ice are what the camera uses) and set away. Others use an Expodisc,(can be found HERE) aiming it right at the lights. Yet another option is the Whibal which can be found HERE

Shoot in manual mode:

Control the exposure yourself.

I use center-weighted metering if my team is in white, spot metering if my team has the dark uniforms. Many of you will not be shooting ‘for’ a team, so I’d suggest spot metering. Check your histogram to make sure you are exposing correctly, a well exposed shot has less noise than one you have to boost a lot in post processing.

*more on histograms later*

If you decide to shoot in Aperture Priority mode, set your aperture to wide open, and watch that shutter speed. You may have to dial in up to +/-1.3EV to make sure the camera understands that the uniforms are white. Positive EV is good to show dark uniforms better, negative EV is good to expose whites well. This is a number you’ll have to play with to dial in accurately. Remember, the ice is not white, it is grey. (or blue-ish gray). To stop action in bodies you’ll need 1/320 and up, generally the bigger the player, the faster your shutter speed needs to be.

To stop pucks in mid-air, you’ll need greater than 1/1500. Boost your ISO to try and get at least 1/400 @ f/2.8.

Position yourself to get the action you want:

Goalie shots

I know many shooters that love goalie shots. To get the best shots on the goalie, it’s best to be up a bit if you can (a few rows and a clear view over the glass) and positioned about at the blue line. Remember most shooters are right handed, so the goalie will spend a bit more time facing to his left. If you like to get the rebounds and the wrap around tries, you can position yourself on the goalies left.

D200/70-200(VR off), ISO 1000, f/2.8. 1/500

Offensive shots:

Getting offensive pictures is one of the harder things to do, unless you have camera well access (a hole in the glass or boards to shoot thru). Many of the ‘sportrait’ type shots I get are of offensive players on the rush, coming out of their own zone. To get those great shots around the net, you may need to resort to shooting through the glass, or shooting over it through the protective netting. Many shooters bring a ladder to get up over the glass, but you can get some very nice shots shooting through it. If the glass around the rink has a green tint to it, you’ll have major troubles. I normally put my kit away and enjoy the game. If not, boost your in camera contrast a bit and prepare yourself to do some work in post. Another trick is to bring your own Windex™ and clean a few spots on the glass to shot through. If you shoot through the net, get your lens as close as possible to help it ‘disappear’ and watch your focus. The ‘Y’ positions on the diagram below are also great spots to get the slapshots from the point.

D200/85mm, ISO1000, f/2.8,1/250

Defensive shots:

Defensive shooting positions are very similar to the goalie shooting position with the exception that you may not need to get as high, as long as you can shoot over or thru the glass.

I’m pretty lucky; I get to take pictures from the benches, so I have no glass in front of me.

D200/70-200(VR off), ISO1000, f/2.8, 1/250

Here is a diagram that may help illustrate where to position yourself in any given ice hockey rink.

Enjoy the experience, and we’ll talk about bringing more light with you in a later chapter.

Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:15:00 +0000

GET LOW ......If I could shout that across the field I think I might...

Honestly this is one of the biggest pet peeves that I have as a professional photographer. I really HATE it when I see photos of soccer players or heck anybody that’s taken from a high vantage point. If your lens is going to be higher off the ground than the players eyes you are trying to photograph your photos are going to look horrible.

A good solution to this problem is often times more simple than you think.

All you have to do is kneel down, sit down, squat or heck even lay down if you need to!! The idea here is that you get your lens lower than the eyes of the players you are trying to photograph.

Here is a good example of a professional photographer in action. Notice how he is nice and LOW :
(photo courtesy of Alex Cena)

And another, this photographer obviously knows exactly what he is doing because he is going as LOW as possible to get the perfect shot…(oh wait… that’s a shot of me !!)

Notice how both of these photographers are getting themselves as LOW as possible to maximize the idea of using a low vantage point.

The next time you are out trying to get sports photos give it a try and honestly I think you will be surprised. Something as simple as sitting down will have a dramatic effect on your photos.

Field Positioning

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:43:00 +0000

So you want to make your photos better then the “average joe” eh? Well, you’ve taken the first step by reading this and from here on out I promise things will only get better. Soccer is a fairly easy sport to capture but the key to making great photos is truly in where you stand…..

Let’s face it, nobody likes a photo of a player running past the camera. I know you have seen them, we all have. Well from this point on I hereby declare that unacceptable. I'll get back to that soon but first lets talk about what every photo needs.

Any good sports photo is comprised primarily of 4 basic components. They are as follows:

#1 Face(s)
#2 Ball
#3Conflict
#4Perspective

Without all of these elements the photo is just boring. In order to fix these elements there are a few simple things you can do:

Position yourself on the field to capture the kind of shots you are after.

Remember:

Photography isn’t a spectator sport

To get the type of shots you are after you are going to need to put forth some effort and really TRY to get in the best place possible. An important part of trying to get yourself that better photo is field positioning.

What does that mean?

Well it means that there are places on each soccer field / football field where the best photos can be taken. If you have been reading carefully im sure that by now you have the rough idea that the spectator stands isn’t one of those “prime” places. Let’s talk about where you want to be and why.

To capture offensive / attack /forward players you need to be in a spot where they are coming RIGHT AT YOU. The following diagram helps illustrate that point and shows where on I typically stand on any given soccer field.

Do keep in mind though that at all times you need to be clear of where the officials need to traverse. That means stay a few feet back from the edge of the field and when the action is getting close WATCH OUT.

To capture defensive / mid players I recommend the following positions:

Finally to capture goalies:

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of where you truly need to be on the field to get the best possible shots.

Next time I’ll touch on something just as important: Perspective

Radio Triggers Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:25:00 +0000

If our last post left you with a few lingering questions about radio triggers hopefully the following will help alleviate any remaining questions that you might have. I can think of several. They are as follows:

How do I connect my Pocket wizard to my flash?

Where do I get the connection cable?
Now that my flash is off my camera, how do I mount it to my light stand?

All GREAT questions and I’ll try to address each one

First off, “how do I connect my PW’s (pocket wizards) to my flash”

Well if you haven’t noticed already im sure it will soon become blisteringly apparent that regardless of your radio trigger brand you’re going to need some sort of media to connect your flash to your radio trigger. Here is where one of my favorite vendors comes in to play.

After a few days of searching and talking with friends I came across a vendor by the name of “Flash zebra” they specialize in the production of cords specifically made to connect your flash (whatever kind you might have) to your radio triggers.

TALK about a great niche market!

You can visit there website by going to http://www.flashzebra.com/ or by clicking HERE

Typically you must have a strobe that has to basic features:

IT can be triggered externally via your camera's PC connection

Here is an example of a photo (from strobist.com) that illustrates this

This shows both ends of typical cord (that comes with each pw)

In addition to this your strobe must also be able to be controlled in full manual mode. By this I mean you can directly adjust the out put settings of you flash.

If your flash does not have a PC connection port but does have the ability to be controlled in manual mode FEAR NOT for about $20.00 you can get a hot shoe – PC adapter. They can be found HERE for about $10.00

“How do I connect my flash to my light stand?”

EASY !

The most efficient way that I’ve seen to connect a flash to a light stand is the “umbrella adapter” here is an example of one that I use.

(photo from flashzebra.com)

They not only serve as a way to attach your flash to your light stand but also provide means by which to attach an umbrella to your light when you’re ready.

Normally I get my umbrella brackets from HERE for about $14.00

Next post were going to jump in to lightstands, Stay tuned and remember

If you have any more questions feel free to drop me a line Chris@tucsonsports.biz

-Topher

Radio Triggers Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:19:00 +0000

At a venue a couple of weeks back somebody asked me a question that has been asked of me several times over the past few months. I figured if nothing else it would be something good to talk about and share with everyone.

So how do I fire strobes that are not mounted to my camera ?

Easy, I use Pocket Wizards They can be found HERE or HERE

Pocket Wizards are radio remotes. In order for them to work properly you need one attached to your camera (the transmitter) and one attached to each light you want to fire. They typically have a range of about 1600 feet and depending on the model you choose you will have the ability to select from 30+ channels to operate off of.

Here’s the bad part.

They are about $180.00 each…

Granted you don’t have to go out and get the same transceivers that I use (pocket wizards). They come in all shapes and sizes but be warned along with the separate price ranges something very important is sacrificed.

Reliability

Typically you can get the Gadget Infinity radio triggers for approximately $30-$35 from HERE I would generally recommend that you stay away from them as they have a smaller range of reliability and even then I’ve heard reports of them being inconsistent at best.

There is also the Elinchrom Skyports which are in the $100 - $150 price range but once again are not quite as reliable. A good review of them can be found at http://www.blewbmx.com/ or by clicking HERE

Pocket wizards while expensive are the “Gold standard” for off camera lighting because of there fantastic reliability and ease of use. If you are interested in learning more about radio triggers stay tuned because our next article will hopefully show in detail how to use these fantastic products

--Topher

Safety first !

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:07:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything here but I feel it’s long overdue that I talk about something important; safety.

As our seasons begin to change and many of the sports that we love and enjoy move inside to what perhaps some consider more tolerable weather, we (photographers) find ourselves making the transition as well. With that transition comes a few challenges that must be addressed. First and foremost is the thing that most photographers struggle with.

Lighting….. Yeah that’s right; I said the “L” word, some consider the use of strobes and additional light modifiers for indoor sports a hurdle that there just not willing to get over. In the next few issues hopefully I’ll be able to ease some of those fears and in the process show you some simple things you (yes you) can do to get the results you are looking for from your indoor photographs.

Before we dive in to technique and gear (later blogs) I want to cover something that I think is one of the most important and most frequently overlooked.

SAFTEY

Taking simple precautions can help save you from a world of hurt later on down the line if something happens. (IE: light stand falling over and hurting somebody etc)

Cords, they are something that we all have and if unchecked can pose a serious threat not only to spectators but your equipment as well. I know I wouldn’t want my light sand with $1000 + worth of equipment on it falling over ….. Here’s how to keep yourself safe:

TAPE-

Yup …. Good ole fashion tape, it can be the difference between a success and a disaster when you’re shooting on-location with additional lighting. Normally unless you are using batter packs with your strobes or something similar your going to need power plain and simple. In order to get that power to where you need it to be you’re going to need an extension cord (or 2, or 3 or, well you get the point) Whenever these cords cross doorways, or areas of even light traffic they need to be safely secured with some sort of tape. Granted you could find yourself some nice cloth backed Gaffers tape (which usually will not leave a nasty residue after being removed) or you could use any sort of vinyl backed tape such as … yup… you guessed it, “The duck”…. If you are going to use duct tape be sure to rip a nice even section and (here’s the tricky part) tape it to the leg of your pants….. Stay with me here, it gets better….gently peel off and then apply to the floor in your desired location. Not only will you have removed any unsightly lint / pet hair, more importantly you shaved off about 25% of the effectiveness of the adhesive… This is a GOOD thing… often times Duct tape can be just “to sticky”. Believe it or not I’ve seen it take layers off of wood floors……. Whoops……Try explaining that one to the Athletic Director of the school ….

Use tape often, I frequently use tape for keeping my cord monsters under control, across doorways, around light stands etc.

Here are some shots to illustrate what I’m talking about.

Safety Cables –

Generally speaking whenever I clamp a strobe or mount an external flash unit I use safety cables. I do this for a couple of reasons but it all boils down to 2 things.

keeping my equipment safe

And

Keeping people safe

Small cables such as these can be purchased via your local hardware store in several lengths and diameters along with end attachments and carabineers / French connectors as seen in the photo. All of the above hardware ran me about $20.00 but I’m willing to pay that in exchange for peace of mind.

As I’m sure by now your eyes are on the verge of bleeding I think I’ll wrap things up….

Next time I’ll try and take a peek in to some of the equipment that makes indoor photography possible and how to take your shots to the next level.

As always remember that if you have any questions or if there is something that you would like me to cover in future bogs feel free to drop me an e-mail

Tiny00711@hotmail.com

---Topher

Ever have one of those days?

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 02:25:00 +0000

If you’ve had one of “Those” days you know exactly what I’m talking about. In this short cartoon What the Duck basically summarizes that exact feeling ….

I hope all of you are having a GREAT week !

--Topher

Tucson Sports Photography granted exclusive rights to 29th annual TSA Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:00:00 +0000

Tucson Sports Photography is very proud to announce that we been granted exclusive access to photograph and deliver play by play photo’s of The 29th Annual TSA Tournament in Tucson Arizona.

U11-U19 Action will begin September 14 and go until September 16 at approximately 8pm. For more information on the TSA Soccer Tournament please visit the TSA webpage: http://www.tucsonsocceracademy.org/tournament/tournament.htm

Digital Downloads

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:42:00 +0000

Exciting news everybody!!!!

Thanks to My good friend Randy Tucson Sports Photography is now able to offer digital downloads of your favorite sports action photos. You have the choice between 1, 4 and original megapixels (10.2).

It's EASY, all you do is click on the drop down menu and select “digital downloads” and then select the resolution that you want and your SET!

Here I'll Even do a screen shot to show you how EASY it is !!!

I recommend that you go for the original if you are looking to print large sizes and the 4 megapixel size if you are looking to just print 5x7’s and smaller. As always, if you have any sort of questions about ordering or concerns about crops and resolution, feel free to drop me an e-mail and I will get back to you ASAP.

---Topher
Tiny00711@hotmail.com

Welcome !

noreply@blogger.com (www.TucsonSports.Biz) — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:52:00 +0000

welcome to my new blog space !!

In the following weeks I will use this space to post informative articles on sports photography and awnser any questions that **you** may have.

Thanks for stopping by

-Topher