Sports Photography 1 - Considerations

Sports photography is a challenging field to work in. On a technical level, the lenses required for most sports are very expensive, and to add to the difficulty, amateur photographers are likely to have only very restricted access at a professional event.

For most professional sports, an amateur photographer will have to confine themselves to the crowd along with everyone else. This can cause all manner of problems:

• The photographer is unable to move around freely
• Key moments may be interrupted by people moving around in front
• It is impossible to set up a tripod, and even a monopod may prove difficult
• The photographer may be too far back from the action, beyond the capabilities of their equipment
• Indoor lighting will be uneven and focussed on the play area

Most sports require the crowd to sit some way back from the action. Therefore, to get a shot of a player in action will require a telephoto lens with a reasonable zoom. Now the problems begin:

• Freeze-frame action requires fast shutter speeds to avoid motion blur
• Fast shutter speeds require wider aperture settings
• Telephoto lenses generally don't go wider than f5 without the cost skyrocketing

These problems can be made even more acute with indoor sports, where the artificial lighting indoors will be uneven and not suited to photography. Dimmer lighting conditions will also require lengthier exposures - but remember the problem with the tripod? With most standard kit the only solution is to crank up the ISO sensitivity, but with this comes a loss of picture quality.

Professional sports photographers overcome these difficulties by having top-quality telephoto lenses with enormous zoom capabilities, or a range of fixed prime lenses (rrp £6000 - 16000) along with access to press areas and freedom of movement around the event. They also have room to set up tripods, monpods, etc. In simple terms, they are not hampered by the many difficulties faced by the amateur photographer.

Yet it is possible for the amateur photographer to take very credible and pleasing sports shots. Over the next week or so, I will post more in this series with ideas and examples of my own work.

Puppy

I have been taken away from the world of photography for the past week by the arrival of a new golden labrador puppy, named Willow (pictures to follow). Also, this evening, I'm going to take some pictures of one of my favourite sports and show some of the difficulties facing sports photographers, and just why some of the kit they need is so expensive.

Image Makeover

Most photography websites and blogs are very artistic and stylish in their presentation, so I can't help but feel that Photo Plod lacks some panache. Unfortunately, my patience with configuring Blogger wears very thin after a while spent tweaking things. I would rather the site remains functional and easy to access rather than turn into a triumph of style over substance, but if anybody has any suggestions for templates or a new "look" for the blog, I'll be happy to consider them.

Bob Landry - Part 3

This week's Bob Landry round-up finishes with two contrasting photos, both taken in the same year, showcasing Landry's outstanding photojournalistic prowess and his effortless eye for classic Hollywood glamour. I won't add any of my own comments...suffice it to say that I will let the images speak for themselves.

French Patriots and a German Collaborator -Bob Landry (1945)

Fred Astaire - Bob Landry (1945)

Bob Landry - Part 2

Rita Hayworth - Bob Landry (1941)

As well as war photography, Bob Landry perhaps rose to fame with this iconic shot of American actress Rita Hayworth. It rapidly became one of the most popular pin-up shots of the war, adorning GI's lockers all over the world. It was considered racy and provocative in 1941 but is, of course, tame by modern standards. In technical terms, it isn't even a particularly good shot - Hayworth's face is a tad over-exposed and she is casting a fairly strong shadow - but this wasn't a set-up studio shot. Landry managed to capture Hayworth in an intimate moment, and there is no single definitive story of how this came about. Landry managed to capture intimate glamour - indeed, I would argue that the technical deficiency of the image actually enhances this. The viewer is invited to feel like they are looking at a cheeky clandestine shot of one of the world's most famous women. The image feels (by 1941 standards) voyeuristic - a forbidden pleasure.

Bob Landry

Perhaps more famous for being the only photographer to be in the first wave of troops on D-Day in 1944 (and consequently losing all of his footage), Bob Landry took many iconic shots of the 1940's. This is one of my favourites:

Chaplain playing violin with singing British 8th Army staff the night before an attack - Bob Landry (1942)

This image has particular resonance with me, as my own grandfather was in the 8th Army in North Africa at this time, and for all I know he could even be in that photo. It's a wonderfully simple, powerful image, with the troops framed by a setting sun on the horizon that says a great deal about humanity at a time of war. The only detail that can be seen in the shot is the truck, with all the troops reduced to silhouettes - anonymous for all time.

I will post another iconic Bob Landry shot tomorrow.

No Way Like the American Way

Breadline During the Louisville Flood - Margaret Bourke-White (1937)

An iconic shot from LIFE magazine - one of my favourites.

Using Line

Dawn Mist on the Chiltern Line - Ella's Dad (2007)

Most photographers often use natural or man made "lines" in photographs as a way of leading the viewer into the subject - the classic "lead line". The above photo is a literal interpretation of this, with the photographer using two railway tracks to guide the eye into the mist and the sun. One of the many skills of a photographer is in recognising these lines in everyday features. Have a look at this example:

Arches, Lines & Stairs - Jig O'Dance (2007)

The photographer here has seen a moment where suddenly everyday, mundane features come together to make a more interesting image. By connecting the various parts with imaginary "lines", both straight and curved, the image is more coherent as a whole and pleasing to the eye. "Lines" in images can also show connection, both physical and emotional:

When used properly, subtle use of line is an important tool in the photographer's box. It can guide the viewer, hold the image together or create an emotional impact. It is applicable to almost all fields of photography, from architectural cityscapes to natural countryside scenes.

O. Winston Link

Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia - O. Winston Link (1956)

O. Winston Link (1914 - 2001) was a pioneering American photographer, specialising in railways and night photography. There are several excellent biographies of his life and work, so I will focus on the image above.

The focal point of this image is the young couple in the car at the drive-in movie theatre - the epitomy of 1950's America. There is a sense of modern style, from the cars to the jet aircraft displayed on the screen. And yet running across the top of the frame is the dominant steam engine and a trail of smoke. I love this image for its symbolism of transition - 19th century technology together with "hip" modernity.

On a technical level, the image is very impressive as well. Winston Link did not have the benefit of using ISO 6000 film - the fastest he could have obtained would have been somewhere around the 400 mark at best. Floodlighting the area would have destroyed the ambience of the shot and would have been virtually impossible anyway. Instead, he composed this shot using a series of linked flash bulbs scattered around and throughout the scene. It is a remarkable feat of photographic skill, considering the limits of flash at the time. The bulbs could only be used once, and each bulb in Winston Link's sequence was dependent on the previous one igniting successfully for itself to fire at the correct time. These days, such a sequence would be simple with radio-controlled flash units - but back then, Winston Link was out on his own, having to hand-make much of his equipment. If he missed the moment, he had no choice but to replace each of the flash bulbs, recompose the image and wait for the next train.

Link's images did not find popular success until comparatively late in his life, but he is now regarded as an important cultural photographer in the United States. His works are well worth browsing.

The Decisive Moment

Man Jumping a Puddle - Henri Cartier-Bresson (1932)

This famouse image captures the very essence of the "decisive moment", and it's a skill that documentary photographers / photojournalists absolutely need to develop. I practice at local ice hockey matches - though I could only dream of having the skill that Cartier-Bresson possessed. His feats of capturing such moments are all the more remarkable considering that not only was he working with film, he even pre-dated the motor drive by over 40 years. In the shot above, Cartier-Bresson had no other choice but to time the click of his shutter to absolute perfection. Journalistic shots cannot be retaken - if the moment is missed, it is missed forever.

The "decisive moment" isn't just about action shots, however. To Cartier-Bresson, the moment also relates to balance, emotional impact - in other words, the moment a great shot comes together. It is the photographer's job to "see" this moment.

Cartier-Bresson, of all the photographic masters, is one I perhaps admire the most. He spent most of his life working with only a Leica Rangefinder camera and a 50mm lens. His sheer experience with this simple setup allowed him to instinctively know what he would see when he pointed his camera at a subject. I find this approach remarkable, and try to keep my own camera setup simple for the same reason. However, there are other far better guides to his life and work than anything I could post here. See the following suggested links:

Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation

Encyclopedia Britannica Full Article

Links to Cartier-Bresson's Images Online

Bluebells in the Woods

Bluebells in the Woods
Originally uploaded by Photo Plod

While we're experiencing some summery weather, I thought I'd post this recent shot of some English Bluebells, using evening sunlight to add a bit of extra depth and interest.

This was taken in Friday Street, Surrey. I'm not normally one to enjoy photographs of flowers, but I love the way that the sunlight fell on the bluebells, and tried to use a shallow depth of field to pick out what I felt was important in the scene (f5).

You can see some of my favourite walking photos on my Flickr stream.

The Lonely Donkey - Part 2

To continue the theme of framing, the picture I posted yesterday of the Lonely Donkey in his pen was, in fact, nothing of the sort. The image was taken at The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon. He was in a pen with around 40 other donkeys, and very well cared for.

It is a skill I work hard to develop - and it is useful to be able to see potential image within a larger framework. On this occasion, I had only a couple of seconds in which to take the shot - what Cartier-Bresson called the "Decisive Moment".

The image itself is not intended as a factual documentary record - it is meant to evoke an emotional response and ellicit sympathy for the donkey.

The Lonely Donkey - Part 1

The Lonely Donkey
Originally uploaded by Photo Plod

Following on from my theme yesterday about the importance of framing in altering the meaning of a photograph, here is an example I shot a couple of years ago.

Cause of Death

Cause of Death - John Hilliard (1974)

This image by John Hilliard (click to see the larger view) is an excellent portrayal of the importance of framing a subject. Each of the four images shows a body, wrapped in a white shroud. In each frame is something suggesting the Cause of Death, and by adjusting crop of each frame, Hilliard changes the meaning in each. It is a very clever example of showing how the camera can "lie", and questions how subjective photography can really be. After all, the photographer has the final say in what goes into a finished image - and what gets left out.

Review - Jessop's Spirit Level

One of the pitfalls novice landscape photographers often fall foul of is shooting a horizon that isn't straight, and they are often harshly criticised for sloping skylines - because, ultimately, unless it's justified in some artistic way - the sky never slopes when the eye looks at it. I have often read that a spirit level is used by many photographers, so I decided to pick up a standard hotshoe spirit level from Jessops. At the time, it cost me about £6.95, but I see on their website that the price has currently risen to £10.

The spirit level itself seems well-made, and fits neatly into the camera's hotshoe. For most landscape photography this shouldn't be a problem, since you won't be using flash at the same time. The level seems accurate, and is very easy to see from all sides, being made of clear plastic.

Having said that, I can see no reason why you would have any use for this if your camera is capable of displaying grid lines in the viewfinder, as most Nikon cameras from the D80 upwards are capable of doing, along with many Canon SLRs. The disadvantage of the spirit level is you have to remove your eye away from the viewfinder to check that it is still level, whereas an in-camera gridline allows you to check the level and a whole lot more. I find the in-camera grid to be quicker and more versatile. However, if your camera doesn't have such a feature, this spirit level is a good quality little piece that will banish wonky skylines forever.

Flash at the V&A

On Friday 29th May, I went to Flash, a late-night Friday event held at the V&A. On the last Friday of each month, the V&A musuem host a late-night event, running until around 10pm. This month was the turn of photography. There were a number of events running (all listed on the link), and I was keen to go.

I arrived just before 8pm. I picked up a handy guide, but was a bit disappointed at the lack of signage - and I lost a considerable amount of time wandering around the museum trying to find the next event. Also, while this was billed as a "late night" event, much of the action was already over by the time I arrived. Nevertheless, I set off to find something of interest.

The first "event" I went to was a Camera Obscura. Most photographers should be familiar with these - a simple, darkened room into which an image from outside is projected - usually through a lens. It's like being in a giant pinhole camera. There is a particularly fine example up in Edinburgh. This version at the V&A was a simple upside-down projection of a statue that was 6ft away. The "guide" gave a fairly rubbish account of why a Camera Obscura works - beyond stating that "light travels in straight lines". She then recommended a David Hockney book, giggled a little as she moved the image in and out of focus (though without explaining why or how this happened) and very little else beyond a lot of "umming" and "erring". It certainly wasn't worth waiting for 10 minutes, and my girlfriend (not a photographer) got absolutely nothing out of it. She gives better presentations on pinhole cameras to five-year olds.

I then made my way over to the "Photo Swap Shop". This was a small exhibition of work where photographers contributed an image, entered a lottery and got a random image back. Like most other photographers, I didn't exactly want to give my best work away, so I contributed this:



It's okay - just a photo I took in the Paris catacombs in January. Not first-rate, but not bad either. Some of the photos in the swap shop were very good, but I did wish there was some small degree of vetting involved. Some people were clearly taking the mickey - contributing passport photos from their wallet or other such throwaway pictures, while others had donated expensive A4 prints. It didn't seem very fair. I ended up with a rather knackered 3 year-old 6x4 print of some out-of-focus ferns, and was glad I hadn't donated anything better. I was glad I hadn't got the head-high photo of a milk bottle on someone's doorstep.

My girlfriend and her friend went off in search of getting their portraits taken at 9.30pm - an event which was not due to finish until 9.45pm - only to find that the organisers had already packed up and were waiting for their lift home. By this stage, I had given up on finding more events, and instead just enjoyed watching people look at my photo up on the wall in the swap shop. For some reason it was very popular with Europeans - and one German tourist even took it off the wall and ran off with it at one point (he did bring it back, though). It was a strange feeling to have quite a lot of people looking at my work, and it did give me a lot of satisfaction to see them pointing at it, handling it and talking about it.

On the whole, I can't say that Flash at the V&A was an unmissable event. Quite the opposite. I'm sure if I'd have arrived earlier, I might have found some of the talks a little interesting, but these aside, the other events felt a little underwhelming. I won't make any special effort next year...but if you're in town and passing, you could do worse than to take a look.