Photographing Sports Fencing, British Nationals 2015

British Fencing Championships - English Institute of Sport, Sheffield

Want to have a really hard photography challenge? Find a local fencing tournament and have a go, but expected to be challenged! Fencing is right up there as one of the most difficult of indoor sports to photograph, indoor mixed (and usually low) lighting, no flash allowed, white protective clothing, face masks, thin blades as a main focal point and a blur of movement . Trust me to start at the National Championships.

So to succeed we have to find the right mix of aperture, ISO, shutter speed to provide the right exposure and depth of field, white balance to get the whites, white and choosing the right focus options to ensure all that movement is absolutely sharp (unless you're going for the blurred look - my excuse anyway...).

You have to accept that there will be compromises, trying to get a really sharp image means reasonable high shutter speeds, over 1/500 should do,but in low light that might mean a wide open aperture, say f2.8 which means, in theory a small depth of field. Surprisingly the shoot in Sheffield with a similar aperture gave a bigger depth of field than expected so don't be too concerned if you have to do this. Ramping up the ISO (sensor sensitivity) will help get the right shutter speed, however noise (tiny hardly seen spots) becomes more obvious. Having said that the latest cameras are great at surpressing noise at high ISOs. My colleague was shooting with a Nikon D4 (top spec I know) but at 8000 ISO it was impossible to see any noise even when zoomed right in. You can choose to set a fixed ISO or let the camera take care of that in auto ISO mode,but beware the camera may decide to use a high noise setting. Then set the fastest frames per second rate that your camera allows.

Getting the whites white under mixed lighting can be an issue, but if you shoot in RAW (keeps all the data like a negative , unlike JEPGs which throw away a lot of the data) you can adjust the colour balance quite easily in post processing. Setting auto white balance works and I stay away from the other options at the capture stage. 

Getting the focus right is of course a key part of getting the picture! Don't expect everyone to be sharp, you'll be disappointed if you do. Having the best lens you can afford will make all the difference to having really really sharp images, but setting up the auto focus is a key skill and understanding the different option is something all photographers, especially those capturing any type of action. There are plenty of on line videos available, so check out - continuous tracking, use of focal points and especially "back button" focusing. This last option is really a must for sports photographers as it allows you to switch between continuous and fix focus at the press of a button, neat.

So finally a question, when was the last time you looked in the menu on your camera? Time to check out all those really helpful functions you might not even know exist.

Oh yes, take plenty of memory cards, with fast write speeds preferable and at least two full batteries. You will be working your camera hard and your PC/Mac after, be prepared for a lot of deleting....but also some fantastic action to add to your portfolio. 

It helps to have the right equipment of course, but it's surprising what you can achieve with the likes of an i-phone. So why not give it a try, just mind the flying blades and don't put the fencers off!  

Don't forget to check out our images from the day on our events page.

Photography Show and more....

 

 I think I'm deeply smitten.....it's not often you get to photograph a top model but the Photography Show at the NEC gives you that and much more. Replacing Focus on Imaging, the Photography Show had a hard act to follow but I have to say it met and beat the challenge. It was better laid out, more room to move around, vast numbers of stands to call in at, all the top manufacturers with new products (Nikon D4s yes please!) some top demonstrations by some excellent speakers and a chance to rub shoulders with the top pros you've read about in those glossy mags and seen on the web. Excellent all round and well worth a visit. Can't wait for next year. Highlights for me the sports photography presentation by Mark Pain "Olympics Photographer of the Year 2012" www.sportsphotographyschool.co.uk. Every image was a WOW and Mark is a very approachable guy. So if your into sports photography Mark is the man. Oh yes and there was one other main highlight - Katy.....

Talk of sports photography, prior to the Photography Show I joined the Getty guys and other pros at the British Indoor Athletics Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Indoor sports photography brings all sorts of opportunties but also lots of challenges. The mixed and less than bright lighting, limited access to the best spots and wanting to be in several places at once come to mind. So it helps to have 12frames per second an ISO above 6400 with no noise and F2.8 prime lenses upwards of 200m - none of which I have... So a challenge. However it was great to mix with the top pros and to have the chance to see the athletes in action, including a new British indoor high jump record. Also nice to be able to see the Brits then going on to do well at the World Indoor Championships in Poland last weekend.

Spring is in the air and it is positively WARM, so the early flowers are out and I ventured all of 30 ft to take some pics of our Crocuses. I used my very old, completely manual wide angle marco, so more challenges but I'm pleased with a couple of them. Worth getting out and on your knees....

We have our first WORKSHOP on Saturday and the weather if set to stay warm sunny and clear so hopefully we will be getting plenty of practice in capturing the light, why not join us in 2014!

  



Dates and venues for 2014

Pleased to announce the dates and venues for our 2014 workshops! Please check our web site for the details.

Six months on - loads of travel and loads of images !

Where to start - as with all things in life, it is best to start at the beginning which was a trip to Hungary (Budapest and Eger).  A fantastic city, with history in your face, whether architectural or political, with good food and wine as well as plenty of bars and cafes to rest in.

For me the great find was the architecture as this image shows, that survived the city's turbulent past.....

Then followed a long weekend with family in Sussex, which being early June the weather was kind and we managed to do some lovely walks in the rolling countryside made all the better with timeless images such as this ploughed field.....

Summer was then upon us, and so that lovely flower appears - the poppy - which never fails to impress me every year with its fragility and I think makes a cracking image....

However, what makes a classic English summer is the village fete with all its eccentricities such as the Punch and Judy as well as the morris dancers........

Then came the long long hot summer trip to California (more relative visiting) involving driving up the coast on Highway 1 and coming across this amazing beach with great timbers washed up every winter that people then made into structures.....

Back then to downtown San Francisco, and coming across a 1950's film set with amazing vintage cars........

And finally, off then to Portugal to get a little more sun before winter comes along.  We did have the sun (lots of it) which meant no camera work.....however, I thought readers might be interested in this rapid photo taken on the bridge across the River Tagus in Lisbon - an amazing long long structure.......

And so that sums up my travels for the last 6 months.  As you can imagine planning has begun for 2014, but that does depend on saving hard which is easier to say than do especially when my camera needs replacing !

Busy!

At last some sun and some warmth! Having frozen at the recent Donington Historic Car Racing  Festival it was a pleasant change to have a great day at the Derwent Dams to capture the Lancaster flying over to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the famous Dambusters raid on the 16/17 May 1943. A stirring sight seeing the Lanc swoop on low over the water and between the twin towers used as practice in the run up to the actual event. Glad to say one of my shots will be featuring on the front cover of one of the local mags. On the same evening Chesterfield Photographic Society visited Heage  windmill for an evening shoot and with a thunderstorm clearing in the distance we ended up with some dramatic skies and eventually some beautiful soft evening light as the sun set over Crish stand.

Andy and I are taking advantage of the bank holiday and departing briefly for foreign parts, Andy and Julie are off to Budapest and Helen and I are off to Rome for short breaks - cameras at the ready!

Lovely sunny workshop in Bakewell

Well, the weather turned out to be one of the best days of 2013 for our workshops !

Bakewell was an excellent venue providing the challenges of photographing the River Wye and the architecture as well as the chance to photograph spring flowers in the sunshine - a welcome relief after what seems like 6 months of grey / cold weather.

And here are some images from the day........

We had planned an interesting circular walk round central Bakewell, however the attractions of the River Wye with its small weirs, ducks and swans soon proved to be good material to photograph.  Which all goes to show the best laid plans etc.......but we all had a good time made even better by the welcome (late) spring sunshine ! 

New Dates and Venues

After some hard work and detailed investigations....we've finally decided on the venues for the rest of 2013 and early 2014. Glad to report we've added some new and very picturesque places - starting at the wonderful expanse of water - Carsington Water on Saturday 15 June. Plenty of opportunities here for practising wildlife, action, portraits, landscapes and of course dreamy waterscapes.

In September we venture up to Castleton village overlooked by Mam Tor and surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery in the Peak District and in October return to the splendour of Chatsworth in the Autumn. To round off the year we will be capturing the night lights of Sheffield in a 2 hour workshop in November - accompanied by a hot chocolate or two. Plenty of inspirational visits to look forward to - don't miss out, it's bound to be informative (and fun!).

More Satisfied Customers

The early morning light of the 13th March was just great (wished I'd got up and out earlier) and bode well for the workshop later on. Having finally left the house - a few hours after the golden dawn - I was overlooking a stunning Derbyshire scene enhanced even further with the faintest flickers of overnight snow.

A few shots later and I was inside the wonderful Endsor Tea Rooms enjoying a coffee and freshly baked scones, whilst trying to explain the relationships between ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed - hopefully successfully. Whilst the cloud covered the sky as we emerged ready to capture new and exciting images, it did decide to clear later allowing us to get some fine images of Chatsworth park, some men cutting up some large tree trunks and a large military helicopter dropping in and flying off for good measure. Plenty of subject matter. Talking of which what is it about young ladies clad in tight fitting lycra (or was it leather) that attracts a crowd of photographers?

I am of course talking about Focus on Imaging at the NEC and the young lady in question was quite happy for the visitors to snap away whilst the resident Professional played with various lighting set ups. I'm afraid I only got a snap as I couldn't get anywhere near.....Of course there was much more to entertain and inform with Nikon's stand being constantly overwhelmed as the delegates were shown demonstrations of the latest offerings.

We can thoroughly recommend Focus, just take lots of cash and a comfy pair of shoes!

March 2 2013

Well at last the sun has come out for at least three days in one week !

So that means not only the gardening jobs are beckoning but more importantly doing a blog on my photographic ventures over the last few months with the theme of red, white and blue.

Last November provided some excellent autumnal foliage which when back lit really made a good image with colour and detail - and this last poppy of the year against a rare clear blue sky was quite dramatic.

Next came Xmas, and although the Xmas lights in Sheffield were a tad unphotogenic, Andrew and I scoured around and this image was the most inspirational !  Though what with the impending budget cuts, this may well be the last time Santa in seen in the city !

And so the snow came and with in the challenge of taking a moody snow scene.  So here is a 19th C mile stone up on the moors to the west of Sheffield with snow blown in to the hand carved text.  And if you look closely the individual stones in the dry stone wall behinds were edged in snow - a neat natural effect !

London then beckoned to visit family / some shopping which involved visiting a well known museum with an amazing entrance, but which one ??

And so to Weymouth on family business, but naturally the camera went as well just in case.  And while wandering by the harbour side, this image presented itself which I thought was quite a clever composition.   And finally, just the best ice cream on the south coast can be found on the sea front at Rossi's - long may it continue as it is truly amazing......bring on summer !

And I make a public promise to be a better regular blogger in 2013

Andy

Exposure to the Sun!

Finally the sun shines and the warmth returns. I like getting out in the cold and provided the sun is out all feels good - dull, overcast and cold keeps me firmly indoors and forces me to be creative:

A couple of images being worked on prior to hanging in NOSH in Sheffield.

So the warm sunshine finally temps me out and a contact at Chesterfield Photographic Society informed me about the 4shires hunt meeting at Chatsworth this morning - and that provided ample temptation to get out and add to the portfolio:

Lots of inspiration for wide angle, portraits and close up detail. So that was the great outdoors and tomorrow (3rd March) Andy and I are off to Focus on Imaging and the NEC to battle it out with the rest of the photography world to get around all the wonderful photo equipment stands and demonstration areas. We are hoping to get some business development inspiration, test out the latest gear and learn some more (you can never know enough) from the truly excellent guest presenters. Now where is that Lottery ticket?