Re: [Leica] Swimming!

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Adam Bridge wrote:
>Worse than any of those things: I'm a National Championship swimming
official
>for USA Swimming (the national governing body for swimming in the United
>States.) I got to work the USA Olympic Trials in Indianapolis a few years
ago -
>it was a fantastic experience.
SNIP:
>I also have some experience shooting video of meets so I've watched some of
this
>quite critically and I've done the cover photography for the Sierra Nevada
Swim
>Guide for the past three years.
SNIP:
>Did you shoot swimming at the Olympics Ted, I remember you telling stories
about
>track and field.<<<

Hi Dan,
The following years:... '68, '72, '76, '84, '88, '92 . And not only did I
cover those Olympic years, I also covered the Pan American Games on
alternating years along with the Commonwealth Games in alternating years. So
there's a little time working the swim sport for pictures. ;-)

I love it despite it being a tough one to cover, the part I hate is the
hours you put in during the Games just saving your shooting spot.

For example: The '84 LA Olympics, were really tough due to the confined area
for the very best shooting position.... it could accommodate about 12 -14
photogs at the start finish end of the pool under the stands.

To have one of those positions you were at the pool by 4 a.m and if you got
there by 4.15 a.m. you were too late! :-(
Then we dozed or slept until about 8.30 on the concrete until someone
brought a coffee and donut and we kind of woke up and started to get ready
for the semi-finals to start at 10 a.m.

Shot those until about 12.30, then a couple of guys would volunteer to get
food while the remaining guys would guard the gear until we got back. Then
we stayed until the 6 pm finals started and we shot that until about 8.30
pm. When it finished we went to the Main Press Centre dropped the last rolls
of film and picked up earlier shipped film, edited and shipped or
transmitted... Then we'd go for some kind of supper, then to the hotel and
start the same routine all over the next morning at 4 a.m.

Loved it and hated it all at the same time. I love the sport because I swam
competitively in Toronto high school years. And I hate it because it's a
very popular sport to cover and there's always hundreds of guys clamouring
for a shooting position.

Plus the  gear you must carry, a 400 is like a normal lens along with a
300mm, plus 2X and 1.4 convertors. Usually three bodies, sometimes 4 plus a
couple zoom lenses, film, photo vest and whatever you think you may need.
Even wides because the medal winners are always paraded past the photogs to
get close-ups with their medals, so you need those wides to get tight in the
face kind of biting their medals stuff.

>>>I hope I have (somewhat) inspired a new photographer to take the time to
learn
the sport. One thing I know is that you have to have a feel for a sport
before
you can really photograph it.<<<<

It sure helps to know what happens next or during, but liking or loving a
sport is a big bonus for better pictures because you know what to watch for.
And that applies to any sport.

Maybe between us we've given Dan an idea of what to look for and get him by
the feeling swim meets are boring. ;-)
ted


- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html