[Leica] WAS: photos from the NCAA Women's Regionals at Stanford NOW---HOW TO.....

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

Adam Bridge OFFERED:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Some photos from the NCAA Women's Regionals at Stanford


>I have to say, Ted, that I have a whole new respect for folks who shot 
>sports with manual focus. I took my Canon 1Ds Mk II to a basketball game 
>and came away totally defeated. The autofocus on the camera was so slow as 
>to get in the way of making pictures and the manual focus wasn't very easy 
>to use - it's that "servo" thing I guess. Now I know the camera wasn't 
>designed in any way for sports photography, not like the 1D Mk II. I wonder 
>what it would be like to use a LeicaFlex and a good 200mm lens.

>>>> If you have hints I'd be grateful!<<<<

Look no further mon ami! :-) A couple of hints. :-)

Hi Adam,
The truth is.... the more sports you shoot the better you become both in 
handling the camera and anticipation of what is about to happen or is 
happening. Also knowing the event and where the peak moments are going to 
happen. Basketball for example. You only shoot the team most likely to win 
while they are shooting on their opponents basket! That is unless it's a 
child or grandchild of the family's team then you concentrate on his / her 
team and hope they shoot a lot of baskets. :-)

Otherwise,  why waste time shooting the potential loser trying to score when 
all the "cool action" is happening at the other end of the court? The basket 
and action into that area is what it's all about, therefore your attention 
is complete concentration at that end.

MANUAL FOCUSING:
The focusing, whether 200mm, 280mm or a 400mm Leica manual focus lens 
becomes absolute "instinct without thought" simply by practice! By the same 
token, no matter how fast you think you are???? You wont beat an auto-focus 
camera! Unfortunate about your experience as I've found most to be right on 
the mark each time. I also realize there will be some folks on the list who 
will tell me they can! Manual focus as fast as, or faster than autofocus!

My response? "COOL GO FOR IT, but yer wrong!" WHY? Well hell I've shot 
Summer & Winter Olympics, everyone from 1968 to 1992, along with various 
other international events not to forget pretty nearly all kinds of other 
sport events, other than golf, like it's called "on the field experience!" I 
do believe that counts a wee bit when I make a point..

I've used both manual Leica's and Canon autofocus during that time. And I 
have no doubt the autofocus is faster than the plain old fashion human being 
twisting the lens and tripping the shutter release at the same time! ! :-) 
Even though you've had the reverse experience. Sorry about that!

When I was assigned to shoot any international sports events, I'd warm-up 
for a few weeks before going to the Games.  The routine was rather expensive 
unless you bought the cheapest film possible. Remember this was a training 
exercise in "handling the camera" not about shooting photographs that count! 
The film was thrown away after each days practice shoot was reviewed for 
"SHARPNESS ONLY!"

Here's how! The best part! :-)
Go out on one of the nearby highways, find a safe location on the curb side 
and manual focus at the on coming cars! The goal is to end up with 75 % or 
more of the 36 frames "tack sharp front license plate!"  Close doesn't 
count, as the vehicles speed toward you!  You focus on the front license 
plate or grill of the car manually! You'd be surprised how many are out of 
focus because you are coordinating moving your hand rotating to focus and 
your other hand re-action time to "CLICK" at precisely the peak sharp point! 
And your eyes telling your mind to "click!" :-) But it truly works!Certainly 
after several days you can see your score getting better. You'll also find a 
great number of cars "slow down" when they see you with the camera up! :-) 
You might also receive the "finger sign" very aggressively from the odd 
driver! :-)

I did that for years and it made a major difference in captured sharp 
images, than thinking one can walk into the arena and shoot manually 
whiz-bang sharp images every frame without doing sports kind of photography 
on a regular basis.

And knowing the sport is a major factor because you know where the best 
action usually happens. Like car racing... most crash and burns happen on 
the corners. Not always but most probably. So why stand on the straight 
away?

Basketball!  Oh yeah and sit on the floor right inline with the basket and 
just of the official floor markings. And look like "YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE 
THERE!" :-) You'll probably find this position and concentrating on basket 
frenzy, a 50mm lens will work the best because you "WILL BE SHOOTING 90% 
VERTICALS!" On the jump shots and defenders defending action.

 > But even then it's knowing WHEN to press the shutter release. It's like 
photographing some speaking. I never know how to catch them in repose and 
not some awful intermediate expression with mouth half-open, one eye 
blinking, eyes going in all directions. It's amazing the horrid photos I 
have managed and even more amazing the number of good images I've made of 
people speaking: ZERO.<<<<<<<<

OK HERE WE GO AGAIN! :-) Piece of cake! ;-)

Good pictures of speakers at microphone or lectern.

"DON'T SHOOT THEM WHILE THEY ARE SPEAKING!"   WHY?
Because you will more than likely do just as you said above...:::
>>and not some awful intermediate expression with mouth half-open, one eye 
>>blinking, eyes going in all directions. <<

Oh you can knock off a couple while they are speaking, but in most of these 
cases you'll throw them away as you know.

BUT! If you wait until the speaker says something significant and the 
audience reacts. The speaker pauses and looks out over the crowd with eyes 
open and a clean expression! The expressions vary depending on what has been 
said whether serious or humorous. But the speaker's head is up and eyes open 
at these moments and you capture clean facial looks.

Save your time shooting when they are talking.... UNLESS? You deliberately 
want a photograph to create embarrassment of the speaker. As happens quite 
often in politics!

I don't think there's much else, as this shooting routine is KISS simple. 
Obviously check the lighting on the person and see which side you should be 
on where the available light will give the greatest "SHOOT FROM THE 
SHADOWSIDE" effect during the speech.

AND LOOK LIKE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!

Hopefully this is of some help along the way. Any questions, please send 
them along any time.

cheers,
Dr. ted :-)