Re: [Leica] Using Leicas for sports/action photography?

["Ted Grant" <tedgrant@home.com>]

Sorry I missed whomever wrote this:

>>So does anyone have tips for shooting sports with an m6? I used 35 and
> >50 lenses. Shot around 125/200 at 2/2.8.<<<<

Your first question should be what kind of sports do you think you'd like to
shoot and what kind of pictures to expect from an M6 with a 35 or 50mm lens?

One can't tell you how to shoot a sport without knowing what you enjoy
watching and would like to capture exciting moments of it.

If you expect to shoot SI kind of pictures of full frame quarterbacks
getting sacked it isn't going to happen with an M6 unless your right there
on the field when it happens. ;-) And trust me, it's no fun finding yourself
lying on the ground at the sidelines with three or four football players on
top of you!

Certainly when your thoughts are ...."Where are my cameras and are they OK?"
Trust me you do not even think about your physical state, it's always the
gear first, your body and extremities second. :-)

But it isn't always the action that creates great sports pictures if you
concentrate on the bench, the players not yet in play, the sideline
activities, the athletes warming up before they go into play.

You can shoot basketball quite easily with an M6 while sitting on the floor
sideline and concentrate on the basket and when they jump to dunk or
whatever. A 35 or 50 works quite well from this position.

Hockey is a toughie as shooting the goalie one can get nice size images with
a 90 when your shooting from the seats directly inline with the goalie and
the front of the net. You could get away with a 50, but it leaves it very
loose and usually requires greater enlargement. The other position worth a
try with a 50 is from behind or just to the side of the net from behind and
shooting through the glass. Keep the lens right at the glass and because
you'll be shooting close to wide open to attain high shutter speeds, marking
on the glass wont show.

That's a couple, but table tennis, volleyball, can be from the sideline by
the net as they fight over the top of the net. Soccer from directly behind
the goalie and sitting right at the net can beget some interesting
photographs. Also a whack or two in the head if the ball is driven right at
you and your camera. :-( ouch!

Work with the highest possible shutter speed all the time unless..........!

You want to shoot swishie pans midway down the 100 meter track for a blurred
action of runners in full flight and background just a blur of beautiful
colour with the athletes looking like they are going 100 MPH!

In this case try various shutter speeds for effect, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125. but
no higher or you wont have a nice swishie pan look to it. And try not to
blur too much, as in using too slow a shutter speed to the point where you
have no idea what the hell you've taken a picture of.

One should always recognize they are runners, cyclists, roller skaters
whatever, even though the feet, arms and body are in motion and blurred,
there should be one point absolutely sharp where the camera, shutter speed
and athlete have all been in sync even though you are panning the camera
with quick movement..

To do this right takes practice, lots of it, so that your body pans at the
same motion of the athlete, you must shoot while your body is moving and
following through much like a golf swing. You'll blow lots of film, but then
there isn't any other way to learn to be precise and capture the peak action
of sports.

These are a couple of things you can do with an M6, there are many other
sports, we don't have enough space here to go through them all.

Have ago at it, think ahead of what you want to shoot, don't go in cold, go
in and watch, then get your position. Then be prepared to burn lots of film
and I'd sure as heck be using a RapidWinder on the M as you can learn to get
away 3 frames a second after some practice.

Good luck with it and don't get discouraged! None of us learned by shooting
a sport once using one roll of film. Shoot lots, use lots of film and be
prepared to make lots of "missed moments!"  It goes with the territory.

Hope this helps,
ted





Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Henry Ambrose" <henryambrose@home.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Using Leicas for sports/action photography?


>
> I have two different thoughts:
>
> 1) Practice, practice, practice.
> The more you use one tool the better you'll get at using it.
> The more you use it for a particular purpose the better you accomplish
> that purpose. If you shot kickboxing (or other active sports) with your
> Ms regularly you'd get better at it.
>
> Pre-focus? Stay with wider lenses? How about faster film? A winder?
> Shooting over one guys shoulder focus on the far fighter. Push the button
> at the start of an attack, also as it should be landing, imagine where
> your subjects will be when that happens, pre-focus there. Predict what
> will happen next and be ready for it. If that fails predict the next
> moment and be there, and again and again, 'til you get something or it
> know it won't work. This is about knowing the sport then you will predict
> more accurately. Shoot loads of film. Just do it more.
>
> 2)Horses for courses.
> Maybe an M camera is not the best tool for every subject.
> If in your mind you're seeing "perfectly-lit-action-stopped" like in
> Sports magazines the 1V might be the right tool here. (and a bunch of
> lights)
>
> Henry
>