Re: [Leica] Swimming!

[drb@MIT.EDU]

Will-

I shoot photos for the MIT Tech - our biweekly newspaper.  At MIT, if you
shoot an event with too wide a lens, you're bound to get someone working on
a problem set in the background.  While that might be a kitchy
"documentary-style" juxtaposition, I feel that it undermines the effort that
the athletes are putting into their sport (plus, at MIT, it has been done
and redone to death.  It isn't funny any more).  That limits me to longer
lenses, which, at a swim meet, make everything look the same.  While getting
caption info afterwards, some of the team members couldn't tell which person
was which.  With the goggles, caps, and contorted facial expressions, I can
see why.  I understand that it's important to the athletes and that each one
has a story, but just like the coaches' yelling, the smell of chlorine, and
my sopping wet knees, that ain't in the picture.

I was asking more about workflow, awareness, and past experience.  Perhaps
someone has taken photos of similar events and has an interesting anecdote.
Perhaps a "keep your eyes open for ___" or "I once saw a photo of a ___
where the photographer did ___".  I'm in the process of securing permission
to shoot the next one from the tiny catwalk 60 feet above the pool, so I'm
thinking.  Perhaps someone else has pointers.

- --Dan

PS- About the photo kilt in the pool - I'm waiting for Leica to come out
with Photo-hosen.


- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Will" <wlarsen@ocsnet.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 4:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Swimming!


> Dan (DRB) writes:
> | I have a few pics to show -- comments and suggestions
> appreciated!
> |
> | http://www.drbphoto.com/leica/l2/
> |
> | I'm especially interested in how other photographers might
> cover this event.
> | Swim meets are pretty boring - you get cliche pictures
> (like these) and they
> | all end up looking the same.  The crowd was non-existant,
> the coaches
> | lukewarm, and the other swimmers preoccupied with work (it
> is, after all,
> | MIT).  Without the benefit of an Ikelite housing, how
> would you spice up the
> | assignment?
>
> You mention you were on assignment.  From whom?  I am little
> bit concerned about your attitude in approaching the event.
> Swim meets are not boring to the competitors.  Cliché
> pictures are because swimming is pretty much a ritualized
> event - same take off  - same strokes - efficiency of the
> process and strength determines the winner.  The only real
> thing you can do is experiment with pixes from different
> angles.
>
> But my main concern is that when I was in J-school (many
> year ago) - they pounded into our heads that "names make
> news."   Names meant the names of local folks.  Pixes were
> pixes of local folks.  The local and small regional
> newspapers that survive today make good use of that motto.
> Several photographers from a regional newspaper thought they
> were grossly underpaid and under appreciated.  They quit the
> newspaper and set up a business to take pixes of local (high
> school and college) games.  They are currently making a good
> living selling these pixes to the parents of the
> participants.  When I worked for the L.A. Times, they were
> delighted to give folks an 8x10 of their pix which had been
> published in the paper.
>
> The point is that while this type of pix might not win you a
> big award, they are very important to the competitors.
> Plus, if you really want to have fun, start interviewing the
> competitors and taking pixes.  (The other thing that was
> banged into my head in J-school was that everybody has a
> story - it is the presentation that makes it interesting).
>
> Regards, Will Larsen
>
>
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