Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/08/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Gerry Walden asked: Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: Ted Grant's Swimmer > Ted > > Your 'swimmer' shots are inspirational - please can you give some kind > of technical info on the close-up shots.<<<< Hi Gerry, OK here's some details. Leica R 280 2.8 ASA 800 on Canon 20D for all photographs. The photo position for accredited photographers was pool deck and about 45 degree angle down to the water lane 8 on the tight close-up of the Japanese swimmer. Keep in mind this is all "manual follow focus" while the swimmers are going like scared cats through the water. Whether following them side ways past you or worse... during the butterfly and breast stroke coming at you much faster than you may think they can swim! :-) The best bet on breast stroke and butterfly is to keep follow focusing on the "slight wave" just ahead of their skull as they move through the water. Then as they lift their head for a breath you are right there to go "click!" :-) But swimming past your photo position rt to lt or reverse mid pool, you first pick them up as their head first comes out of the water for the first breath after leaving the starting block, don't shoot at this point. You want them almost 90 degrees to your shoot position when you go "click." Of course having follow focused them to that point! You must have already determined if they turn their head in your direction as they take their breath with the stroke. If it isn't in your direction you don't bother to shoot! But wait for their return and hope they turn at precisely the right moment. That is the right moment when the rolling TV camera crew of 3 aren't blocking your shot as they roll along with the leaders of the race! :-( It happens lots of times, live with it! I suppose the most difficult is the manual focus of a Leica, but if you're shooting a considerable amount of sports you become fairly successful and "ALMOST AS FAST AS AUTO FOCUS!" No matter how good you think you are or have become in manual focus it doesn't matter! These days of fast auto-focusing, you are living in an imaginary world when you come up against auto focus, certainly Canon!! Quite frankly I don't care who think they're fast, they are not as fast as shooting sports with auto focus! Oh don't bother to argue, I'm right purely from experience in all kinds of sports! You as a human being may think you can beat auto focus, however you are living in a dream world! Trust me, I've challenged this since the first auto focus cameras came to the world, we maybe fast, but electronics and learning how to use auto focus will blow you right out of business very shortly manually! Exposure readings? Well you can get a quick reading which pretty well is the same for the whole pool area because it's lit for TV. You set manual and shoot away with your only concern being focus once the aperture and shutter speed is determined and locked in. I don't think there's much else unless you have questions. But damn it's always fun! :-) ted