1st time swim meet photo shoot

sonny_c

This was my first time shooting an indoor swim meet. The lighting was horrible:(: and my white balance was inconsistent during burst mode. The coaches asked me not to use flash while the swimmers were diving at the beginning of each race so I kept my puny 420ex in my bag.

I am not familiar with the sport of swimming therefore I did not know the best shooting angles. It seemed like the only two good places to shoot were from the side of the pool to capture their faces while the swimmers swam the freestyle and backstroke, or directly opposite of the starting blocks ( <---- not sure what they are called) to capture the swimmers swimming the breaststroke and butterfly. There was a wire hanging across the pool holding green and gold flags. This prevented me from getting any good diving action. Instead I had to shoot the swimmers from the side of the pool and at times the 70-200 was a tad too long. I'm thinking the 50mm f/1.8 would of been great. The 85mm f/1.8 would of been another great lens to use giving me 2 more stops to freeze the action. These are on my list to purchase very very soon!

I shot with my Canon 1D Mark II N and my 70-200L f/2.8 IS. My setting were:

• Manual
• ISO 1250 or 1600
• f/2.8
• shutter speeds of 1/160 - 1/250
• Auto WB
• AI Servo
• RAW images

I also felt very uncomfortable shooting the young high school ladies in their bathing suits. It only takes that one parent that thinks the photos are in bad taste and my reputation could be damaged. I've been shooting young athletes for three years and only have one complaint from a parent of a cheerleader. What are my rights in regards to posting these photos? I want to use these photos and future swimming photos as part of my printed portfolio and my online photo gallery. At this swim meet there were three high schools competing. There may have been two dozen parents total in attendance. Trying to get any model release forms signed would be next to impossible.

I apologize in advance for posting so many, but I want you guys to get an idea of all my shots. All photos posted are uncropped and a little post processing (WB & exposure correction, and some sharpening). I am looking for some HONEST critiques please! Any constructive info you can provide I really would appreciate. And don't worry...I ain't sensitive and you can't hurt my feelings...so no need to tip toe around me.

Thanks for looking,
-Sonny



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DavidTO

I love that shot with the girl wiping her eyes. The note on the hand about her AP test is great.

Frog Lady

for a 1st time shoot of swimming, i think ya done good I like the 3rd shot and the last. I also think that your DOF of the ones off the starting block was too shallow and that that type of shot would be better if more of the swimmers were in focus.

cheers,

C.

anwmn1

They were all pretty good- These are my favorites. Next time number them for us it makes it a little easier to comment.

sonny_c wrote:

Nice job!

Phyxius

Nice job your first time in those conditions!

I really like the men's medley relay shot, the guy swimming breaststroke back to the blocks. It looks like the backstroke swimmer in lane 6(? far right of the shot) JUST got out of the water. Looks like that "A" relay is getting ready to lap them. (Oh, I see numbers by the shots now...so this one is #7)

The girl swimming breast straight at the camera is a really nice one too, very crisp and great job on exposure! (and this is #10)

Oh, and just to add a little info. The reason you can't use a flash for the beginning of the race is because the starter has a little box that looks kinda like a sign. There is a little microphone attached to it and there is a strobe flash. The officals will ask "quiet for the start", they'll announce the race like, "men's 200m medley relay, 2 swimmer will swim lengths of the pool back, breast, fly and any other stroke not previously swum." Then, they'll say, "swimmers, take your marks." And, instead of "GO!" the swimmers will here a BOOOP noise which is also accompanied by the strobe flash. So, the coaches and officals are probably worried about false starts if you were to use a flash before the race. (Not sure if you really wanted to know all that, but figured I'm mention it so you didn't think it was just a silly rule.) :

magicpic

Phyxius wrote:

Nice job your first time in those conditions!

I really like the men's medley relay shot, the guy swimming breaststroke back to the blocks. It looks like the backstroke swimmer in lane 6(? far right of the shot) JUST got out of the water. Looks like that "A" relay is getting ready to lap them. (Oh, I see numbers by the shots now...so this one is #7)

The girl swimming breast straight at the camera is a really nice one too, very crisp and great job on exposure! (and this is #10)

Oh, and just to add a little info. The reason you can't use a flash for the beginning of the race is because the starter has a little box that looks kinda like a sign. There is a little microphone attached to it and there is a strobe flash. The officals will ask "quiet for the start", they'll announce the race like, "men's 200m medley relay, 2 swimmer will swim lengths of the pool back, breast, fly and any other stroke not previously swum." Then, they'll say, "swimmers, take your marks." And, instead of "GO!" the swimmers will here a BOOOP noise which is also accompanied by the strobe flash. So, the coaches and officals are probably worried about false starts if you were to use a flash before the race. (Not sure if you really wanted to know all that, but figured I'm mention it so you didn't think it was just a silly rule.) :

ok..is it the good lens or the camera that have made these photos so good...learning...thanks

DavidTO

magicpic wrote:

ok..is it the good lens or the camera that have made these photos so good...learning...thanks

Could it have anything to do with the photographer?

pahl

I think the photos look great. I also took a look at your website and it is amazing. As a parent I would think it was great if you were at my kids sporting event taking photos.

I also felt very uncomfortable shooting the young high school ladies in their bathing suits. It only takes that one parent that thinks the photos are in bad taste and my reputation could be damaged. I've been shooting young athletes for three years and only have one complaint from a parent of a cheerleader. What are my rights in regards to posting these photos?

I also wonder about what rights I have and if any parents would have a problem with me putting there kids photos online.

Being new to all this I was not sure what to do or how to ask the parents if it was ok with them. My son it on the basketball team that I have been photographing so I know the parents, but still was not sure a a couple of them would think about it.

What I did was make a dvd with all the basketball game photos I took. Then I printed my website address on them and gave them out for free. I explained how I would be uploading the latest game photos to the website so everyone could see them right away and not have to wait for a DVD at the end of the season.

The ones I thought maybe trouble I said " I sure hope no one minds me putting there kids photos online. I explained how I did not have there names or any other personal information with there photos just team names, places and dates. Everyone was ok with it and thought it was great.

At the next game many of the parents thanked me and said the photos are great. Being new I know they are not all that great, but if they like them then thats good for now.

If you don't mind I would be interested in hearing what the one complaint from a parent of a cheerleader was you had. How did you handle it?

Phyxius

Phyxius wrote:

" 2 swimmer will swim lengths of the pool back, breast, fly and any other stroke not previously swum."

Oops, typo. Should be "each swimmer will swim 2 lengths of the pool...etc." Sometimes my fingers work faster than my brain. Or maybe it's vice versa, but that "2" came a few words early :

DavidTO wrote:

Could it have anything to do with the photographer?

risource

pahl wrote:

As a parent I would think it was great if you were at my kids sporting event taking photos....I also wonder about what rights I have and if any parents would have a problem with me putting there kids photos online.)

That's a lawyer question, and I am not a lawyer :-)

Remember anyone can sue anyone at any time. There doesn't need to be an unlawful act, just a lawful one (filing a suit). Lucky for all of us, that costs money (yes, I recognize the irony in that).

There are publicity rights and privacy rights, and then there is your own right to life liberty happiness etc. Whomever sues you will need to establish a case under the law for the action. If you are to defend against a suit, you establish your case also under the law. And then it gets argued. Usually it's much better to argue first without lawyers. So that is what happens when parent "complains" to the photographer. How you all argue determines how things go. I think it's wise to listen carefully to all complaints.

Only a lawyer or judge can give you a legal opinion regarding your shooting kids sports, and your likely ability to avoid/defend against complaints. The experienced pros can probably give good advice about how they have handled things, but usually that exposes them to possible controversy and so they are likely to remain quiet on the issue. What controversy? Whatever they did that worked was not case law, and so may not work again, especially if everybody tries it under all circumstances, for example. Even here in this post I expose myself to controversy, because I demonstrate my own awareness of legal issues. Should I encounter difficulty, this post can be used to show I knew what I was doing :-)

I consider the issue a barrier to entry for this field. Only those who can handle it wisely (or can afford to handle it wisely) may proceed.

That said, you might take a look at how your local paper handles the issue. They probably have established procedures in place which, although not legal procedures, do represent a local acceptance and possibly expectation that you should also meet (based on advice from their lawyers). Do they wear ID badges? Do they register with the city as a babysitter/coach/trainer/counselor so that they are "processed" for back ground checks? What about the sporting association? Is there an umbrella insurance policy covering the event or player participation? Does it stipulate a restriction on "access to the children" and does that stipulation cover you (when you are in the player areas, for example)? Can you register with that association as a photographer? What are their rules for that? And how about the venue... does it, too have regulations regarding photographers? Are you following them?

If you don't look into the details, you may encounter a difficulty later. If you do look into them, you may find that patting a hockey player on the helmet and saying "go get 'em, tiger" falls under a definition of "touching the children", and is an offense that can ban you from the arena.

I know. You just want to take pictures. I hear you :-)

stinkydiver60

nice pictures
Did you do much PP on these pictures? Your blues in the water are so rich. I shoot a lot of indoor swimmimg and my water comes out a greenish color most of the time.

Rhuarc

stinkydiver60 wrote:

Did you do much PP on these pictures? Your blues in the water are so rich. I shoot a lot of indoor swimmimg and my water comes out a greenish color most of the time.

From the little I know this would just be adjusting the White Balance wouldn't it?