Rolex Kentucky 3 day event - advice?

troutstreaming

Hi all - Especially you East Coast Equine Photographers,

I will be shooting Rolex this year for the first time and was curious about what lenses I should bring and any other general advice about the event. I will have the 20D and a 1D, so can have two lenses mounted for each day and have shot CIC*** and lower before, so have a general idea about typical shots to look for, but have no idea about what to expect for shooting locations - distances - available shooting angles - or how early to get to spots to avoid shooting over peoples backs etc...

Any advice/thoughts/link's to past Rolex work would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Andy

gus

I dont know anything about the event but all i could suggest is a short lens on one body & a long on the other. Thats what i do anyway. Also im constantly looking for rubbish bins etc to stand on & get some height advantage.

A good photographer is always on the look out for a better vantage point rather than a shot because its not until you get that better vantage point that you will get the better shot.

Just my thoughts.

Phyxius

I assume your not going to have a photographer's armband? If not then I'd suggest staying away from the head of the lake. It's the shot everyone has and the most likely accident location, but it's PACKED and nearly impossible to get to if you don't have a badge. I had one last year it was great! I was going to be going again this year, but I'll be at World Cup in Vegas the week before and I'm going down to Georgia to check out another horse.

Don't forget, if you don't already have tickets, that there is NO LONGER free seating for dressage or stadium. You have to reserve tickets.







A jump you should definatly check out is the "Footbridge" it's quite cool, but I'd use the shorter lens here. I had the 70-300 on and I had to be so far back people kept getting in the way.



The cool thing about the Footbridge is that if you hurry you can catch the riders at the Sunken Road- (ugh, point and shoot from a couple years ago and webshots upload)


The jump at the top of the hill changes, but two years ago was Craftsmen's Corners,


and then the Footbridge if you don't mind running across the field This is actually Andrew Hoy, not the same rider as above, but even though the quality is crap I like this set-up better, which is why I'd put the wide angle lens on your second body.




Definalty go out on the course walk. It's a great way to learn the course and see all the jumps. I've walked with Wendy Lewis and Jim Wofford.
The pictures are horrible, but they have all of the jumps and discriptions from 2 years ago. They use many of the same jumps over, each year. This little picture is actually a link to the album.



Dressage is hard because there really aren't many good seats. You're either behind a tree or a mile away. These empty seats were the reserved seats while there was one little section for general admission and itwas PACKED.


Check out Nancy Jaffer hiding behind the judge's booth.

See this tree in the right corner? It blocks much of the view from the bleechers.




The covered seats are nice and have a pretty good view of the stadium round.


The seats are always full for stadium and if you can get Patron or Equestrian Club seating you'll have it made. Not to mention free food and drinks and the you get to meet the riders. The people I was shooting for last year gave me their Patron Club pin and wrist band. It was niiiiiiice.


Have fun! Bring rain gear, it WILL RAIN. Bring sun screen too. Don't forget to yell "Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie - Hoy, Hoy, Hoy!" When Andrew Hoy comes out.

troutstreaming

gus wrote:

I dont know anything about the event but all i could suggest is a short lens on one body & a long on the other. Thats what i do anyway. Also im constantly looking for rubbish bins etc to stand on & get some height advantage.

A good photographer is always on the look out for a better vantage point rather than a shot because its not until you get that better vantage point that you will get the better shot.

Just my thoughts.

Thanks Gus,

I hope that the 70-200 (w/ or w/o the 1.4 extender on it) will be long enough, but am looking in to renting a 300 or 400 if I learn that the 200*1.4(*1.25 or 1.6) will not be long enough. I should be fine with the wide angle with the 16-35 or the 28-75 2.8 Tamron for the other body. I will also keep an eye out for the superior ground! I am getting in a day early so that I can spend a lot of time scouting before the action heats up.

Andy

troutstreaming

Phyxius wrote:

I assume your not going to have a photographer's armband? If not then I'd suggest staying away from the head of the lake. It's the shot everyone has and the most likely accident location, but it's PACKED and nearly impossible to get to if you don't have a badge. I had one last year it was great! I was going to be going again this year, but I'll be at World Cup in Vegas the week before and I'm going down to Georgia to check out another horse.

Don't forget, if you don't already have tickets, that there is NO LONGER free seating for dressage or stadium. You have to reserve tickets.







A jump you should definatly check out is the "Footbridge" it's quite cool, but I'd use the shorter lens here. I had the 70-300 on and I had to be so far back people kept getting in the way.



The cool thing about the Footbridge is that if you hurry you can catch the riders at the Sunken Road- (ugh, point and shoot from a couple years ago and webshots upload)


The jump at the top of the hill changes, but two years ago was Craftsmen's Corners,


and then the Footbridge if you don't mind running across the field This is actually Andrew Hoy, not the same rider as above, but even though the quality is crap I like this set-up better, which is why I'd put the wide angle lens on your second body.




Definalty go out on the course walk. It's a great way to learn the course and see all the jumps. I've walked with Wendy Lewis and Jim Wofford.
The pictures are horrible, but they have all of the jumps and discriptions from 2 years ago. They use many of the same jumps over, each year. This little picture is actually a link to the album.



Dressage is hard because there really aren't many good seats. You're either behind a tree or a mile away. These empty seats were the reserved seats while there was one little section for general admission and itwas PACKED.


Check out Nancy Jaffer hiding behind the judge's booth.

See this tree in the right corner? It blocks much of the view from the bleechers.




The covered seats are nice and have a pretty good view of the stadium round.


The seats are always full for stadium and if you can get Patron or Equestrian Club seating you'll have it made. Not to mention free food and drinks and the you get to meet the riders. The people I was shooting for last year gave me their Patron Club pin and wrist band. It was niiiiiiice.


Have fun! Bring rain gear, it WILL RAIN. Bring sun screen too. Don't forget to yell "Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie - Hoy, Hoy, Hoy!" When Andrew Hoy comes out.

Hi Christina,

Thank you so much for the detailed reply and the link to the gallery with the jumps. I am planning on the formal course walk and will be getting there on Tuesday so that I will have much of Wednesday to map out shooting locations/angles informally as well. I am shooting for a magazine and do have a press pass, so hopefully that will simplify my life some with respect to shooting around people, not sure how much it will help with the vegetation. I am curently debating if I should rent a 300 or 400 2.8, but then would need to decide on having the 70-200 on the other body and loosing the wide angle or not having the 70-200. Maybe the supertelephoto 70-200 combo for dressage and stadium and the wide angle / 70-200 combo for cross country? It looks like you found some fun jumps on the cross country course where you could use the wide angle. I am not yet sure how much I will be concentrating on specific riders versus covering the field, but there is another few weeks to nail the coverage goals down, not so long to get a supertele reserved if I need one.

Have fun at World Cup!

Andy

Phyxius

troutstreaming wrote:

I am shooting for a magazine and do have a press pass, so hopefully that will simplify my life some with respect to shooting around people, not sure how much it will help with the vegetation. I am curently debating if I should rent a 300 or 400 2.8, but then would need to decide on having the 70-200 on the other body and loosing the wide angle or not having the 70-200. Maybe the supertelephoto 70-200 combo for dressage and stadium and the wide angle / 70-200 combo for cross country? It looks like you found some fun jumps on the cross country course where you could use the wide angle. I am not yet sure how much I will be concentrating on specific riders versus covering the field, but there is another few weeks to nail the coverage goals down, not so long to get a supertele reserved if I need one.

Have fun at World Cup!

Andy

I was there shooting for Equestrian Services, LLC and David and Karen O'Connor. Since I helped set-up their media launch at the Primedia tent last year they were very helpful I was shooting mostly for the Karen who was riding and David, who was coaching the Canadian team. Also, you can get right up close and (almost) personal with the dressage warm-ups so you have lots of oppurtunity for shots there.

Do you mind if I ask who you're shooting for?

Some people you should definatly meet up with are Silvio Wolf Busch, Amber Heintzberger (who I got to join smugmug - http://amberwriter.smugmug.com/ ) She does work for Phelps Photos, but is freelance and gets published in a lot of publications. Silvio is local, in KY and a really nice guy. Also, Marc Manning who does a LOT of work for KY horse park and some of the major TB farms like Calumet is another fun guy with tons of Rolex expierence. He's a talker though, so make sure you pay attention to the horses.

We took photos of each other taking photos...(kinda a nerdy, but fun right?) With your badge there are certain areas on the course that only YOU can get too. For the head of the lake this is golden.



You walk behind this bush, so you're basically in the lake. There will be a video camera RIGHT there, go around it. You'll be able to stay on or cross this little "bridge" and then there is a tiny stretch of land about 15' long and 4' wide. This is the place to be. You will get splashed. The 70-300 wasn't quite wide enough if riders took the easy option, but I was able to get the previous jump, the ducks, the corner and the trakehner over the heads of the crowd.





For dressage, depending on the time of day the island is your best option. You have the entire dressage ring visible. You also get to catch riders up close as they enter and leave. Negatives = You need a fairly long lens as the island is kinda far from the ring and you're near "A" so the salutes are away from you. No protection from weather/sun. I'm not sure if this is negative or not this year with the new paid seating, but a LOT of the seats are empty for dressage, not quite what a mag or rider wants to publish.

If you're under the tree you get to be comfortable in the shade and not burn, but the judges stands will be in your way at some points. You also get lots of close ups oppurtunities and the full covered bleechers are in the background. The machine-gun shutter twins hang out under the tree. I can't remember their names, but they shoot like a 1000 fps all the time, but especially turning extended trot. They get ribbed, but it's all in good fun.

They're very picky about where you can be and when you can get there for stadium day. They are recording for TV broadcast and they want to get the day over with so the limit where you're allowed to be. They SAY they'll allow you to move, but they don't. Luckily I got there way early since I had a meeting in the morning. So, I helped them set up the flowers for the area for the presentations and I was in hours before the start. The Island is THE PLACE to be. You just have to choose WHERE. If you have a zoom lens you can get many of the jumps, just check the layout and which way they'll be jumped before the start and pick your place. Marc Manning will tell you to go outside the arena and pick a spot that faces the last fence, but that's only a good place to be if the last rider is the winner and you get the "money shot". If the last rider drops a rail or two and loses? You wasted your time for a shot worth nothing.

Even if it's raining...which it will be most likely...hang around for the victory lap. It's very easy to get eye contact from the winner.



Also, if you forget your (or your camera's) rain gear, if you're anywhere near Michelle Dunn (kinda the boss lady) she carries extra bags and duct tape. And, the GLC, joint supplement booth, gives out free rain ponchos.

ALL Rolex apparell is 1/2 off at the end of the Sunday. I got two AWESOME waterproof jackets there last year, normally $90 for $45 a piece.

gsgary

I can't help you with the Rolex event, But i use 300F2.8L on one body and 70-200 on the other, i didn't have a wide angle last year, I find the 300 great for filling the frame

300F4 before i got the 2.8


300+1.4


200mm


Hope you have a great time

sirsloop

IDK what you have for lenses, but a reasonable setup would be a 70-200/2.8L, 400/5.6, and a 1.4x TC. If you have money or faster lenses for the long one... go for it. I've found that you can get some pretty darn close shots from relatively far away with 300....400 may be nice with the extra crowd. F/5.6 will be ok as long as its sunny. I shot most of last year with a 70-300IS, and will be shooting with a 70-200/2.8 all this year. Its a pretty darn versatile lens for this sport.

As far as wide angle... IDK if you are even going to need one. I use a 10-22 and the 35/2 for wide stuff.

CookieS

Take the long glass, I personally never use a wide angle shooting horses, unless you really need to get the crowd and full "space" of an obstacle, the best images are the close ups.

roakey

Rolexy Kentucky 3 Day Event next week!
I’ll revive this note since I’m heading out to the RK3DE next week! This’ll be about my 10^th time at the competition, but in the first year I’m going with a camera and glass that can do this event justice. I don’t have a blue vest, so those vantage points are closed to me, but wondering if anyone has any sage advice above and beyond what’s in this and the other Rolex notes (I found some excellent timing, following and lighting advice in http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=129120 and I’d like to thank the contributors for it!).

I’m really hoping for some jaw-dropping pictures this year – the equipment’s up for it, we’ll see if I am!
<!--[endif]-->
Roger

HoofClix

Take as long a lens as you can get your hands on if you don't have the pass. Unless you're wanting to do some wide journalism shots, no point in carrying a wide angle around. I don't know how it works on the Canon system, but I think the 1.4 extender would do the trick. It might be a bit soft, but it's acceptable.

I stopped going in 2004, before they really started giving the pros precedence at the hot spots like the Head of the Lake, but its my guess that you could get nicely close to some decent efforts if you just get there early enough. Maybe scope it all out on Dressage Day, make a plan and execute. Then enjoy!