Need Advice ASAP on Shooting Roller Derby

[BlakeinatorMate]

A possible first photographic job has just came up. It involves shooting a local derby team. Since most roller derby events are held at night in crappily light-up indoor centres it will require either the use of a flash or high iso's with the use of fast glass.

This is the first time I have been approached in regards to a photographic assignment. I was just wondering if anyone could share some helpful tips on some issues I might face when photographing the event. I'm going to see if I can possibly photograph the team training before the actual game to find issues with my technique and processes. I will be doing my research on how the game is actually played because there is nothing worse than photographing a sport you do not know how to play haha.

I have limited low-light gear.

Canon 60d
50mm 1.8
Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 VC
Samyang 8mm 3.5
Canon 100-400mm 2.8 L (which I could borrow of my mum if necessary)
And also a Tokina 11-16 which I can also borrow of mum.
I have two Yongnuo yn460ii manual flashes with two CTR301p receivers. I find the triggers extremely unreliable though.

Any tips about actually photographing the event or in regards to the communication between the client would be greatly appreciated.

[FlyingPhotog]

Searching "Roller Derby" on the POTN front page yields this thread that looks to be pretty well done:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...t=Roller+Derby

One technique you probably should get to know is Second-Curtain Sync (aka Dragging The Shutter) so you can pan while using flash.

There are a couple of folks doing "Derby" here on POTN and I'm sure they'll be along.

[BlakeinatorMate]

Thanks for the response. I'd love to do some OCF flash but I'm not sure where I would put my tripods with flashes on them so that they are not damaged from the derbyers.

[AntonLargiader]

The 100-400 is not a 2.8 lens, but I think that's not a problem.

Looking at my derby pix from last fall, most were shot at 100mm or longer, but if you are close and want the whole lineup, you'll find 100 to be long. I did go down to 70 for some stuff but surprisingly most were 100 or more.

Almost everything was at 2.8 with strobes. Search for threads that I've started; it was back in October 2011. I show the lights and go into some tech details. Using the EXIF data you might be able to get an idea of whether or not you will be able to get enough light for a given shooting plan.

DEFINITELY shoot the practice! And when you go to shoot it, have several different lighting configurations planned (ambient-only, on-camera flash, of-camera flash) and have a plan for testing and developing each one. Make sure the lighting in there is the same as it will be during the bout; my team practiced in a different room earlier in the day, so there was much more daylight.

[arich]

I just lay to speedlights on different parts of the rink wall

[bsmotril]

Joe Rollerfan's (Joe Schwartz) blog is a pretty good place to start: http://www.derbyinfocus.com/2011/04/...ler-derby.html

[bsmotril]

With your lenses, the 17-50 will work best assuming you can get trackside. It's a bit short for shooting down the straight, so park yourself at the apex between corner 1-2. You'll be close enough to get the starts, and the blocking going into corner 1. for variety, try the exit of corner two looking back into the apex. Set your camera for back button AF so the shutter is just doing metering and back AF button just does focus. Track skaters with AF a second or two before you press the shutter, AIServo focus of course. This will give you a near instant shutter release. Set your custom functions for shutter release priority to Focus. Center point AF with surround points works best. Tracking sensitivity at slow, or one click above that will prevent refs skating through your foreground from pulling focus off the skaters.

Ask about center track access, which would be ideal for your lens selection. It is a crowded busy place, and a lot of head referees don't allow it. Many that do restrict the photog so a small space in order to stay out of the way of the jammer refs on skates and NSO's. The 100-400 is a lousy lens for derby, I used mine once. It is too long to avoid excessive cropping unless you're sitting in the bleachers.

A key to getting good derby shots is to evaluate the teams playing for their speed and style of play. Some teams are a lot faster than others, some use slow scrim starts, some don't. Position yourself on the track so you get to catch the point where the jammers make first contact with the pack, that is where you're best contact and blocking shots will come from. Scrim starts can be interesting, moreso from the side or rear than direct from the front I think. Move around the track, get some variety. Don't forget the crowd candids, halftime entertainment, the ladies at the merch tables, announcers, refs, and support crew. Most are volunteers who do the sport for the love of it and love seeing their image on a website or in print. Lastly, read up and google Rollerderby 101 and learn the basics of the game, it will help you greatly in anticipating when and where you'll catch your best action captures. BTW, I shoot for the Texas Rollergirls, the god mothers of the Flat track derby revival and have been with them since this whole craze started up.

[kjonnnn]

It must be murder for them on a flat surface.

[bsmotril]

Originally Posted by kjonnnn

It must be murder for them on a flat surface.

I don't think so. There's 1400 plus flat track leagues around the world versus about 12 bank tracked leagues. They all wear protective gear which in an of itself has improved greatly over the past 5 years as the sport adapted and modified skateboard gear which is now produced by companies like Pro-Tec.

[kjonnnn]

I've skated on the banked tracks and flat... hitting the curves at a fast speed is more difficult on a flat floor.

[bsmotril]

Agreed, which is why flat track is so much more interesting to watch and shoot. It has a much greater exhibition of athletic skill.

[chrisbergmann]

Wow Joe Schwartz's blog was terrific and well written. I'm glad I came across this thread. This is my first season shooting for the Long Island Roller Rebels and am always looking for ways to improve

[watt100]

Originally Posted by bsmotril

Joe Rollerfan's (Joe Schwartz) blog is a pretty good place to start: http://www.derbyinfocus.com/2011/04/...ler-derby.html

definitely a different (but interesting) sport to shoot