shooting golf

so ill be shooting gold for the first time in a few weeks. are there any tips or helpful advice that i should know before going out. its a 2 day tournament and i will be shooting with my 7D and the 70-200 mkII +1.4X. other than trying to probably get my hands on a golf cart so i can set up quickly before the players at my school tee off and hit etc... im not sure what todo other than make sure i wear something that is not distracting since i know i will most likely be in the players vision while taking pictures since i do want to be able to see their faces.

with what i have how far should i be from the player to get their pictures. considering this is not a fast sport and you only get one shot per hole to tee off plus however many hit they get to the hole. i was thinking i cant be any further than half a soccer field away other wise its too wide of a shot and i would need to crop heavily but i dont know how close i can get without the player hearing my camera and being distracted since this sport is quieter than all the others

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=igvybREjQxA

that was pretty insightful. i would have never thought it would be ok shooting that close to the tee but i guess as long as you dont shoot while the player is actually swinging it wont distract them

I'm an avid golfer and have shot some stuff during practice rounds at some PGA events, albeit with a long zoom P&S because I just got my DSLR.

There's really no need to stand too far away. If a player feels you're invading his space or messing up his game, you'll get some dirty looks. I've gotten them from some pros, even on the range, and I just move on. Just be extra careful to not stand directly in peripheral vision, ie imagine a cross that extends from the ball straight back and forward down the fairway (parallel to golfers feet) and the other side going through the ball between their legs (perpendicular to the feet). Those are the spots that the golfer is most easily distracted and will get annoyed. Also beware of the golfer having a bad day.... sometimes they'll look for something to be mad at. Watch the scores and if someone is doing terribly, it's probably a good idea to not tempt fate.

Above all else, wait until the ball is gone before firing away. Camera clicks are acceptable as long as the shot has been played in most events, but you might still want to ask the coach/school. Practice this as they are on the practice range to get your timing down so you can capture the follow through. It's pretty easy to get into the groove here as the average swing is down about 3x as fast as it is back. Watch the golfers though to see if they have a hitch in their swing that destroys this timing..... some do kind of pause or do something weird that slows the process down.

What kind of shots have they asked you to get? Behind the ropes and down the fairway a bit on either side of the player could get some good shots since the finish position of the swing is looking down the line. Many of your best shots will probably be on the putting greens. Making and missing big putts results in the most emotion from the players, so be ready and position yourself on the opposite side of the hole of the player if possible since that's what they tend to look at. You'll have fist pumps, big sighs, and the awesome slow walk towards the hole praying the ball drops. Candids while they're waiting can be good too.

this is for my school's athletics department as i work for them and use the glass they bought for me to use as their photographer.

they will only want action shots so basically only the players hitting the ball and putting maybe. and occasionally lining up a hit but more action than anything. so far i have only done soccer for them and they only want tight action shots of as many different players as possible over the course of the season. and of course they only want shots that show the players face, if you cant see their face its not a keeper but thats with almost all sports shots.

so basically i know i need to be in front of them while they hit. so maybe if they are right handed and facing forward with the left side of their body facing the green maybe be at like a 45degree angle in front of them so i can get the full rotation to ensure that no matter what their style is assuming they are right handed i will get their face

if i am lucky i will have the assistant coach hopefully drive me in a golf cart to make sure i get all the shots they need and he can tell me if the players are right/left handed. if im on my own then ill just be winging it

Brian, higherground provided some great advice. More geared toward shooting at PGA events, but most of what he offered is valid at every level.

Here are some shots that I've gotten at golf events over the years. Easy stuff where faces can be easily seen and the action a bit slower and predictable.

Around the greens: Chip shots, bunker shots, lining up putts, watching a put go in. Shoot from a low angle and position yourself close to the golfer with background far away. This should isolate the player and give you a great backdrop on which to shoot. Trees, fairways, etc.

Tee box areas: Depending on how brave you are, setting up at ground level (tee boxes are usually elevated to some degree) and LEFT of the golfer for a right-hand player. You'll be able to crop down and get great shots each player finishing the swing. Face, intensity, finishing pose. Those are always nice.

Interaction: Be sure to get interaction between team mates. Congrats, fist bumps ... stuff like that after a putt was made. Kids want to win, but they also like to have fun while playing. See if you can catch some of that.

Fairway / approach shots: This is where you can get really good body action (trying keep ball on line) and expressions after both good and bad shots.

My experience says most HS golfers are so freaking good anymore that the only place you wouldn't be safe is directly in front of them. I liked what higherground said about your role with regard to the players: they'll most certainly let you know if you're in the way or bothering them. Get as close as you can to the action as you feel comfortable and you'll probably still not bother the players.

Look forward to seeing some of your shots. You have GREAT gear that is plenty up to the task.

dave

yea i have had good experience shooting the athletes at my school. i mean we all go to school together so we know each other. i have only had one tennis player ask me to stop taking pictures because it was distracting her but she has been the only one so far

i would hope they tell me im too close or distracting rather than just dealing with me

Brian_R wrote in post #13201225
yea i have had good experience shooting the athletes at my school. i mean we all go to school together so we know each other. i have only had one tennis player ask me to stop taking pictures because it was distracting her but she has been the only one so far

i would hope they tell me im too close or distracting rather than just dealing with me

Definitely let them know you'll be there, where you'll be, what kind of shots you're trying to get, etc. This way, they know you'll be there, take the shots and get out.

dave

Tell whoever you need to that you need a cart for the day. Otherwise, how will you get everyone teeing off, hitting from the fairway, putting, etc.

i used the 7D and 300 f/2.8 w/1.4x from a little ways down the fairway off to the right. That particular hole had a nice backdrop of solid trees and greenery.

To be honest, shooting golf is one of the most boring sports to shoot, at least for me. LOL For T shots I like taking the shot at two different times, one is right after the club head makes contact with the ball, and the second is at the end of the golfers swing.

As far as approach shots, I'll stand behind the green and like to take the shot after impact with the ball several feet from the player. The local news paper seems to like this shot wide enough so the other players are in the back ground. More bang for their buck...or so they say. If the course has loose sand, bunker shots are a plus having the ball coming out and sand 'exploding' from contact.

Green shots, getting shots of the player kneeling down and reading the green are good. As are shots of a put with the ball between the player and the hole.

But with golf, most 'action' is the players emotions. Either in disgust after missing a put, or in celebration after making a 'must sink' put.

As far as where to setup. It all depends on how the course is setup. One HS course that I shoot often at is a very tight course (at least a few holes are.) There I'll setup first at the green of hole #1, as the T to #2 is just a few feet away. These two holes are also located along the woods and gives a nice backdrop. There I'll capture the chip shots and green shots. Then move to the #2 T-box, setup 20 yards away next to an evergreen and take my T shots. I'll stay there until I have have shots of the #1 and #2 players (this is all for High School). Then I'll move down to hole #5 which has a similar setup and repeat.

With all of that said, I've found 400mm is the ideal FL for golf. It gets your far enough away from the players not to be a distraction. With your 70-200 and 1.4 you'll be cutting it close but still very doable.

thank you all for the help and responses. it is greatly appreciated. i may consider renting a second body and 400 2.8 with a monopod.

i will mention this to my athletics department and see if they like it. i will have to write a pitch of some sort to justify spending the money. unfortunately my credit card limit cant even barely get me to rent anything

but if i can rent i think i might go for either 1DmkIII/IV and 400 2.8 and monopod (with my 7D with 70-200 mkII)... and um can you rent memory cards for the camera i only own one