What it's REALLY like to shoot a pro event

neumanns wrote in post #5866789
I like to show up halfway through the game shoot a couple shot's in "P" mode then get to the pub in time for happy hour to beat the exiting rush. After a few drinks I head home so I can send in the best two or three shots of the five or so that I took to the editor and watch a little Television while waiting for the editor of SI to call and let me know that I got yet another cover shot.
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All this happens in the last ten minutes or so before I wake up and realize one of the kids is crying in the other room.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist)

Oh my god! That's how I first got published in SI too!

Well, I saw this post few days back - but have been a little busy since then. But wanted to add my little point of view to this thread as well.

I have now been doing photography as full time for few months, so my experiences might not be too broad and doing it here in FInland. The scene might be very different, but here's an idea what I think of shooting as a 'pro'.

In my opinion one of the most important things when covering sport is that you 'KNOW THE SPORT'. You will have a much higher chance of being able to get decent shots if you know the sport you are photographing. I mean, if you have never seen a game of football (that's soccer) in your life. You might struggle to get nice shots from the game.
Knowing the game, the team and players will help you anticipate the events on the field better.
You know which players are likely to go for big tackles.. big hits or what ever it is that happens in your chosen sport.

It also helps to know the arena/rink where you shoot, that way you don't have to rush there hours in advance to check the lighting or which way the sun shines or how the shadow from the terrace moves during the game. Because you already know all this.

I suppose in Finland the rules and regulations on where you can shoot are bit more relaxed than in the U.S or U.K. In here the comments I have received many times when asking where I am allowed to shoot is, ' well, just don't go to the pitch...'

One issue that for me is one that causes 'head aches' is, is there WIFI at the arena that i can tap into. Or do I need to use my 3G internet. As I usually have a deadline to deliver the pictures no later than 15-30 minutes after the game.
So to get the pics from the CF card to the Mac and quick edit and sending 4-6 pictures per paper... I am sometimes cutting it very close ..

But, all in all I think shooting sports is MUCH less stressful than my previous work as a Chef.

Just few views from someone who has just started to make money out of this...

GooGaBu Photos wrote in post #5884040
Well, I saw this post few days back - but have been a little busy since then. But wanted to add my little point of view to this thread as well.

I have now been doing photography as full time for few months, so my experiences might not be too broad and doing it here in FInland. The scene might be very different, but here's an idea what I think of shooting as a 'pro'.

In my opinion one of the most important things when covering sport is that you 'KNOW THE SPORT'. You will have a much higher chance of being able to get decent shots if you know the sport you are photographing. I mean, if you have never seen a game of football (that's soccer) in your life. You might struggle to get nice shots from the game.
Knowing the game, the team and players will help you anticipate the events on the field better.
You know which players are likely to go for big tackles.. big hits or what ever it is that happens in your chosen sport.

It also helps to know the arena/rink where you shoot, that way you don't have to rush there hours in advance to check the lighting or which way the sun shines or how the shadow from the terrace moves during the game. Because you already know all this.

I suppose in Finland the rules and regulations on where you can shoot are bit more relaxed than in the U.S or U.K. In here the comments I have received many times when asking where I am allowed to shoot is, ' well, just don't go to the pitch...'

One issue that for me is one that causes 'head aches' is, is there WIFI at the arena that i can tap into. Or do I need to use my 3G internet. As I usually have a deadline to deliver the pictures no later than 15-30 minutes after the game.
So to get the pics from the CF card to the Mac and quick edit and sending 4-6 pictures per paper... I am sometimes cutting it very close ..

But, all in all I think shooting sports is MUCH less stressful than my previous work as a Chef.

Just few views from someone who has just started to make money out of this...

Great point on knowing the sport. It is very true.

I'd also like to take a moment to everyone who's posted. There's lots of good insight in this thread including things I've never really thought about before.

Palladium wrote in post #5845295
Free Parking

Free Food

Free Drink

Long Hours - Hard Work

I would second that, and also add that overseas work takes a lot of effort.

DC Fan wrote in post #5855304
Did anyone here ever use a Leafax 35?

Wow, what a blast from the past. My company bought one of the very first ones,serial number 23 I think. It was the one with the separate monitor that was just a standalone portable television. We also used Companders with it for high speed transmission to a very early AP picture desk (not the Leaf, the Vax system)

clayk wrote in post #5886481
Wow, what a blast from the past. My company bought one of the very first ones,serial number 23 I think. It was the one with the separate monitor that was just a standalone portable television. We also used Companders with it for high speed transmission to a very early AP picture desk (not the Leaf, the Vax system)

Then you're one of the people who can appreciate how things have changed and improved.

The Leafax 35 was the absolute, ultimate, state-of-the-art device for remote deadline image transfer in the old days of photography, back in the ancient days of, oh, 1988.

In those days, when you'd take a few dozen 36-exposure rolls of film to an event, you'd have to break away early from an event to process film and scan the images for processing, and the scanners usually were a long way from the event. The Leafax 35 was a film scanner and CRT monitor built into a suitcase-sized aluminum case, heavy but portable for its day. In the era of the V.32 modem, it saved the time of having to rush a long way to find a place to transmit images.

Those were the days when a newpaper photographer would be lucky to be able to get a picture from the first few minutes of a night sporting event into print. Now, with the widespread availability of portable broadband internet access through WiFi and EV-DO, you can all but get every image to a photo editor as soon as it's taken.

There's an interesting interview available with Peter Read Miller, whose career extends from long before the Leafax 35 era to the digital era.

[QUOTE=DC Fan;5888228]Then you're one of the people who can appreciate how things have changed and improved.

I actually remember working with the AP's "blue box" transmitter. I actually traveled by air with the thing to do remote jobs, usually football and basketball. I remember when the portable spinning drum model came out I thought I had died and gone to heaven.