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Thread started 12 Feb 2010 (Friday) 20:36
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Freeskier Magazine Here I Come!

 
TaylorT
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Feb 12, 2010 20:36 |  #1

As the title saaaays, I am going to be doing an internship type of thing with freeskier. Long story short I've got a friend who's best friend is a photographer/videograp​her for the magazine and they offered me an internship. I don't know why exactly because I have never taken any type of wintery sports photo before. Ever. So please DON'T ask me questions about that or why they would want me or anything. Just answer stuff like this... (please :))


I've got a 7D, 70-200 f2.8 IS, 24-105 f4 IS, and some little things. I just want to know some tips on shooting snowboarding and skiing shots. What type of equipment? Shutter speeds? f-stop? Angles? ANYTHING you have to offer of this topic PLEASE I will take in everything! I'm SO excited about this offer and I just want it to go well. Thank you in advanced! (and gee I hope this is the right spot! :rolleyes:)

-TaylorT


7D w/ Grip, 5D Mark III, 70-200 f/2.8II, 24-105 f/4, 85mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.4

  
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Karl ­ Johnston
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Feb 12, 2010 21:00 |  #2
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A Polarizer may help you out but is not essential.
It will help balance out the blue skies and add more detail but it can be tricky to use.

1/200, f8, iso 100

Faster speed = stop motion
Slower speed = blurred motion
Used creatively slower speed may result in more creative images where it looks like you are capturing the movement of the shot. See panning techniques (external link)

I find its like shooting snowmobile racing; you want to get the angles noone else is getting...instead of shooting at the person try to capture a bit of where they are going, or coming from as they come towards you.

Try to capture the face, focus on the head


Angles depends on how much access you can get and/or if you want to endanger yourself or the skier ;)


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JohnHemlock
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Feb 15, 2010 22:34 |  #3

I find you need cooperative subjects that can hit a mark. Shooting skiers is lots about positioning, IMO. Better if they ski where you want them (into a sliver of light, with backlight and sidelight,etc) than you try and catch them just at the right moment. Easier to manage this if taking photos in the terrain park than the backcountry, obviously.

I shoot skiers at 1/1000 or so, I get more keepers that way but I suck at panning. I bump the exposure a bit to keep snow from looking gray-ish.

That's all I got off the top of my head! Good luck!!


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kchau
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Feb 15, 2010 22:36 |  #4

besides what is offered above, dont feel afraid to let your 7D rip at 8fps.

the AF system is very capable of keeping up, and when shooting fast paced skiiers, the more shots you take, the more chances you have of keepers.


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FlyingPhotog
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Feb 15, 2010 22:37 |  #5

Go dig up POTN member "Primoz"

He shoots skiing and winter sports for a living.


Jay
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"If you aren't getting extraordinary images from today's dSLRs, regardless of brand, it's not the camera!" - Bill Fortney, Nikon Corp.

  
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primoz
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Feb 16, 2010 03:03 |  #6

So basically I should teach you how to shoot skiing in 30sec :mrgreen: I'm pretty sure it won't work, but why not to try :mrgreen:
As far as equipment goes, you are fine. I normally use 1d (now 1 mk4 and 1 mk2 body) and 17-40/4 (for some features) 70-200/2.8 (mostly for finish area), 300/2.8 and 500/4 and 1.4x converter going to each of these lenses if needed. But thing is, I'm shooting alpine and cross country skiing World cup races, where positions are limited, and at least on alpine skiing races also quite far from skiers (especially on DH and SG). Freeskiing is completely different thing. You are not so limited, you can move around, and what is nicest of all, you tell guys where you want them to be, not that gates dictate where they will ride, and race director dictates where we can stand (no I don't have anything bad to say about race directors on WC, since they are really great guys).
Shutter speed... anything from 1/60sec to 1/4000 or even 1/8000sec, depending what you are after. For crisp sharp photos, where you want to eliminate any chance for motion blur, go with times faster then 1/1000. Outside, and especially with today's camera, this can be done easily. If it doesn't go other way, put is to 1000 and you are good, since even so cloudy day, will be bright enough to do this.
Aperture... Normally I don't want my background to be "visible" so I normally shoot at f3.2 or f3.5, but there are photos like this (external link), where I actually want background, so I change aperture appropriately.
Angles... depending what you are after, and depending with what kinda riders you will be shooting. I have no problems shooting (out of races of course) with any of WC guys. I tell them where I want them to be, and they ski on 1cm accurately exactly where I want them. I can do this also with my brother, but we both were racing for almost 20 years, so we have "a bit" of experience on skis. This way, I can really lay on snow, put wide angle on and shoot them when going 30cm away from me, without being worried anyone of us will get hurt. On the other side, I have really bad feeling doing something like this with riders, who can't control their skiing (at least so accurately). When skiing by at 80+km/h, hitting you is last thing anyone would want. So with people who don't ski that great, I rather go for a bit safer way. Sure photos don't look all that great, but I rather stay alive :)
So if I could choose, 90% of my work would be done with wide lenses, but since I can't 99% of my work is done with 300 or 500mm lenses.
Anything else? Sure... go manual. Don't rely on your camera's "brains". They are just too small to handle such things. You will never get properly exposed photo this way, so go manual. Go for skiers face, and screw snow. It will be overexposed, but who cares about this. It's still better to have a bit overexposed snow, then underexposed skier. Afterall it's about skier, not about snow crystals ;)
So, will this do? :)


PhotoSI (external link) | Latest sport photos (external link)http://www.photo.si (external link)

  
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FlyingPhotog
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Feb 16, 2010 03:28 |  #7

Found Him... :lol:


Jay
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"If you aren't getting extraordinary images from today's dSLRs, regardless of brand, it's not the camera!" - Bill Fortney, Nikon Corp.

  
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Biffbradford
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Feb 16, 2010 11:12 |  #8

Okay, here's the one I usually struggle with on the fly and at 10F with frozen fingers, not a fun thing: Evaluative, Center Weighted, Partial, or Spot ? Trying to get the best of the skier while retaining the texture of the snow (grooming marks, lumps, drifts) without simply blowing it out as pure white.


My pictures: John Wilke Photography (external link), Flikr (external link) , Facebook (external link), Fine Arts America (external link), Canon 1D MkII N, 1D MkIII, various Canon and Tokina lenses. :D

  
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primoz
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Feb 16, 2010 12:33 as a reply to  @ Biffbradford's post |  #9

With manual all these questions simply go away ;) For on the fly, you need a bit experience, but if you have some time to prepare yourself, it's easy to make test shoot or two, and check exposure on LCD. I normally leave my cameras on evaluative, and depend on lcd (not even histogram, since histogram is mostly screwed up because of too much white around).


PhotoSI (external link) | Latest sport photos (external link)http://www.photo.si (external link)

  
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powhound
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Mar 05, 2010 22:30 |  #10

Just came across this thread, and last night I went to a photo slideshow and Q&A with two Utah professional ski photogs, and the guy who specialized in action photography, Steven Lloyd answered a bunch of questions.
Some things I remember,
1. he never uses any filters except a protective UV filter. (never is a big word, but no polarizer, he does use colored gels for night flash shots, but no circ pol._
2. He uses spot metering for the most part and always meters off the snow.
3. He also clearly instructs where he wants his athletes to go.

I found it to be an informative evening with lots of great pictures.
FWIW, his photos have been published in Powder, Black Diamond cat, and lots of other places.
Here is a link to his blog...
http://stevelloydphoto​.wordpress.com/ (external link)


Canon 40d, sigma 10-20, canon 28-135, canon speedlight 430exII.
http://www.flickr.com/​photos/parkermcbrier/ (external link)

  
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