Shooting Rollergirls is fun. If you say things like “how cute”, they will hurt you badly and that is just the junior teams.

Fans and especially players love photos.

So, you want to take photographs at a bout. And you want to know specific settings. Good luck! If you don’t know how or what settings mean then you will need to do some home work. And figure out your style and objective of what you wish to achieve. Every setting depends on lighting.

Lighting: Venues vary from roller rinks to arenas. And the lighting varies greatly affecting the settings for DSLR’s and all the other cameras. A photographer is always chasing the light. It may take planning and additional equipment to achieve results. Keep it simple and adjust those settings on your camera to compensate. Before setting up equipment, make sure of safety and permission. That small spot light or strobe may cause problems for the players.

Aperture: You will be wanting the lowest f-stop you can go when the lighting is low. Remember, that also means a shallow field of depth for focus. So that means you may be focused in the wrong spots from time to time. The higher numbers mean less light hitting the sensor and a flatter image focus plane. Lenses have different aperture settings. My 50mm lens has a f1.8, that means it opens way up to let lots of light in. My cheap 24-200mm zoom is just f3.5, that means it doesn’t let in as much light. Oh, remember, these can go up to f22 which closes off the amount of light. Tip trick: for a zoom lens I’ll set it to one that stays the same whether it is zoomed in or out. For example, at f3.5 my 24-200mm will barrel down to f5.6, so go ahead and set it to that and when I zoom out it is still f5.6 so I don’t end up with light and dark photos that don’t match so much. Saves time in post editing.

Speed: The action is fast. As you slow it down to let more light hit the sensor, you also run the risk of blurry action. For Jam line ups you can go slow, but when it starts you need to be speeding the shutter up. I like 1/125 or faster (1/160, 1/200, 1/250, etc.) to capture speed. Any thing slower starts to get that blur from movement, 1/80 or 1/60 works great when everyone is still. But a lot of speed depends on aperture and ISO. Tip trick: Pan with the players, you can follow one by aiming your camera. And as you are panning, press the shutter, and keep panning until after the camera shoots. It takes practice to use this technique especially when using a slower shutter speed.

ISO: Now this is the tricky part. With the increase of the ISO, you also get more noise. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you may want clearer faces. You can go as high as you can stand. Most of the time I’ll start around 1600ISO and go up. To get those faster shutter speeds I’ll go higher to 3200 or 6400. You’ll end up with noise in low light like roller rinks any way but the trade off is higher shutter speeds for capturing action.

Do your homework and know what all the settings mean ahead of time. Because if you have a f3.5 lens you can possible shoot at 1/125s with your ISO ranging from 1250 up. Lighting will affect everything. So practice those settings so you know what each one does. There are so many lens and camera bodies out there, so begin working with what you have. See also:Photography 101

I just realized I need to do an article on cell phone cameras. I get a lot of blurry photos, especially when I leave the settings on auto. Iphones have finally caught up with android for adjusting settings. But still, you are taking photos on a very small sensor. Light is an issue, so make those ISO adjustments. Don’t expect miracles when the action starts, but you can get lots of shots when every thing is slow.

Insights: What’s the best camera to use? The one you have with you. Be the photo journalist. Capture a story with your shots. The story you get may be of the friends you go with or it’s a multi year project for the team. Also, be prepared to go unnoticed and unused. Teams already have their go to people. It takes time and good communication to be noticed. Many teams have a waiver for the DSLR/SLR users, so make sure you are up to date with that. Too many try to sell photos back to the team players thus the need for the legal policies. Just check with the team on their policies and expectations.

Social Media: They already have team photographers who sponsor them with photos. So assume photos are just for sharing. You don’t have to share, but it’s fun to promote the sport.

Shot List: Have fun and get the shots you want. You can look at a lot of other photographers work to see what they are interested in, but you need to capture what you like. That may be crashes, jumps, wide angle shots, tight close-ups, line-ups, action, or even zany antics. You will want to take lots of variety, but do have some goals to make things more interesting.

Photos: Content trumps quality. Even that blurry photo may mean something if it has the right content. Of course you may not want to print those. Your objective will determine what you share or publish. You want to show off the best possible photo. It’s easy to get unflattering photos of the ladies. As for butt shots, it will happen, it’s the team, boyfriends, husbands, girlfriends, and derby wives you have to worry about if you are the creepy type. You are not going to please everyone. Be careful and select wisely.

Locations: Scout out your spots. Know where you want to be and when you want to be there. Avoid being in the way of the players and officials. Being in the wrong spots just ruins it for everyone. Some one will quickly remind you of where you need to be. The suicide seating gets you close to the action without hassle. The stands are also great too. You can try a few spots out and get what you like photos of. Tip trick: When you get below the helmet height, you can see their eyes.

Players as Celebrities: Every league has it’s own level of local fame. The ladies are approachable and welcome fans. Some are into the alter-ego and there are some who are themselves. As many leagues there are, that means just as many styles of presentation. So keep that in mind for photos. The ladies work hard to promote their sport and know there will be embarrassing moments. Get a feel for the team by visiting their sites to see what they promote and even ask questions ahead of time. It’s always a good rule to think twice and remove photos when asked.

There are so many other considerations. Expect to get a lot of bad photos and just as many good ones. Pay attention to the game and the individual players. Keep a balance of Jammers, Pivots, and Blockers in your sights. You will want a few photos of each to give you a story of the action. Don’t forget the Zebras, the NSO’s, coaches, and those on the bench.

Get low and keep your head on a swivel.

It takes time to build clients. Some markets are quicker than others. But word of mouth spreads quicker than anything. What ever you do, some one is there to tell some one else about it. Hopefully for the good.

You are your brand even if some one works for you or you outsource your photo editing. Customer service along with prices is driving force behind your brand. As your prices go up, the level of customer service can and should go up.

I’m just trying to make money any way I can. And so are the rest of us. The customer is looking to save money. But they also want value for what they get. If you are giving your services away, even to promote your work, you need to be getting something back. Take your time on photos that may just end up on facebook or some corner of a web site. I’ve got photos that pop up from time to time on twitter. So yes, 1000′s see that photo daily with every tweet.

My clients may not like it if I change my prices. It’s a good time to add more clients. There will be others to fill their photographic needs as you add more to your services. Loosing money to get new clients at the cheap rate on those sites like Groupon may not be for every one. Few may stick around for the full rate. Some times it works, do your homework. If they are looking for the cheaper rates, they may not be your client. In fact just avoid those. You are wanting some one who wants you and your style, not just a price tag. What would be cool is for those in a higher expendable money bracket looking to find you as their way of finding a bargain. As your business grows then you move along to the next level.

Everyone has Instagram or just uploads to Facebook or pins stuff on Pinterest. And that is how people know I’m alive too. I’ve got photos all over Pinterest and Facebook. Photographers are all over the sharing on G+, which is where the serious stuff goes. Your brand may include sharing. It’s a great way to get a following. I’ve know teens who use Flickr, and hear about when the creepers visit their sites all because they are teens shooting teens.

I’m not good enough to be a professional. Too late, you have to to be professional when you deal with a wrong order at the burrito bar. All it takes is a pleasant attitude to deal with clients. You don’t have to promise everything. Just deliver what is expected and throw in surprises like early delivery. Stay on top of the emails, calls, texts, and those times you meet for coffee. As for photo quality, if you have a DSLR you are ahead of the cell phone carriers. A fashion photographer years ago used disposable cameras to produce his work. Keep learning all that you can until you know how to use the camera you have. Digital photographers pull out the Instamatic or even a Holga to accent a photoshoot to add something special to the shoot. When I shoot Rollerderby, it’s all about it as a distraction, to enter another world for a moment and then share that with the derby girls. And because of that, I know the worst conditions imaginable for action shots so any thing else would be easy. So ready for the Dew Tour or the Olympics, how cool would that be.

I’ve got to figure out what my brand is. You’re brand may be related to your market. There are Cites, Suburbs, Country, Towns, and everything in between. People migrate between everything bringing what they know along. I’m a Rock guy living in the country, shooting country stars living in the city. Just remain positive, anything is possible. You don’t have to try to do it all. Keep things simple.

Check out the Branding of these

Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs

Christa Meola, Boudior

Zach and Jody, Weddings

Diane Bradford, Editorial

Jonathan Penney, Master Printmaker

With digital cameras you can take lots of photos and chimpsy, look at the view screen often. Even though you can delete, you are still looking for that prize photo.

Spend some time with what is happening in front of the lens. This may mean coaching to get those poses you need. I’m a natural introvert and I like being behind the lens. But I do have to take the time to do some guiding. Much like hiking or leading a high angle challenge course, you have to use your voice and even your own body to draw out the best.

Figure models already know how to pose and what to do with their hands. It takes time and practice to work poses and angles to deliver. The pro knows to work off the direction of the photographer. Models are hired for that reason. But a client hired you for your photography skills. That may be based on your website or posted photos or her girlfriend showed off her portfolio. Whatever lead her to you, she knows wants to look beautiful and more importantly experience being beautiful. So, as a photo session progresses, you should be taking those but what if she keeps doing the same thing over and over.

Hopefully early in the photo session you start coaching what you need. There are lots of styles like fashion, editorial, pin-up, photojournalism, boudoir, glamour, or something else you are trying to achieve. Your style may be just one or you like to have several to draw from. The person in front of the lens still needs coaching.

Spend some time learning poses. CreativeLive online has had some wonderful workshops that covers just what you need. Local workshops in your area can be beneficial. So learn and continue to study all that you can. And one way to learn is by practice. Even if you have to hire a model or borrow a friend for a day to start will vastly improve your work. Don’t be afraid to work on something new.

You’ll have to work in your own style of coaching. One way may be minimal with just gesturing and a few words of encouragement all the way to a non stop verbal fully posing experience. What ever works for you, go with it. Once you are aware that you can and should be coaching a client, you’ll never want to go back. Even my model friends expect to be guided as to what I want from them. And I’ve been working on it too.

One fashion shoot involved people who had no idea what to do. The best ideas were just simple interactions like have the girls whisper in an ear or run up and down the store aisle. All I had to do was capture the action. The same goes for portraits or whatever the style you are going for. Coach or direct to bring out the best.

Little things like saying use balet hands, suddenly hands become softer and eloquent. Touch lightly, chin out and down, tilt the head, point your toe, push hips out more, etc… There are lots of phrases you will be saying besides “beautiful, sexy, or that’s groovy baby”.

Encourage the person in front of the lens and bring out the best.

Well there are quite a few stories to tell and a bunch of insights. Just where do I begin. Maybe Cowboy Troy needs more lessons on using his blackberry. He’s doing one thing well, and that is sharing. For dslr photographers, the time delay can be brutal for those waiting… But, the quality can be so much better than a cell phone. In one photo posted, the rollergirls went crazy commenting… never mind the shot was out of focus, they just loved the mid air flight. Having been reluctant to select the photo for upload, it turned into an enduring moment. So, the lesson here: Shoot everything, share selectively.

Lighting: Start with good lighting. Those led lights are harsh on post production editing of colors. Even white balance can be drastically effected. Anyway, white led lights can be a eerily gray on skin. Yellow and white seems to be a good combo. But, they like reds and low light. You can always make black and white photos out of them, or even pick another monochromatic color that works.

Make a photograph: Take your time and explore around the room looking for the best angles. Choose your spots and work it. Get the shots you preplanned. You should know what you want to get. That may be close ups of instruments to whole stage shots. If you ever watch a few videos of the Jane Dear Girls performing for CMT at 12&Porter, you will see me working it. Wildflower, Shotgun Girl… Those shots were worth it even though that was nearly a year ago. Then they got famous or something like that. Even shooting a few nights ago for Tim, the room was limiting but I still had to find those sweet spots. And don’t give up until you get the shot. I got a great shot of the end of a guitar, but not one with the focus on the face, there is no going back.

Make friends: Enough said. Musicians are real people. They work and perform on the side. No need to go creepy fan. I passed John Rich at a show and didn’t pay attention to who he was, but then again that’s how I roll. Even in high school he was focused on music. At one show, the cute manager of a hiphop group had me take photos of her with Kristin of Darling Parade. While waiting, I found out the photographers from her label just weren’t working out for her. I’m a rock guy, so I hang out with Hello Kelly who happens to be friends with Darling Parade. and their manager has sneaked my back stage to avoid the dreaded guest list.  Kree during several shows has looked straight in my camera, she knows I’m shooting. Becca Bramlett gave a thumbs up while singing, and that crowd was huge. So, we all end up having a little fun with it all. And then there are the countless number of music row people floating around networking too.

Don’t forget the fans: Fans or friends out for support are always around. They may even tell you stories of working for SNL before it got lame or going to college with Rachel Ray. I found a fan amongst the crowd in a photo of Stealing Angels, he turns up everywhere so why not say hi. And don’t even get me started on how many ladies I want to do portraits for. I will get on stage for a shot, but fans get annoyed even when you stand on the floor in front of the lead singer.

Know the rules: Why you can still use a cell phone for photos, HD video, and stream live when there are rules against dslr’s I may never know. It may be old rules about perceived quality. I still have to dumb down video for youtube no matter what I shot it with. Ha, if I can’t use my dslr, then I’m streaming live. Oh, most of the time it’s just the big names that those riters like that. These days, if it hasn’t been tweeted during a performance it’s too late. Venues have signs warning people that if you don’t want to be photographed then you may want to stay out.

Know your venue: Be nice to the staff. They have seen and heard it all. The sound guy may even work with you on lights. The GM may have you out for future shows. If it’s a packed place, you may have to find a spot early. Suicide seating fills up at Rollerderby so I get to my spot and make camp. There are a lot of factors like times, prices, space for equipment, parking, etc. So be prepared.

Have fun: That means enjoy the moment.

Doing the fashion campaign for the Buttercup Boutique has been an eye opener. Those ladies are begging to get shot and bring their kids in for photos. And none of them are models. And they all know how to pose their kids and get them to smile with big teeth. Half way through, they start to realize it isn’t easy to smile with their eyes, or have to sell an outfit they like but don’t want to be photographed in. We keep it fun, but the hard work becomes a reality. Slowly they begin to understand that what they see in a magazine or on favorite Facebook pages is the product of the promotion campaign.
The personal stress of Top Model confession cam interviews comes to light. Imagine that, it’s not all fabulous glam. It’s not all bad on a local level. The ladies are having fun without the pressure they won’t get the job. For the Buttercup, they get their moment. And that may be all they want, just a few moments to be that star.

Then the editing comes. With great lighting, everything shows up. That can be nose hair, crows feet, laugh lines, head lines, pimples, bumps, etc. For the most part, a campaign in Facebook, Google+, or a web page doesn’t have to be of the highest detail to be viewed on a cell phone or on a computer. Prints are a different thing, details matter when it’s a size bigger than 11×14. (16×20 is a good size to have made) Anyway,  If you have to do editing, don’t over work a face, keep editing to a minimum. HD tv and a finely focused movie projector shows all those details of the stars. Bright diffused light seems to flatten features. Also, matte makeup, that can be over looked.

Remember to have fun. Enjoy the experience. Even when you don’t get the shot you want, the person on the other side of the lens is giving it her all. So, give it your all and work for that shot.

Oh, another thing. Shot lists. Know what you need. You can turn that outfit that isn’t working into getting those jewelry or accessory shots on your list. The model feels better about herself too when she realizes everything planned doesn’t work.

Behind the scenes:
Schedule the models ahead of time, and inform them what to expect like location, what to wear, etc.
Prepare hair and makeup for the shoot.
Allow time to change outfits.
Prepare shot lists and remain flexible for creating art.
Be hygienic…

The Shoot:
Start making art.
Keep the model in mind; kids get cranky or hyper, adults need water and shade. And everyone needs a break.
Be prepared for shots not to go like you want, it’s not the end of the world.
Work for that shot. Get settings right and go for it.

http://modelalliance.org/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/08/the-model-alliance-fashion-model-abuse_n_1263620.html#

Waterfalls, streams, etc. are fun to shoot… There are numerous options to do. One is that silky affect that makes the water so soft. The trick is a slow shutter speed. No surprise there. Even a point-and-shoot and some cell phones can be adjusted, so even if you don’t have a dslr you can still make adjustments.
A tripod is a must for keeping the image from blurring. Also, a shutter remote (or cable if that’s what you need) helps. Another option is to use the timer function so that the camera is still when it takes the picture.
Now for the experimental part. The speed, aperture, and ISO options.
Speed: try 1/5 or slower, it’s ok to try out 1s, 2s, 3s, etc. But be prepared to adjust aperture too.
Aperture: the more open it is the more light goes in, so here is a chance to use those higher numbers to reduce the light to get those desired results. A f9 or f16 may work, but adjust as needed. Remember, the lower the number means more open the aperture is. The higher number results in closing the aperture more. If in doubt, set to speed priority and let the camera figure out a starting point.
ISO: try starting with 100 or 200. Remember this will give you the best quality. But that can be changed as it gets late in the day or down in a valley. Hopefully you practiced these adjustments.

Insights: Add a neutral density filter to your lens. This may help with those longer exposures. In a photo editor you can use the blur tools, but you can do a lot while shooting. Take shots at different settings so you can get what you want.
If you get a dark photo, adjust the aperture down a few stops to open it up. Also, slowing the speed will do the same thing.
With the aperture being open, like f3.5 (the low numbers), the focus point is affected. If you’re shooting a stream, you may need to pay attention to where it is focused on. You may have to refocus to get the exact image you want.
Just take your time to make adjustments as you are learning…
If you want the droplets and water to freeze in midair then think fast speed. This means a faster speed and lower f-stop.

Related Project Ideas for slow speed or long exposure: Photograph Lights at night- that can be train crossing arms, airplanes, cars, trains, boats, glow sticks, flashlights, northern lights, stars, carnival rides, etc. Photograph moving water like waves, you may need several neutral-density filters depending on the time of day. The ideas are limitless.

With you I can see past the lies and greed in this burned out city
With you I can run from the shell-shocked demons dancin’ in my head
You give me strength when my legs are tired
You feed my soul when I’m uninspired

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbz1D08muFw

With you I can speak in a voice that rings with love and mercy
With you I can stand no matter where the howlin’ wind of change may blow
I lie in bed and I watch you sleep
There is no dream that I would not keep with you – with you

There is no face that I love as much
There is no dream that I could not touch with you with you with you with you

With you I can love with a heat that defies explanation
With you I can sleep like an infant held up in his mother’s arms
I know you well and you know me too
There’s no hope so lost that it can’t be touched with you

I am leaving the house in a moment to got to the wake of the 95 year old mother of my friend of over 45 years.  It is raining– as it has been raining for the past days–or has it been weeks?  It seems forever.

I’ll drive through twilight and stop at intersections and return to taking  photos in the rain which I started last year.  When I started they dazzled me–the headlights, the traffic lights, then, with taking too many of them, I seemed to capture less magic.  Perhaps. I was trying too hard?

I am a year older, closer to that purported burst of spectral white, so I think I’ll try again for weather magic on my way to bear witness to a natural beauty who did not have to try hard to dazzle.

Her name was Mona.

Sometimes thinking back and going back to beauty is the best way to honor a soft, sweet soul as she passes through the lights.

©Pat Coakley

PHOTOGRAPHS CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION

©Pat Coakley 2009

Photographs Cannot Be Used Without Written Permission

Suberite and Ryquail have both been AWOL from SU recently, but their Flickr pages provide fascinating glimpses of places and plants explored and savored.

Purple iris across a garden. Taken this evening.