The following post was written for Western Digital as part of the WD Creative Masters contest.
Our day began at Denver East High School, where we learned about arena lighting from Sports Illustrated assistant Shawn Cullen.
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The following post was written for Western Digital as part of the WD Creative Masters contest.
Our day began at Denver East High School, where we learned about arena lighting from Sports Illustrated assistant Shawn Cullen.
The following post was written for Western Digital as part of the WD Creative Masters contest.
We started the day with a critique of our images from yesterday. It was really cool to see how much everyone has improved already. The lessons we learned in cropping from the first day were especially evident.
The following post was written for Western Digital as part of the WD Creative Masters contest.
Today started on a high note. We began with a presentation by Steve Fine, the Director of Photography (DOP) at Sports Illustrated. As the magazine’s longest-reigning DOP, he is responsible for making the final selection of what images make it into each week’s issue.
The following post was written for Western Digital as part of the WD Creative Masters contest.
For the first shoot of the Peter Read Miller Sports Photography workshop, we’re going to photograph mountain biking. We started the day off with Peter showing us some pictures from last year’s shoot with the same group of riders. Peter also shared a number of strategies for making great images.
One technique we discussed was panning. For best results, smooth motion is best, such as biking. It is much more difficult to pan a running athlete, who will be moving up and down as they compete. Peter also offered a simple tip: face your body towards where you want to end up in your panning sequence.
The following post was written for Western Digital as part of the WD Creative Masters contest.
For the next week, I’ll be attending the Peter Read Miller Workshop in Denver, Colorado, where I hope to hone my skills as a sports photographer by learning from one of the best in the business. I’ve been shooting sports since I was in high school, when I covered games for my school newspaper and yearbook. Since then, I’ve worked as the chief photographer for the Ohio University Athletic Department, covering thirteen Division 1 NCAA sports.
After a three-hour flight from Columbus, I arrived in the Mile High City today around 10:30am. I got settled into my hotel, and then headed out to explore the town with my good friend and former Ohio University classmate Josh Couper. Whenever I travel to a new city, I try and find someone local to show me around and help me find my bearings.
Peter began his presentation talking about scouting at the opening ceremonies at the 1992 Olympics, and how he was able to capture the lighting of the torch in dramatic fashion using a remote on a long exposure. From there, he moved through the breadth and depth of his career, discussing his strategies for each of his favorite sport. At the Beijing Olympics, he talked about scouting and preparing to shoot the fireworks over the Birds’ Nest. He scouted at 11am for the opening ceremonies that night.
“What I love about them is the amount of passion that happens… this is every four years. Very few people every repeat at these things.” – Peter talking about the spirit of competition at the Olympics.
For shooting football, Peter discussed his strategies for achieving certain looks. By shooting from the ground with a right-angle viewfinder adapter, he is able to make the athletes look more heroic, and appear to be leaping much higher into the air. When the play comes closer to the end zone, he often works with a wide angle that he keeps around his neck to show the context of the play, instead of shooting tight with longer glass.
Tomorrow, we are heading out to the front-range to shoot mountain bikers. I can’t wait to see what I can learn from the workshop.
