Fencing

Primoz · Sep 18, 2012

A while ago I shot the Slovene National competition in fencing... I wanted to enhance the "whiteness" of this sport by removing the screaming and hideous bright yellow walls in the background in post.

What do you think?

I used the Nikon D90 + Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRI + Sigma 17.50 f2.8

I have one question though... This was a 2 day event and I was there pretty much all the time. Now I didn't want to come home with thousands of shots to edit, but I also didn't want the person that hired me to think I am not shooting enough.. How do you deal with such situations...? Do you ever just not shoot for a while or put camera away, because you already have enough shots of a certain kind? Because it's all day pretty much all the same things and the all wear masks... =D Thanks for the advice!

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Fencing by Primoz Kovacic, on Flickr

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Fencing by Primoz Kovacic, on Flickr

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Fencing by Primoz Kovacic, on Flickr

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Fencing by Primoz Kovacic, on Flickr

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Fencing by Primoz Kovacic, on Flickr

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Fencing by Primoz Kovacic, on Flickr

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Fencing by Primoz Kovacic, on Flickr

joe11 · Sep 18, 2012

Lovely set of Images and Love the Second and Last Image best!

Sid51 · Sep 18, 2012

Yeah, i really liked the 2nd and the last one too!
Very nice set! Good job!

Tony S · Sep 18, 2012

Get your action shots of the fencers, but really concentrate on the pre and post part when the faces are visible. Those are most likely going to be the more popular of your shots. Another option for the action is to set up an overhead remote and don't rule out lying on the floor shooting up at them too (no, not right under their feet, you could loose an eye that way lol).

imagemaker46 · Sep 19, 2012

I like the last frame, nice angle. The others are very static, looks like you were working with some pretty good light. If you have a longer lens to work with you can shoot tighter over one of the fencers shoulders into the face of the opponent. Fencing photos are all about reaction, what happens when a point is scored, or a win. I've worked in a lot of different fencing situations and know how tight it can be to move around and find just the right angle. Like most sports keep it simple and don't over think it.

Big Mike · Sep 19, 2012

I have one question though... This was a 2 day event and I was there pretty much all the time. Now I didn't want to come home with thousands of shots to edit, but I also didn't want the person that hired me to think I am not shooting enough.. How do you deal with such situations...? Do you ever just not shoot for a while or put camera away, because you already have enough shots of a certain kind? Because it's all day pretty much all the same things and the all wear masks... =D Thanks for the advice!

It certainly depends on what your client/employer expects...but it can sometimes be an issue. On one hand, you don't want to be perceived as 'lazy' or un-attentive, but you certainly don't need thousands of replicated shots. I think that if you are at the location, you need to be 'on-duty' with your camera ready or at least nearby so that you can catch anything that might happen. But if (when) you need to take a break, it may be best to leave the room/location and take some time to yourself.
Let's say you miss a big moment. If you were in the room, but didn't have your camera ready...it doesn't look good on you. But if you were 'out for lunch', that is something that everyone can understand and you don't look so bad for missing the moment.

And if you do have to be there, but nothing new is happening to shoot...that is when you can try to get creative and set up some shots, like you did with the last one.

This type of thing happens at wedding receptions. If the people aren't partying and just sitting around...there really isn't much to shoot so we get creative until our time commitment is filled.

imagemaker46 · Sep 19, 2012

I've been in those situations where it seems like you've just been shooting the same things over and over and if you stop for a while, that's when the client sees you sitting down. Don't worry about it, as long as you feel you have enough, and have covered the event to the best of your abilities then you will be ok. Chances are the client will be happy with what you give them, just based on the few that you have posted.

Primoz · Sep 19, 2012

Thanks for the comments. Yes, the light was very pretty - mostly side light from windows high at the ceiling and some artificial lighting as well. I was mostly at ISO 1000 and up. I did quite a lot of exposure increase and shadow fill in post production to make the light look prettier... And there was a LOT of issues with the bright yellow walls reflecting their color on the white unifroms (see the enclosed unedited version of shot #2). So I was messing with white balance and tint quite a lot to get it right...