Okay...This is Exciting

musicaleCA

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I have a chance to shoot the Dalai Lama. :shock:

I offered to shoot for UBC's student paper, the Ubyssey this year. Figured it would be a good opportunity...never thought this good though. He'll be in the Chan Centre this September, and that'll me my opportunity. I'm already right on-top of the paperwork with the Photo Editor for the paper, what I need is advice from you guys with experience in photojournalism of this nature to help me pull this off (really, survival would be good :lol: ).

The Chan Centre is dark. I'm already planning to rent a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. I'm fully aware I don't have the glass to pull this off (trust me, 70mm won't be long enough, by a long shot). I'm going to go there and meter the light in there to see if I can get by with my 450D. If not, I'll somehow scrounge the money to rent a 40D for the week.

Am I forgetting something here? Any input, advice, help would be appreciated. I'm hella new to photography, I freely admit that. I didn't expect this opportunity to jump at me so soon, but I bloody well want to do the best I can with it.
 
I only can wish you good luck...Dark and Far is difficult for shooting...and if you are only able to shoot him when he walking with lot of people surrounding him..then the situation is terrible...most likely you won't notice where he is and miss the shoot...a better scenario is if he is going to give a speech on stage, then is easier for you to shoot....but whatever the situation....try to get the schedule for the day 1st and try to look for a good spot
 
He'll be on stage along with Desmond Tutu (I get to shoot him too? This is just silly...) and I think a few others. So at least I have that much going for me.
 
Oh, and because I've performed in the Chan before, I'm intimately familiar with it. Another "thank goodness" thing.

Bump in the hope that some others might chime in. :)
 
Well I think every professional out there has a story of having a gig that just jumped at them and got them started. :thumbup:

I think some details from your part might help though.

Will there be a press box?
How much access will you have?
How close can you get?
Is flash prohibited during the speech?
 
Unfortunately I still don't have that information yet. Definitely all questions I'll need to be asking. I hope that I can get relatively close (it would be great if I could get backstage and shoot from the doors at the sides of the stage, assuming they're back far enough for me to get a decent angle). As for flash though, the Chan Centre is so incredibly open, the only thing that would work at all would be direct flash, so it won't really matter even if I can.
 
Why would 70mm not be enough? You'll be (I assume) right in front of the stage and 70 mm would be good enough for the general shots. Yes, a longer lens would be nice for close ups but before you go rent anything, try and find out exactly what access you will have.
 
Whoa! What is bringing these two greats together? If you are shooting with a paper could you get a media pass?

Personally I would be too enamored to even consider picking up a camera, so you get extra credit for sure. The long lens will be helpful for 1 or 2 shots. I mean everyone is going to have that shot. I would throw on the 50 and get creative and explore the crowd, environment, and of course the tender moments of his highness and Desmond Tutu.

Love & Bass
 
It's His Holiness. ;)

I believe they were both together at the Chan Centre in 2004 as well. I think this is essentially a forum between various Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Lots of brilliant minds are being brought together in Vancouver this Septemeber. Given the current state of the world (that is, it ain't getting much better than it was in terms of world peace), I'd wager that alone is reason enough for these greats to unite and have a chat.

As for the 200mm, good points, both. The reason that I'm concerned though is that knowing the size of the stage and the usual position of the podium (they put the darn thing in almost the same spot for every event in there that needs one), I wouldn't be able to fill the frame with them at 70mm * 1.6. Let alone get in closer to get their facial expressions. If I can get to the front of the stage though, I will definitely try to get some different angles. (If I'm forced into a press-box near the back of the orchestra section, which they might do because there's room to do it, then I'd be SOL without the extra reach of a 200mm; it all depends on how much access we get and where. This is such an awesome opportunity though, I'd rather pay $90 and be safe, than not and miss a shot.)

Craig, thanks for the advice, and reminding me to basically turn around and see what's happening behind me. I'll definitely do some of that while I'm there if I can (it all depends really on how much freedom of movement I'll have).

And yep, I submitted the form for a pass to the Photo Ed within about an hour of receiving the email for the job. He'll be submitting it to the proper authorities so that I can get a pass to the event. (So while I don't have a pass yet, we're as on top of it as possible really. Deadline for those form submissions is the 8th, so now it's a waiting game...and recovering from the shock. :lol: )
 
In 2004, I was consulting for Future Shop to get their computer department up to speed on proper customer service and computer repair skills, I was demonstrating how to tend the customer service desk to the team when the Dalai Lama and his entourage walked up to me and asked me 2 questions, thanked me and moved on (questions were "what is done in this department?" and " do you like what you do?". We actually shook hands, which I heard was very rare? I recall the grip being very brief and very gentle.

Anyways, you want to talk about this strange feeling of serenity surrounding someone, thats about as well as I could explain it... this wall of utter calm about the man. :)

No pics from me, but it was in all the local papers at he time.

If you get the chance, be ready to maybe rent a 300mm F/2.8 or something similar on a 2nd body... and have a ladder handy. He is usually surrounded by many people and hard to spot.

It is very exciting and I am happy for you. Good luck and I hope you get a shot worthy of a Pulitzer. :)
 
Damn. Can't do much about a ladder, but at the very least he'll be pretty open once on stage. It'd be cool to meet the guy, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Thanks for input guys, and the support. :)
 
Damn I would really like to see some of those pictures, I'm a fan of the Dalai Lama :thumbup::D
 
Is the Chan Center part of your school? If it is try and get as much access as you can. You will after all be shooting for the school. Also try and get in there when their setting things up so you can see whether or not you can shoot from the sides.

The only problem with shooting from the sides is that one of the two could be standing between you and the other. If you change sides during the event there is a risk of missing something while you're away from one of the doors. But the big advantage to being there could be backstage access to these guys before and after their speeches.
 
Ah, well, the day is done. Yesterday (Sunday...er...it's late), was a bit of a gong-show. The media liasons were as naive as they were disorganized. Our first photo op was for about two minutes (many of us lost most of that because we were brought to one side of the Chan Centre and then told we couldn't enter from that side o_O ), and given that absurdity, many people left to do other stuff when their editors just decided to not run the story. CTV nailed exclusivity for this gig, somehow. Got access to everything and anything, AFAIK. Ah well.

Overall, good experience, in which I made PLENTY of mistakes. Live and learn. The best thing for me was watching a guy named Andy from Reuters International. He had everything he needed, and nothing he didn't, it seemed (no monopod or tripod, just two 5D MkII bodies, battery grips, 2 teles, a normal, and wide). That, and by watching where he positioned himself, I got learnt a lot. He didn't follow the Lama up close while he was outside, planting himself deep in the media circus. He got ahead, up high somehow (bench, railing, whatever) and got clear shots from that (as well as holding the camera up and above in what I can only guess was the spray and pray, hope to god the AF works right method :lol: ).

Here be some of the pics:





 

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