FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

**Now, I realize that shooting a digital point-and-shoot and DSLR are two completely different schools of photography (Let us pray for those still shooting film). Still, other than creative control, the results are similar enough. **

After meeting a few photographers at VCU, I became inspired to meet more FIRST photographers and maybe even create a small CD community of photographers. Thus, the following:

For you photographers out there, tell a little about yourselves:

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?

What do you use?

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?

Anything you'd like tips with?

*EDIT*: WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?

(Any other things you'd like add)

----------------------
With that done, I'll start.
----------------------

When not doing anything at competition or in the shop, I take photos on my own. Otherwise, unless I've been told to go take photos of things, I work on the robot. Robot First, Camera Second.

I share my equipment with me dad, so I've got plenty of gear that stays at home (macro lenses, etc.), but the following I'm planning to bring to Atlanta: 2 Digital Rebel XTs, Tamron 28-75 f2.8, Canon 70-200 f4, Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4, Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, 420EX Speedlite, 4-5 gigs of memory. As you can tell, I'm taking this perhaps too seriously.

At VCU, I shot candids on and off the field, as well as action on the field. As the competition went on, I got better at shooting action on field as I learned good angles and such. In the pits, mostly documentary and candid, just like in the shop.

I prefer candids and candid portraiture. Frankly, a non-moving robot tends to be quite boring. However, people at a FIRST competition or during build season....not quite the same story.

As for tips, I just want to meet fellow photographers on CD. Here's my Flickr. I've got a dedicated "Robotics" photoset. Feel free to look through the rest, of course.

Well, lets see where this thread goes. I seem to have a knack for starting threads like this that flop.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
I'm probably the second most recognizable person with camera after Nathan Keyes.

What do you use?
Canon Powershot SD200

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
Almost anything.

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
Things in midair.

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
Anywhere.

Anything you'd like tips with?
Yes, my camera can't adjust for the light levels inside the NY Regional. with Flash on, it focuses on near objects and makes the field darker, and w/o flash its too blurry and still dark.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
Last year mike wast the team photographer but he is also our main machinest so my dad bought a camera and now my dad and i are the team photographers.

What do you use?
A Nikon D50

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
Almost anything

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?


When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
Anywhere

Anything you'd like tips with?
good angles of the field

soon (in a couple of months) i will create a gallery on the green team website.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?

I'm not really on the team! I just happen to be around the team and I like taking pics...and I put them on my web page.

What do you use?

3 yr old Canon S200, fits in my pocket


What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)

Good at or what do I waste a lot of shots on? I like takign pics in the pits, they come out ok generally


What subjects do you prefer to shoot?

I'd like to get more action shots, but it's not easy


When at competitions, where do you shoot from?

Pits/stands.


Anything you'd like tips with?

Not really, I have some ideas for what I need to work on. I think that getting good action shots of the playfield requires a much bigger lens than I have on my little camera, for one thing.


http://www.selectric.org/nerds/2006ca/

http://www.selectric.org/nerds/2006az/

http://www.selectric.org/nerds/svherald20060329.jpg

http://www.selectric.org/nerds/svherald20060329a.jpg

show some of my results. The paper thing was totally unexpected...the teacher/adviser/coach on our team told the paper that I had some pics, and so they called me asking for them....


WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?

yes!!!!!!

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I just want to toss out two ideas for the young camera gadget nuts in the forum.

1. Film has a much wider range of colors than digital. We gave up a lot when we abandoned Kodachrome.

2. The photographer matters a lot more than the gadgets. If you have an eye for composition, it doesn't much matter what kind of camera you have. If you doubt that, take a look at the WWII combat pics, nearly all taken with TLR cameras, or photojournalism from the 50's. Lots of incredible pics using cameras that frequently didn't even have built-in light meters.

It's fun to play with the hardware, but that's not what makes memorable images.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I only have one comment: big lens - wide F stops.

Whether you are shooting digital or film, you need a lens with at least an F2.8 (35mm SLR equavelent) to be able to shoot ambient light photos on the playfield and in the pits. ASA 800 film works well, or if your digital camera response is adjustable set it accordingly. Keep your flash off whenever possible, otherwise the background in almost all your photos will be black.

At most events the lighting is marginal, if you want to zoom in your lens for distant shots you will need a tripod.

I borrowed a Kodak Z7590 5Mpixel w/10:1 optical zoom and was pleased with the shots I was able to get at the FLR this year.

This thread really needs photos to illustrate :^)

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
I'm the one with the camera (heard rumors its attached) 1,300+ pictures from this season alone.

What do you use?
Canon Power Shot A520 with a 1 GB SD card

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
Anything

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
I like shooting robots and close ups of intresting parts

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
Anywhere

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I guess I am the primary photographer for my team, with my boyfriend being the secondary. Of the team photos on the web, I've taken about 75% of them.

I now use a Panasonic FZ20 (up until kickoff of last year when the zoom broke, it was an Olympic C2100UZ)

I think candids are my best... I'm sneaky with my 12X optical zoom. But I do okay with robots on the field and group photos too.

In robotics? In my alternate life? I like trying to capture emotion, so I tend to prefer shooting living things, but the machines are fun to shoot as well.

Anywhere I can get a good view from. I'm short, but I've gotten pretty good at overcoming that obstacle. :rolleyes:

How do we convince FIRST that they should have a space for each team to place 1 photographer or videographer for their matches at every Regional? Dealing with the refs, the judges, the professional photographers and videographers and volunteers is hard enough and I will not complain about them, however, then having to deal with the constant foot traffic of everyone else as they wander to and from the pits (and the bathroom, the snackbar, etc) makes getting a good shot next to impossible at times. Sigh.

No.

Here's my team's photo site: Team 116 Vex 18 Photos and
my personal page I'm currently working on two more galleries, Living Things 3 and Odds and Ends. One day, I think I'll actually take a photography class.

Heidi

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

For all you team photographers & videographers out there:

1) I will be teaching a digital photgraphy overview class on Thursday 4/27 as part of the 2nd annual FIRST conference to be upstairs at the World Conference Center (above the pit areas)

2) We are also trying to schedule a "group shot" of all team photographers (likely to be Friday around lunch) since were the ones always BEHIND the lens! Come and meet fellow photo nuts!

3) Since I live in Rochester, NY (home of Eastman-Kodak) and have lectured at the Eastman House, I will say that digital capabilities (camera resolution plus editing capabilities) have indeed made film obsolete. Kodak's top execs agree on this one!

4) The #1 top priority you MUST do in taking pics is to a) compose the frame first and b) ask yourself if the photo "tells a story" without words.

That said, here's a bit on me:

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
I'm the team's #1 photographer and videographer, but it's equally important to empower multiple people (mentors & students) to take candid pics. We have one common upload repository for all our pics at rollingthunder.smugmug.com

What do you use?
Last year I was digital plus film (used a SLR with 500mm lens). This year is a) point-shoot Kodak digitla with 3X zoom, b) Olympus 10x digital, and c) Canon Digital SLR with telephoto lenses. Also using Sony mini-DV camcorder with good shotgun microphone (and wireless mike for pit interviews)

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
All of the above; but rely on someone to record the "master" video feed (e.g. NASA or circuitrunners) to grab after event for video highlights. This year, I'll also have green screen chromakey backdrop so you can put pics and interviews overlayed onto robot action. Also good for team shots without background clutter. Candids shot with 10X zoom (stealth-style) are the best!

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
For stills, shoot lots of candids of teammates and meeting other teams; brings out the joy and gracious professionalism of FIRST

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
At regionals, be sure to shoot from the field back up into your team's spirit section. You'll see me with my "thundercam sky pole" to get above the crowd from the sidelines. be sure to shoot tight action shots in the pits of work-in-progress. Also, you can grab generic shots of the venue (e.g. Georgia Dome) from their web site for use later on.

Anything you'd like tips with?
Layout a "story" for your highlight album or video when done. Mix-in stills and video amybe NOT in exact chronological order. No need to simply do match highlights video (ecept for training). Put together a 5-minute ultra-highlight video/slide show for your patrons and future sponsors.

*EDIT*: WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?
YEA....Also, bring your top five (5) photos to the team 1511 pit and we'll upload them and display them on our pit TVs.....

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I saw the press release you sent to our company (Icuiti), using our M920Video display. I used our DV920 binocular video eyewear for all the still photos I took at FLR this year. Being able to hold the camera up in the air with one hand (or on a mono-pole) and see the camera's NTSC video out in the video eyewear allows you to see much more than you would through the viewfinder, or in the camera LCD window.

And this has one added benefit - when you are standing on the sidelines, holding the camera up in the air it is pointed down onto the field at an angle, so you dont get as much distant-background stuff in your shot (which tends to be dark and distracting from the primary subject).

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

That video eye wear sure sounds & looks nice! I only use my video cameras for First events and family video's. I will have to continue jockeying for position with the others on the floor due to the $800 cost of the M920.

Dave

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
my main role is photographer and videographer. i did most of the photography (about 90%) during the build season, and at the competition about 50% of the video footage is mine. i'm also a scouter at competitions so getting pictures is hard, most pictures from competition are from mentors.

What do you use?
my own camera is a Canon Powershot S1 IS (i've used it during competitions)
robotics camers are sony cybershots DSC-S40 and DSC P10

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
i'm good with all..for the most part

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
i prefer scenery shots..outside of robotics..but in robotics i like shots in the pits..of people working on the robot

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
i'm in the stands most of the time, so from there

WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?
sure will..if you see me come say hey

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

If you have a camera with NTSC (video) out you can also use a portable LCD - like some of the ones designed for video game consoles, to allow you to hold the camera up in the air. The M920 and DV920 are nice because you wear them like glasses, so both hands are free.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

A fair bit of our team take cameras to the event. Mainly as we have to fly Trans-Atlantic to get there and thus want photos of New York City itself as well. I had my camera with me most of the time on Thurs and Fri at NYC but left it in the pit for most of Sat... probably a good thing given how delicate it can be.

I take photos of all sorts of things... Just a few examples, all downsized:

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2549/10003181hj.jpg < Flags flying in Battery Park City
http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/2557/10001975jz.jpg < A member of our team with the flag wrapped around them
http://img345.imageshack.us/img345/7059/10002020ce.jpg < Robot Crossing Sign (why? why not...)

You can see a few more of mine in CD Media, I put a few up the other day. All of the ones I took come under the "frc759" tag.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

yup...here are a few from the Davis regional:




1. Action shot, handheld camera with too small of lens, flash off, zoomed in, result is blurry but it was good enough for our local paper to use!




2. Pit action shot, team 1671 had their robot completely apart on Thursday morning, with team members strewn across the floor working on different subassemblies. I didn't notice till later that the General was overseeing the troops!



3. Another one from the pits Thursday morning, I was trying to get each team either working or standing by their robot. 114 was a great subject...nice team outfits, neat robot.




4. Our team being intervied by two judges, and explaining the various features of the robot.

Comments/critisism/suggestions welcome!

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
I am the main photographer on the team

What do you use?
Canon EOS 20D
18-55mm canon lens
28-300mm tamron lens f3.5-6.3

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
I am good at shooting all subjects

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
I like the action, robot shots

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
Anywhere allowed

Anything you'd like tips with?

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

Please read this article:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filmdig.htm
I wasn't really a "photographer" at all, but I take my gear everywhere when I leave the city I go to school in.

My gear:
Nikon D70s - This is my baby
Promaster 28-90mm lens
Nikon 70-200mm lens

What am I good at? Well, personally I am never really happy with my shots, I always think I have poor lighting, but I prefer to shoot candids and faces. Sometimes a completely different thought is captured when you just have the faces of a person {see link} http://flickr.com/photos/benthos/set...7594095448650/
I also documented DSK at the Indiana Robotics Invitational last year, you can see those pictures here: http://flickr.com/photos/benthos/sets/634635/

Where do I shoot from? Right next to the field! I have been a field reset and referee and I bring my camera with me, if there is any down time, i get it out and start shooting.

My tip? Buy a flash if your camera supports one. You can make a decent picture an awesome picture just by getting some more light on the subject.

I will be in Atlanta, see me wearing stripes.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

For you photographers out there, tell a little about yourselves:

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
I took my camera to robotics meetings 3 times (during build time) and after deleting the photos I didn't like (10-20), I had 90 of them left to share with my team.

What do you use? DSC-P32 (Sony Cyber-shot: the kind they don't make anymore)

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.) Anything within range

What subjects do you prefer to shoot? Nature ::cough::

When at competitions, where do you shoot from? Wherever I am when I take out the camera

Anything you'd like tips with? Not really, but I'd like a new camera :D

*EDIT*: WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA? CO regional is still going on. We'll see if my team makes it.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

Oops. I didn't mean to incite a riot when I mentioned film users. Nonetheless, they're still at a pretty big disadvantage when shooting action on the playing field.

That said, I still shoot film too.... just for landscapes and whenever I know I can get a good exposure, which is surprisingly often. I really hate wasting frames, for some reason.

As a matter of fact, this is shot on film. I consider it the best photo I've taken thus far.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?

-I fee photography on my team is very important. There is nothing better for advertising, recruitment, and press releases. Team members who miss meetings simply use my website to catch up on the status. The photos are the like meeting minutes.

What do you use?

-All Canon equipment. 20D with grip, 17-40mm, 7-200mm, 50mm, 580EX with external, and a bunch of other things.

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)

-I am pretty good with group shots and people working shots (candids) as well as robot shots on and off the field.

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?

-I am most comfortable with the robot. I love capturing the mechanics of it

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?

-I follow the robot. I shoot in the pit and then go to the front of the field and shoot from there during matches.

-WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?

Yes, I will be in ATL

I will share some tips later.

Check out my photo website.
www.joemenassa.com

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

Film vs Digital? the answer is simple: how many people on this forum still use an 8mm movie camera (which is all we had when I was a teenager) and how many used camcorders?

Digital wins in all aspects: Hands down. A 35mm photo on 100 ASA film as an approx pixel level of 10M pixels. Switch to ASA 400 or 800 to shoot indoors and you are down below 5M pixels (easily).

Film is still used professional, and it has some unique characteristics that are hard to duplicate on a digital camera. For example, I have done a lot of night photography, where you set your camera on a tripod and hold the lens open (shutter on B) for several minutes. All the digital cameras I have gotten my hands on so far will only hold the lens open for several seconds at the most.

The real difference is cost of operation. Practice overcomes almost everything else, and you can shoot a digital camera all day, and it cost you $0 to see the results on your monitor screen. For example, if there is a thunderstorm coming through at night you can set your digital camera on a tripod and hold the lens open for its max exposure (several seconds) and do this over and over to catch lightning bolts. The frames where nothing is captured you delete. If you did this with film you could spend $100 on film and developing just to catch one bolt of lightning!

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
I'm an animator, but since I don't do that at the competition, I can take film and/or video.

What do you use?
Canon Powershot A80
Canon Optura 60 (video)

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
I'll shoot anything (thank goodness I can shoot 100s of pics).

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
I love to shoot action pictures, catching a ball in midair is hard though.

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
Sometimes there is a "Team Viewing Area" right next to the field. It's nearly impossible from the stands, Powershot A80 cameras don't have great zoom, even with a zoom lens.

Anything you'd like tips with?
There is no solution to a camera with only 3x zoom (6x with a zoom lens).

WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?
Yes, but not on Thursday.

If I get another camera, it needs variable aperatures/exposure, better than 6x zoom. Pretty hard to find in a decent, but not overly expensive camera.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?

Well since I dont live anywhere near the team I am part of I havent been prominent in any way except at lone star, but i did help with scouting since i was documenting what every robot looked like.

What do you use?

Nikon d50

What subjects are you good at shooting?

I think I get pretty good shots of everything, I particularly enjoy using depth of feild and focus to make interesting shots.

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?

I like when you have a person with the robot in a candid manner.

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?

Luckily at Lone Star they had a media pass for every teams so I was able to be relatively close to the feild, but I also took some pictures from the stands. Houston has a great venue with lots of room. But pretty much I just go wherever I can to get the shot.

Anything you'd like tips with?

Not really, I like that Monopod/remote idea though.

WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?

Maybe, probably not.


If you wish to look a my pictures from Lone Star Click over to my Flickr set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4465190...7594097315290/

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team? Pretty large, I'm one of 3 that take pictures, the other two being Doug and Kyle.

What do you use?
Canon FT QL 35MM Camera with normal lens and Telephoto zoom lens. I usually pack higher speed film, with at least 400, but going for 800 for larger and more prominent shots.

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
I mostly take pictures of the robots on the field and the guys in the pits/booths on field, and have taken only a few candids and groups.

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
On field competitions and robots

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
I try to get the best vantage point usually from the stand and get a telephoto lens which allows for more coverage of the field and less light disruptions

Anything you'd like tips with?
Probably focusing. That's about the hardest thing, but I've got it down to an almost exacting science.

*EDIT*: WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?
Heck yeah!

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I am usually volunteering so am not the "official" photographer, but I did get some good shots this weekend at Philly. I use a Canon Rebel SLR Digital which I am still learning to use. To get shots of the stands was very hard; I set the camera to ISO 800 (no flash) but they were still somewhat blurry - the first attachment is when the Volunteer of the Year Award was announced (Bill Enslen - a mentor on the team) and is reduced in size in order to get it to upload.


The second is my favorite and was taken from the sidelines with the camera on Auto - the flash went off but I don't know if it had any effect. I took several in a row to get the balls right at the goal (again, reduced to fit as an attachment.)

Any hints on how to get the low light shots and not get blurry?

Another question - how do you get the pictures pasted into the note?

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

Tripod would be your best solution. Things that move will be blurred, but that will be part of the action.

Letting the flash fire for shots like that comes out good sometimes. The flash will freeze the subject, but if the shutter stays open you will also get some blurring from the frozen-part showing the motion along with the detail.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

*Edit: Oh wow. Ken posted a quick and easy answer while I was writing this guide! Tripod works, but is a pain in the neck on field. Usually. If you can get one and don't mind hauling one around, tripod is the best solution. Use the below guide for handheld shooting*

I can't tell from your reply if you're using the original Rebel or the Rebel XT. There were some (very useful) options that were locked out in the Rebel, and could be unlocked through downloading a hacked firmware. The XT has all of these features unlocked. I don't know if ISO was one of them.

Arrgghh... the problem with CD is that you don't know how much experience a person has in photography. Carol, If I make you look like an idiot, I apologize now. I'm just starting from square one. Heck, might help others anyways.

With that matter out of the way, I would suggest setting your ISO to 1600. If you're using the XT, 1600 isn't that bad, as long as the exposure is good. Secondly, I would suggest taking a little more control of your camera in shooting, rather than leaving in automatic.

I assume you're using the kit lens. Not to rub it in your face that you don't have fancy lenses or anything :o . The kit lens is actually quite nice, and is often underrated and laughed at. It's got a decent range, it's lightweight, and has surprisingly good glass for a kit lens. As a matter of fact, I should probably use it more often, since at the moment all it does it rot on my bookshelf. Anyways even though it's not nearly as fast as most people would want to use in such dim lighting, but evidently it's still usable, seeing as I shot VCU mainly with a f/3.5-5.6 too.

Back to the task at hand, you can probably try doing what I did for VCU.

Seeing as everyone's lenses (unless you happen to own the $5k 50mm f/1) won't have a wide enough aperture to effectively use shutter-speed priority ("Tv"), set your camera to aperture priority ("Av"). Then, open your aperture all the way up or stop it down a notch for a (usually dramatic, not sure about kit lens) increase in image quality.

This should give you a somewhat usable shutter speed. As a coup de grace, if you can under the lighting on field, set your exposure compensation to -2/3 or -1/3. This will not only reduce the glare from the excessive lighting, it will also give your shutter speed a rather hefty boost. Note that so far, I've yet to mention flash. With my 420EX and the above settings, I was getting about 1/125 for most of my shots on field. With the built-in flash, I'd guess anywhere from 1/60 to 1/100 would be your result.

In case you got lost, heres a checklist.

1. ISO 1600 (or highest you're willing to go)
2. Aperture Priority.
3. Open the aperture up, wide open (smallest number).
4. Ehhh... I'm not sure about built-in flash. Experiment and see.
5. Experiment! That's the great thing about digital! Shots not working? Play with exposure factors like shutter speed and shooting angle!

Oh, and this hastily written guide can be used for any DSLR. Needless to say, the better equipment you've got, the better result's you're going to get. Still, almost anything can be used to counteract a slow shutter speed. If you've got an SLR, you can play with many factors. Together they all add up.

Well, covered shooting on field. Now, onto getting the crowd.

Unfortunately, I had lots of trouble with this too. Even a full-power blast from my flash wasn't that good. All it did was blind the people in front of me and dimly illuminate the crowd a little more. What I discovered you can do is get a more general shot of the crowd, perhaps walking as far away as you can, and then getting the entire field and as much of the crowd as you can in a single shot. This helps also create a sense of atmosphere. As for individual teams and such in the stands, this is very difficult. If I couldn't do it with decent gear, then no one can with insane gear. That's the way light works.

Man, this is a huge post. I hope it helps.

Daniel

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
I really do not have an assigned role as a photographer

What do you use?
Canon Powershot s80
Cannon Rebel G (35MM)

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
People, robots

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
people

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
stands, pits, floor level

Anything you'd like tips with?
In my opinion my top of the line point and shoot digital camera will never meet the quality and greatness of pictures than that of 35mm camers.

*EDIT*: WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?
YES!

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

You've gotten some good advice on this from others, but here's one more: try using the sequence mode if you have one. I use one of my sequence modes a lot (my camera has 3) while photographing the robots in action and while it gives me a lot of similar photos to weed through, I almost always get a good shot. Here are examples of sequence mode: sequence photos taken on an overcast day. I get the same results with robots zooming around the field.

Heidi

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

This thread has gotten a bit off the starting subject, but doesn't matter:

1) I'll be teaching a class on digital photography and editing on Thursday in Atlanta as part of the FIRST conference.

2) For low-light hints and tips:
-- Almost all digital cameras have some sort of a "manual" mode which allows you to override the aperture and shutter speed (even though digital photography really neither).
-- Try setting your camera to 1/30 second shutter speed (no slower to avoid jiggly pics).
-- Hold your elbows FIRMLY in at your sides; press the trigger slowly
-- In your camera's menuing system, also look around for settings of the 'film speed" and change it to "800". This sometimes gets you photos that are clearer in low light but also may be a bit grainier (digital film noise)

lastly, make-up some "business cards" with your team number and e-mail address and ask one of the other team "media" photographers to e-mail to you pics of your team, robot, etc. Most people "graciously" will do this, or in my case, we park a lot of pictures of ALL teams in our field of play onto rollingthunder.smugmug.com for you to see and download yourself.....

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I agree with heidi on that I use the sequence mode esp, in a situation where its really hard to get the perfect moment (i.e robot shooting, Pushing match, Human player....) I made this from a sequence i did of our autonomous...

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

Although I have other duties when at competitions, I have a photography hobby that I have not had much time for this semester. In high school I took volunteer pictures for the local newspaper, and was on a photjournalist for my school newspaper my sophomore year, and head photographer for the yearbook my Junior and Senior years. Last semester I volunteered my services for the Harmony High yearbook for sporting events in their transition of replacing me.

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?

I now hand off my camera to another student, I am too busy mentoring and coaching. However, last year I went to Houston with team 1083 to be their photographer, it was fun. I went to Atlanta the past two years without my team and I just took as many pictures of the Florida teams as I could.

What do you use?
Nikon D100 and telephoto lens

What subjects are you good at shooting?
What subjects do you prefer to shoot? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.) Sports is my favorite subject, especially football. (Yes, I have been run over once. Fun story behind that one) But I have taken photojournalism on most all topics.


When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
Stands, Sidelines, Pits

Anything you'd like tips with? Don't be afraid of what others think of someone there with a camera, and (Off the record especially for FIRST events) for the best pictures you may need to sneak past a couple security guards..

*EDIT*: WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?

Yes, I will mostly be in the 1604 pit, if not check the 1390 pit.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

[quote=geeknerd99Man, this is a huge post. I hope it helps.

Daniel[/QUOTE]

Daniel, thanks a lot. I'm going to play around with it some more. I am reffing at the Championships so don't know how much I will get to use it (although the striped shirt lets me take pics from positions most people can't get to :D ). But on Thursday during practice runs I can snap away. Come say hello if you see me and I can admire your camera....

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

taking pictures and videotaping the competitions is one of the biggest pains in the neck ever! nobody wants to do it on my team because they all want to cheer...so i get stuck with 3 video cameras and a stills camera....talk about lame!

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

it is definately a sacrifice. When you tape or photograph an event you only get to see one small part of it, and that only through a camera viewfinder. You really do miss a lot of whats going on around you. Its almost like you are not really there, you are seeing it remotely on a tiny little screen.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

Yes, tis the role of the "fly on the wall".......But, at the end of the day, you get to choose what footage goes into the highlight reel and who gets the credit. So, try to engage your teammates to take still photos if nothing else and then promise to put their name into the photo credits in the highlight video.

Also, I typically walk around with at least two cameras and point blank say to someone, "Hey, take this camera and go take about 20 close-up shots of our fans in the crowd".....or "Hey, take this video camera and keep it centered on the entire field for the whole match and then bring my camcorder back to me..."

That will get more people involved in the video/photo sub-team.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

Not only that, it's extremely difficult to both do your job and participate at the same time. Besides drivers, I'm most likely going to be alone on the field for a majority of the time, so my championship experience this year is going to be very different than last year's.

The solution, a coalition of media people as proposed in this thread. The thread is effectively dead right now, perhaps due to lack of interest. But, it seems we're a little more into it now. I'm not sure where to hold yet seeing as we could potentially have plenty of people, or a just a few.

If we can, we really should coordinate something to make coverage of Atlanta a lot easier. It's up to us to represent our teams and FIRST to the outside world, so everything that can be done to help this would be very helpful to all parties involved. Of course, newspapers usually don't think of us as "photographers" in the way they use the term, but when it boils down to it, we're the ones that have to do their job. I don't think any of the local newspapers around here want to attach a photographer and a journalist to the team for 4 days just to cover Atlanta. They'd much write an article with our guidance and use photos that we've taken.

Really, having a buddy or two during competiton would be quite helpful while "on the job". I could go on rambling about how nice it would be to have someone else there while you're shooting, but as of now, I have no clue whether or not we can hold a media meeting. Who knows? Maybe it'll be like a second webhug! Perhaps right after the webhug? Wait, when is that? How's lunchtime, Thursday sound for people?

Brandon, we are having another webhug, right?

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team?
As prominent as I make it; I am the only real "photographer", but I typically hand off the video to others. Robot comes first though; I'm on pit crew, so fixing breaks is more important than taking pictures.


What do you use?
A bunch: Most standard are my Nikon D70 DSLR with an array of lenses and my N65 for 35mm. I also have a point and shoot 4MP digital cam and a leika SLR if I decide to bring them. Currently am working on getting access to a friend's digital backs, in which case I'll be photographing atlanta at 20+ megapixels.

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.)
I'm pretty good at everything, really; strongest point is probably candids/portraiture, but I've got a good eye for most of the varied subjects mentioned above.

What subjects do you prefer to shoot?
Canidids- Video is for robot images, I like to document the experience that everyone has.

When at competitions, where do you shoot from?
Depends on my time/energy-I'll probably mostly do field-side at atlanta, assuming we get a press-pass again; the ability to help work on the robot on the way out is valuable.

Anything you'd like tips with?
Not really- I'm pretty adept with my equipment. I can answer questions if anyone has them, though.

*EDIT*: WILL YOU BE IN ATLANTA?
Sure will- feel free to swing by 1394's pits and say hello.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

How prominent is your role as a photographer on your team? I offered to do it and I'm the one who usually is in charge of it (I often delegate the task to a student who has nothing to do).

What do you use?Kodak Easyshare DX6490. Currently very busted and possilby costing $225 to fix. :ahh:

What subjects are you good at shooting? (Robots on field, Candids, group photos, etc.) Mostly we have shots of the team at work at the site and the competition.

What subjects do you prefer to shoot? I like candids of people being themselves.

When at competitions, where do you shoot from? At FLR because Mike is there I don't bother shooting photo because I am busy with video and taping from the feed. Plus Mike takes such great shots there was no point in me trying to compete with that. He mostly takes shots of the X-Cats anyways (he was an X-Cat in 2003 and 2004). The kids take shots of one another.

Anything you'd like tips with?I am no expert so I have nothing to offer.

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I would like to make a call out to a gracious photographer and videographer that would be willing to take pics and video of our robot and team in Atlanta during our matches for me to use in the promo videos I make. I was scrolling through what we have assembled thus far, and its not a whole lot to work with. Thanks for the help, please PM me and I'll give you my phone number so we can keep in touch when we get our match schedule. THANKS!

Re: FIRST Photography: How do YOU cover it?
 

I have to back pedal on this post a little. My daughter is getting married in september and I have been looking for a photographer. I checked out several wedding photographers who all use high end digital cameras, and I was pretty sure that was the way we were going to go

BUT, the last photographer on my list, went to see his work, and I was totally blown away by the difference in quality of his photos. He uses a Hasselblad film camera for all his work. The one difference that really stood out is the latitude of the film. When you have a bride in a white dress with a lot of frilly detail, her vail, and the groom in a black tux you have a wide range of light level to capture, without having the tux come out all black, or the dress being totally washed out.

The reason I bring this up, for FIRST events you encounter similar lighting problems, floodlighted fields with darkends backgrounds. With the right film you could get much better results over whats possible with a digital camera.