FIRST Photography

[Dorienne]

What are the good spots to view from at competitions?
I like to go up on high places so I can get birds-eye views of the field, the stands, etc. It's the best way to get good pictures of anything big. Anywhere that's high and no one's in front of you to block you. It's great!
How do you capture the true excitement that everyone feels at competitions?
I make sure to get shots of teams jumping up and down, cheering, scores on the screen, videos of exciting matches where robots are really competing, etc.
How do you translate the fast paced action during a match into a still image?
----
How do you get the team to stand still during the group photo?
I just get really strict and make sure it's at the end of the competition, so they're tired and won't feel like moving. =D
How do you make a photo of a robot look interesting to a person not involved in FIRST?
What types of photos do sponsors like to see?
Well, on our brochure we use our latest team photo, a photo of our robot in action, etc. On our trifold board, we have other group pictures, more photos of robots and our team together, photos from events we attend, like our team for example held a Chick-Fil-A fundraiser during the MD State Fair, and we have funny pictures of our team members and the Chick-Fil-A cow.
What types of photos do you like to take during the build season?
I used to (and probably still will) take photos of our team just strategizing, our CAD people cadding, etc. I probably would like to take some funny ones too, since our team sometimes likes to goof around. It'd just show we're not always serious, but we are when we need to be, which is good. =D
What equipment do you use?
Digital cameras and lots of floppies. =D