PGA photography rules?

I got credentials for this upcoming PGA tour and I'll be using my EF 600 f4.

The rules says you can only shoot after they hit the ball.

 

Using a 600mm I should be far enough not to bother the players with noise ...no?

 

What's the deal..I've seen shots taken before they hit....Did the photog got kicked out of

the golf course to get that shot :)?

Many photographer's have been kicked out and their credentials revoked. I have personally witnessed it. Golfers can hear way better than you think, and if a PGA official is nearby, no matter how far from the golfer, he will here it. They are everywhere! I have been to quite a few events and seen fans and pro photogs alike escorted away. It is a VERY big deal. I think Tiger Wood's caddy even threw a person's camera in the water, although this may be urban legend...

I got it..since I wanna play by the rules I won't shoot before they hit the ball then.

What about durning practises? Same?

 

Thanks

Have you considered finding a 'blimp,' which used to be on the market to sound-proof your camera? Other than that, you are taking a chance that 'noise' will distract the golfer but attract someone to you.

 

 

 

 

Good luck!

Dave Black uses a little fixed lens Nikon with an electonic shutter to shoot during golfers

backswing which is prohibited because of the "click" of the camera (there is not click with an

electronic shutter and if you shoot wide open there is no sound from the aperture either!).

 

http://www.daveblackphotography.com/on-the-road/0705.htm

 

http://www.daveblackphotography.com/on-the-road/0405.htm

 

Lukas

Gerald I did consider about making me a custom blimp...I've see one online but you didn't

have any control on the camera.

 

Lukas

 

I dod have a small 8MP Canon that I can use for that!! T H A N KS !

Lukas:

what ya mean : and if you shoot wide open there is no sound from the aperture either?

Otherwise you get a sound from the aperture?!??

Dave Black got some nice shots indeed, he needs to be a bit more careful with that

"hue/saturation" in photoshop :)

Stopping down the lens and opening it back after the shot makes a bit of noise (try to DoF preview button and you'll know).

I shot the senior pga here in Aust for a few years, they didn't seem as anal as the full blown pga but they were still pretty strict.

 

I got by with a 300 and shot during back swings without a problem. My advice is to follow the rules it's not worth losing creds or reputation damage.

 

I had a blimp for a while bought it from ternstyle.com in the USA but would never even think about taking it to a pga event, for sale if you want it.

 

regards

Mark

Mark

 

what kind of blimp you got?

 

The Nikon CS-13 seems nice since it's soft...

this is great and probably very sound proof but I'm not sure if you can use it with a Canon

600mm and is $800!!

 

http://www.soundblimp.com/canon.htm

 

Your link doesn't work they may be out of business?

 

I may try to make one...:)

Blimps are ridiculously expensive, and you can't even change the camera settings. To me, it's like having a disposable camera with a 600mm lens attached, it's not very handy. I just keep the shutter half-depressed, and start shooting once they make contact. During practice rounds, you not only have less people to work around, but you can also talk to the golfers after their round is over. Depending on the tournament, they are VERY strict about the photographers. However, at several tournaments last year, I was able to stand in the bed of a gator and just shoot over the crowd. Make friends with the Gator guys whenever possible. Good luck.

Brent

 

Thanks for your help, whatcha mean "gator guys"? :)

I know plenty gators around the bayou here....:)

 

Is it a joke?

I' m asking this because I'm a rookie golf shooter.

Totally agreed re prices for blimps we basically burnt $70k with them plus 18 months with little to no income after expenses.

 

I got my outdoor camera blimp from a company called ternstyle in the USA who no longer appear to be around and a 13ft indoor remote control advertising blimp from Dan at Blimp guys http://www.blimpguys.com/ in Canada.

 

We got a bit of work mainly commercial real estate and larger property and golf course type stuff but it really wasn't viable, our 20foot outdoor version was probably the best you could buy back around 6 years ago, but consider you need a big truck or trailer to lug the thing around becuase deflating isn't an option. We needed 4 G size helium cylinders to fill it up, so it's expensive, couple that we the amount of trips to get one photo because of wind and we could not really make any money out of it.

 

The indoor one was great fun and reasonably profitable provided you could get the work and had the nerve to fly it. The biggest gig I did was in front of 18 thousand people at the indoor supercross a few years back, it was an absolute rush and we pulled it off, you see these ones around at some of the NHL games in the USA but again it was very niche type work and not enough to make a full time living out of.

 

Regarding controlling the camera we were running cheap canon 35 mm bodies controlled via wireless remote and could control pan, tilt and zoom + firing mainly shot AP and the pictures were ok.

 

The outdoor blimps are very dependant on wind and I can't see how you could fly one over something like the PGA, if you have ever flown one of these you will know where Im coming from. Clearance to fly would be a nightmare especially with helicopters etc in the area.

 

We basically wrote it of as a learning experience and did the money cold. I actually lost my house over this venture so think carefully before getting into it, my advice is speak with Dan Spears from blimp guys in Canada (nice honest guy)if you want any more info on them.

 

Regards

Mark

The gator guys are the people wearing shirts with the course's logo on them, driving those golf-cart looking things with beds on them. They've let me stand in the bed so I could take pictures above the crowd, and some of them have even given me rides back to the clubhouse when they see all the gear I'm carrying. Good luck carrying that 600 around. By Sunday, you'll be ready to go to the chiropracter :-p

Brent:

Not only I'm going to PGA but I'll be probably doing double shift between PGA and

JazzFest the same week !

 

One more questions are tripod allowed? I have a pretty heavy one (gitzo with wimberley)

and I wonder if only monopods are permitted. I may need them gators then :)

 

 

 

Mark:

 

I meant sound damping blimp...not flying blimp :)

 

Thanks everybody for the help.

I would surf on over to www.sportsshooter.com as there are several threads about this very topic including a recent one from Augusta.

 

NEVER shoot until after the ball is struck!

 

One errant shot because of shutter noise may cost a golfer what you make in a decade. If you are not willing to follow the rules then you shouldn't go. Think of the real impact on credentials (current and future) for yourself and other photographers making a living at this if you screwed up or just plain didn't care.

Shooting during practice round would be a very good idea as they let you take all the photographs you want, pros or fans regardless. My neighbor was at Augusta practice round couple weeks ago and had taken quite a few. Although I've never shot at a PGA event, I would pretty much stick with the rule during competition as above said it's not worth getting your credentials revoked and kicked out. I'm sure you'll do fine with back swings and 600 f4.

Alfonso ? You don't know how to take a picture of a player during a golf tournament and you got an accreditation from the PGA tour ?

 

How do you make such a miracle ? It is difficult to explain you the very complex rules and usages of that kind of shootind, that's need many monts (or years) of study and practice, better be a golfer yourself..

 

some samples (you know some...)

 

http://www.pbase.com/isogood/golf_tournaments

 

http://www.onedayoneshot.com/