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Shooting Alpine Skiing - What lens to use?


ryan_kelly3

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<p>I'm heading to the Rockies in about two weeks to photograph Super G and slalom skiing and I'm curious to hear what others have found to be a good lens choice. <br>

I'll be shooting primarily with a 1D MK III and I have access to every super telephoto Canon makes. I was thinking the 400mm 2.8 might be a good choice, but being that I've never done this before, I wanted to check to see what people here with alpine experience think!<br>

Thanks!</p>

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<p>A 400 will serve well for the Super G yet I wouldn't discount a 300 either if shooting from the inside of a sweeper. A 300 and 70-200 will cover slalom nicely, depending on the image you envision. Super G speeds dictate safe distances must be maintained whereas the slower pace of slalom allows closer shooting.</p>

<p>Suggestions: Ask those that are familiar with the SG course to share insight/recommendations re: thrilling terrain. Get on the Super G course the prior day during practice runs. This will pay huge dividends as you study the skiers positions relative to terrain, light and background and tell you which focal length will get the money shot. Capitalize on terrain that tests racers, e.g. compressive turn, bump (air!), etc. Ensure that comp is run at approx same time of day as practice runs. Shoot the practice run so you have one day of experience under your belt ;) If you're on a steep, hardpacked, section of the SG course, ask a course official for permission to use a shovel to create a platform for feet <em>and </em>gear. You'll be out there for awhile. A copy of the running order will keep you from missing the 'must have' racer. Have fun and let's see what you get.</p>

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<p>Depends on where you are shooting from - the unfortunate fact of shooting ski racing is that you tend to want to shoot from the spill zones as the racer is coming around a gate straight at you. A 400 F2.8 is a great lens but requires a tripod due to it's weight and thus can be inconvenient. I shoot lots of ski racing as I have three kids who compete. Slalom is quite difficult to shoot from off the track and is best shot from on the course. From on the course either a 70-200 f2.8 or 300 F2.8 / F4 work well (a 1.4x can be useful). The issue with being on the course is your safety, the safety f the athlete and what the TD / Chief of race / chief of course is prepared accept. This depends on how well you know them and how much experience of ski racing you have. In general photographers are not well respected as they tend not to be aware of what is happening and thus can be a risk. With slalom the speeds are slow enough that you can be fairly close so long as you are aware of the situation (as someone who has raced, run FIS level ski races and worked on the track at Olympics and World Cup Downhills this is easy to say). On the pitches you can find skies and racers coming at you quite quickly and where there is a large field the spacing can be 20 seconds between racers.<br>

With Speed events such as super G it really depends on the level and you competence. In general you will not be allowed inside the nets due to the risk (even 13 and 14 year old boys can travel at 110 km/h in a Super G) as the racers go a long way when they fall (indeed they are taught to stay down and go with the fall). Here safety is a real issue and it is likely you will have to shoot from outside the nets. In this case it is best to shoot from a B-Net only area (the A nets really block visibility) and you will be quite a way from the track. When shooting in this situation you will need a longer lens - the minimum you can use is a 300 with a 1.4x and you should look at 400mm and 500mm. If there is a safe spot set up for photographers then a tripod can be used (sometimes an airforce of B-net is set up to shoot from behind).<br>

Before you take a 400 f2.8 you should contact the race organizers (Chief of Course or Chief or Race are usually the best people to talk to) and determine what they are prepared to accept. For higher level events you should be aware that the course can be very difficult to ski on - especially if it has been injected. Some courses are essentially steep ice rinks and even quite advanced skiers find them very difficult to ski on (over the years I have seen ski patrol and even world Cup racers fall when just skiing / inspecting the course - this is only an issue if you are not a great skier and you are carrying a 400 f2.8 lens or similar).<br>

If you can post the level of the event this will help me be more specific.</p><div>00YKn8-337243584.jpg.3056c0b5988808ec7a7374c99da79ff8.jpg</div>

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<p>Thanks for the info, it's all very helpful! The event I'm going to be shooting at is the GMC FIS Finals at Nakiska Ski Resort in Alberta Canada.<br>

I've put the word out to the ski community so hopefully I can talk to one of the racers as well as the organizers before the event begins. We're planning a series of on location portraits with a couple racers as well as racing shots. The on-location portrait shots I can handle, the 110km/hr racing will definitely be the challenge. I'm looking forward to it!<br>

I'll post some shots after the event.</p>

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<p>Neal - I am not worried about the inside ski - the fact that it does not always make contact with the snow in a high G turn is not the biggest issue at this age. Indeed I have shots of Anja Paerson with an unweighted inside ski.<br>

Ryan - Jim Davis is the High Performance Director of Alberta Alpine and he usually plays a major role at GMC cup races. I also know the Chief's of Race and Course for this event and can pass on contact details if you need them.<br>

For all ski racing setting the white balance (assuming you shoot JPEG) and the exposure is critical. I use the snow for white balance and set the exposure manually unless the racer is travelling in a and out of strong shadow (in which case I use Tv). There are basically two approaches to shooting - one is to select a single gate / turn and to concentrate on this - tracking the racer into the turn. I often still use manual focus for this situation and generally shoot RAW. The other option is to shoot more shots over 2-3 gates in which case you need AF (I use centre plus expansion points and AI Servo) and I shoot JPEG so I do not fill the buffer. I shoot ski racing with either a 7D or 1DIIN.</p>

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<p>You've already gotten a lot of good advice, but I'll add one a bit more:<br>

1. When you're on the hill, <strong>never loose track of what is happening above you</strong>. Particularly when you're focusing on a few racers, it's easy to glance down to chimp because you know that you don't need a shot of the next racer. Murphy's law suggests that racer will be the one who comes off course in your direction.<br>

2. Generally speaking, shooting through the inside of the turn to the outside produces better angles than shooting in from the outside; the athlete will be looking (and turning) towards you as you get the. Directly from below also tends to be a good angle, with the caveat that it often puts you in a bad position.<br>

3. If at all possible, spend some time before the event shooting training of similar-level athletes. The speed at which things happen and the timing to get the right shot take some practice, and it varies with age and skill level—shooting 12-year-olds running slalom is very different from shooting internationally ranked athletes.<br>

4. Keep terrain in mind. Shot with "angles"—i.e. the athlete angulating substantially to the point where the inside hand is near or on the snow surface, while the upper body is still mostly upright—show athletic prowess and look cool. Athletes will have more angulation where the course is offset most severely (i.e. they must change direction across the hill the most, from one gate to the next). Fall-away turns will exaggerate this, on-camber turns will not. However, athletes are more likely to be right on the gate when the turn is on-camber and more likely to be away from the gate on a fallaway. Shots where the athlete are closer to the gate are generally preferable; in slalom, having the boots adjacent to the pole is ideal.<br>

5. I prefer to seek a spot where I can shoot 2-3 gates and track the athlete through, as described above. This provides a better chance of getting a useable shot if the athlete flubs one turn. This can be challenging, particularly if you need to provide more of a safety margin (as a former racer, certified coach, and certified official shooting mostly regional races, I can generally get away with standing in places that put a premium on point 1 above).<br>

6. When on a steep, icy pitch, be careful about putting down your backpack—I've had the pleasure of chasing mine downhill next to the World Cup mogul course at Lake Placid.<br>

7. If you haven't shot for extended periods of time in the cold before, be prepared. The camera should be fine with cold weather, but batteries won't be as happy; your hands will be even less happy, as the hunk of metal capturing images will also suck the heat right out of them, even with gloves on.<br>

8. If using AF, remember that trees in the background, B-net, and other gates provide nice, sharp lines to focus on; you may need to make a concerted effort not to pick those up when attempting to track racers.</p>

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<p>Some good advice from the photographers above, my favorite when I was still skiing was the 70-200 F 2.8 IS lens and take some filters, and a 1.4 and 2x teleconverters. Its a lot easier to move around on the slope without the tripod and giant lens. If the days are clear it can be very bright and filters come in handy.<br>

Jim</p>

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<p>The 70-200 L's and the 1.4x convertor are the workhorse of most professional ski/snowboard photogs who shoot Canon. For framing flexibility the 100-400L is good, too. Don't be afraid to walk up and down the course.</p>
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<p>One thing I should add is that you must be aware not to take the camera into a warm room straight off the track. It was -20 this weekend at Nakiska and if you bring the camera straight inside you run the risk of condensation. If you keep it in a camera bag or something similar when you bring it into he lodge the insulation of the bag will slow the warming process and reduce the risk of condensation.</p>
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<p>Philip - If you could pass on the contact info for the organizers that would be great! Although I don't have a commercial/sports portfolio online, you can always check out my wedding/lifestyle studio website at http://www.ryanandbeth.ca at least this way you can see that I am a full time professional photographer and that I will go about all this in a professional manner. </p>

<p>Philip, Kevin, Jim and Ben - Fantastic advise, thank you!</p>

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