tips on photographing 8-man crew?

[neil_granger]

I'm a dedicated amateur photographer, and have an opportunity to accompany our

university varsity crew coach on the launch to photograph the varsity 8-man

crew workouts. Does anyone have any experience with this type of photography?

I have a Nikon D80, and plan to use an 18-135 zoom lens- I also thought I

might take B&W film with my old Nikon F(50mm lens).Any advice would be greatly

appreciated. Thanks.

[michaelging]

If you can get a high location to shoot from (bridge),you can get the whole boat and crew. Riding in a following boat will give you good people shots. Try panning shots using slow shutter speeds taken from the side.

[darrendrevik]

Wow, you took me back. Haven't shot crew in 20 years.

 

I agree with the first suggestions: An overhead bridge with a 28mm to 50mm gives you a great perspective shot. Follow boats with a 200 to 400mm can give you tight face shots. If you're going to shoot across the bows with a telephoto to compress 4 or 5 shells to give a feeling of competition, I would lay down on the dock or shore, shoot horizontally and position yourself in the first 500 meters of the race course -- photo finishes are almost unheard of in crew.

 

Single shells are great for wide-angle perspective shots -- lone rower set against expansive background, that type of thing. You might also investigate a remote camera rig mounted on a shell, if a crew is game. Would need an ultra-wide angle.

 

Get your set pieces, then get creative. Enjoy!