Six Tips to Make Traveling and Shooting Internationally Easier (PhotoFit #23)

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of being invited to shoot the Dubai Fitness Championship and wanted to fill you in on the adventure that it was.  First off, my utmost thanks to His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, without his support, the event would not be possible.  

The Dubai Fitness Challenge - from here on out DFC - has gone on for the last several years, with each subsequent iteration becoming more and more of an international spectacle.  This year was the biggest yet, with reigning Fittest Man on Earth, Mat Fraser competing, as well as other previous years Games champs and podium placers like Ben Smith, Sam Briggs, Annie Thorisdottir, Sara Sigmundsdottir, BK Gudmunsoon, as well as many others.  Dubai itself has become something like a hub of CrossFit in the Middle East as well, with something like 20 affiliates in the greater-Dubai area.  

I could babble for awhile about the event itself as some sort of travel log, but I'm going to try to just sum up a few things that made my life easier traveling and shooting internationally.

1)  Legspace!

Dubai from New York is a big one.  It's 12 hours in the air direct on the way there, and 14 hours in the air on the way back.  While I've traveled a fair amount in my life, I've never come close to a long haul flight of this duration, and one I was supposed to be functional after (i.e. not drunk and on vacation).  When I travel for work, I have a gigantic NoBull Dufflepack that's loaded with my clothes, usually a tripod, and my computer, as well as a Pelican 1510 with my camera bodies and lenses.  On bigger jobs that might need lights or video gear, I'll have another Pelican case checked.  For this sort of flight, you do not want anything under your feet, so being "that guy" and putting everything in the overhead compartment is a must.  Cramped leg space for a 90 minute flight is one thing, for 14 hours, it is agony.  

2) TSA Locks

My flight out was actually full - that means 600 passengers - because of that they were gate checking larger carry-ons.  I bring this up, because no matter how much you beg and banter with airline staff, sometimes they will force you to gatecheck gear.  Make sure to have TSA locks you can throw on just in case, and make sure to take out at least one body and lens so that in case your gear is lost or stolen, you can still work when you get there.

3) Better Headphones

My real life changing epiphany pre-flight was buying a good pair of noise-canceling headphones.  Though pricey, I got the Bose Quiet Comfort 35s.  This turned out to be the greatest thing I have ever done for my own travel comfort in five years.  With these guys on, the crying baby directly behind me sounded like a distant faint noise, and that constant drone of the engines was completely gone.  It is the first time I've really ever been able to sleep on a flight (for a grand total of 2 hours).  I can't recommend these enough, and they also have a number of professional applications for shooting and editing that are equally useful.

4) Cruise through Customs

The next big hurdle shooting internationally is Customs.  In the last two month I've had two different experiences going through customs and both were educational to say the least.  In November I went through Canadian customs - a country notorious for being hard on foreign citizens working in their country.  Dubai is much more lassiez-faire towards international workers, but I still had a few hiccups.  While no two experiences are the same, a few basic rules should help you get through customs as easy as possible.  First off, don't lie.  If you're traveling international to work, just say you're there on "business."  Before you go, make sure if there are any kind of film permits or special work papers that are required for photography/videography you have them, or are able to clearly explain why you don't need them.  Make sure, you have in writing, explanations from your employers or clients what your are doing, how long you will be doing it, and where you will be shooting, and when you will be leaving.  Finally, know the value of your equipment.  If your gear is worth more than $10,000, you hit a threshold in most countries where they want you to declare that and they are going to take a closer look.  Lastly, and this might sound stupid, make sure you have actual phone numbers for your local clients in case you do get detained.  You don't want to be in holding and frantically emailing a client that isn't answering you, without any other means of contacting them.

5) Phones

Simple stuff you take for granted when traveling around the states - cell phones work everywhere.  Depending on the country you travel to, you might be SOL, or have to pay absurd fees to get a data connection.  With Verizon at least, many countires allow you to buy a travel pass ahead of time that for a few dollars a day, let you use your regular minutes and data connection.  All this has to be purchased ahead of time so make sure to check that out before you leave.

6) Power Up

Just as importantly, power up!  On a video shoot, I have no less than four or five different batteries charging at once.  Not a big deal when all your plugs work, but the second you cross the ocean, you're going to need an adaptor for everything.  I was able to find some cheap ones online that work in a number of different countries, but it's one more dongle you're going to have to pack and carry around.

After all that, it's time to actually do the job!  Aditional photo highlights are below, I hope you'll be able to utilize a couple of these tips on your next shoot.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

2016 Wrap-Up

2016 has come and gone in a flash and I've been lucky enough to keep busy all year.  I'd love to put together a best-of reel for 2016 but that's one of the many things that will sit on the list of things that never get done.  Instead, I'm just going to post a hodge-podge of random thoughts and list out a few of the spots I've been able to get to this year (as much for me to have it all together in one place, as for you the reader). 

Countries Visited

United States
Canada
UAE

States Visited

New York
Connteticut
Vermont
Massachusetts
Maryland
Virginia
California
Washington
Washington, D.C.
New Jersey
Missouri
Georgia
Florida
 

Things I've become obsessed with:

Drones, specifically DJI Mavic and my great quest to get one

Best piece of equipment acquired this year
Bose Quiet Comfort 35 headphones.  Now that I have them I truly don't know how I lived (or traveled) without them.

One of the most fun projects I've had to be a part of is heading up all media for not just my gym, Active Life Athletics, but our strength balance program by Active Life, Performance Care.  Starting from doing a few shoots every couple weeks, to turning into a multi-day shoot, edit, produce, social media operation has been an adventure.  With the help of Dr. Sean, Dr. Jeremy and our web-guru Kalian, we've turned the Bulletproof program from an idea to a program used by thousands across the world.  What started, for me, as a few photos, now has included setting up podcasts, video WOD demos, instructional videos, a seminar series, ad lectures to name just a few.  Learn more about the program @ https://performancecarerx.com/ or just watch some fun videos @ Active Life Youtube

This blog has actually been a great way for me to help reinvest into my own business.  Finally getting back into the swing of posting PhotoFit columns may have done more to help me than others.  Because of those posts, I finally updated my portfolio which lives at www.scp-fit.com as well as my youtube page www.youtube.com/superclearyphoto.

In terms of a few random metrics, I shot around 300k photos over three camera bodies this year as well as around 2TB of video.  My "top 9" made for my 1000th instagram post of the year.

For 2017 I'm looking forward to continuing relationships with some of the great clients I work with as well as continuing to learn more about photography and videography.  Managing the business while also raising a 1-year-old with my wife is a time management shitshow, but I think we somehow pulled it off over the last year.  2017 will be the year Thomas starts talking back, so look forward to those conversations on instagram.

So all and all, not much photofit in this post, but felt like I needed to throw something together to close out 2016 and kickoff 2017.  Please comment below with any specifics photo/video questions you may have for future photofit columns.  

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Shooting the 2016 CrossFit Invitational (PhotoFit #22)

Last weekend I had the chance to head up to Canada and shoot the CrossFit Invitational, an international competition, showcasing the best athletes from this year's CrossFit Games, setup in a viewer friendly 2-hour format.  The event itself is a whirlwind to shoot, with its own unique set of technical challenges.  I'll try to highlight those to spell out some tips I can give one you when you find yourself shooting fast-moving events.

First and foremost, the invitational is a blast to shoot and I was able to be a part of a great team, shooting for CrossFit HQ.  Our team include our head of photography, Dave Re, another shooter Tai Randall, and an editor Ian Webb.  I've had the chance to work with all these Games veterans before, and looked forward to another great shoot with them.

The invitational is a different beast than the Games.  It is just a 2 hour event, 1 heat of each workout, pitting 4 teams of 4 against each other.  Blink and you'll miss it.  At the Games, you're starting your day at 6AM and aren't wrapped until well into the night.  Sounds great right?  With those long Games days though, you're able to dial in your equipment, and the events.  When you have 8 heats per event to shoot, you work out the kinks on the early heats, and make sure you have everything perfected and mapped out for the top heat with the big dogs.  Yea, it can be grind to shoot for such long periods, but it really allows you to be comfortable with the WOD and know what you're doing when the pressure is on.  

The gear getting packed up before the trip.  Always an adventure getting everything to fit into just one case.

At the invitational, it is a totally different story.  There were basically 4 WODs this year, spread out over 2 hours, with built in commercial breaks.  There were no redos, and there was no earlier heats to dial in shooting positions, sight lines, and equipment.  Well, that's not completely true, and what the first part of my advice would be: When there are rehearsals for an event/production/show, be there!  Take notes, ask questions, and go through the motions.  As much as I hate sitting around inside a venue all day waiting for an event to kickoff, I was able to watch two dress rehearsals of the entire event.  These rehearsals are critical for the production team to deliver a perfect live feed and television package.  As a photographer, I kept my eyes and ears open so I could see how the workouts flowed.  Where do the athletes enter from?  Which station do they go to first?  Which direction do they face (always a critical bit of info)?  How long do they have between WODs?  In what order do they lift in?  And this just begins to scratch the surface.  During the second dress rehearsal I also made a point of walking through the media lane and following the fake action, occasionally snapping a behind-the-scenes photo or two to get a feel for how crowded the floor would be and what lens may work best during different events.

Kari Pearce during the handstand walk.  Nikon D4s, Nikon 70-200, 1/640th, F2.8, ISO 6400, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

All the while, I'm consulting my counterpart, Tai Randall who shares responsibility in covering the event itself, and our boss Dave Re, who is able to focus more on capturing really unique moments and angles during the event.  Between the three of us, we were able to map out a basic plan for who would cover what, and how.  Again, there are basically no breaks during the event, and little time to really confer with one another once the action starts.  Having this plan in place was crucial to us making sure every inch of the floor was covered.

Rich Froning sticking his Clean and Jerk opened at 355lbs.  Nikon D4s, Sigma 120-300, 1/640th, F2.8, ISO 6400, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

All of this practice and prep was beyond helpful come the big show.  While there may have only been one heat of the workouts once the action started, I felt as though I had already seen them twice before and knew what was coming next.  This really helped me stay on top of things and know where to be and how to get myself in a position to take a good photo.  I actually realized after the blur of shooting for two hours, how well everything actually went to plan.  I, and the rest of the team, weren't scrambling around.  We knew what was happening, and where to be to capture it best, and I think the final product really speaks to that.

Team Pacific hitting synchro muscle-ups, Nikon D4s, Nikon 70-200, 1/640th, F2.8, ISO 6400,, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

On the more technical shooting side, I think this was a great event to highlight how you have to shoot to tell the story, not just deliver the same photo over and over.  I've talked about it before, but often for my images to stand out, I try to shoot very tight on athletes during competition.  I think it delivers a unique result and is challenging to get right.  At this event though, the story is not about individuals, it is about a team of CrossFit Games superstars coming together to compete against other teams.  Because of that, my go-to "shoot super tight" doesn't really work in this case.  Yes, Rich Froning is on the floor, but shooting him super tight, effectively isolating him from the rest of the team, doesn't tell in a photo how Team USA did.  Yes, there is absolutely a place when delivering the entire stack of images for highlights of each athlete competing, but the images that are really going to be important are of the team working (or not working) together, and teams battling against each other.  Ian pulled out a cool snap from the event where Team Pacific, with Games-rookie James Newbury up at the front of the worm, are battling together to get through the final workout of the Invitational.  It is a great shot because it includes the entire team, working together, and working hard.  To back up that shooting style, for the most part, I backed off using my Sigma 120-300 2.8, in favor of the smaller and more flexible Nikon 70-200 2.8.  Even though the optics in the Sigma are fantastic, I just didn't need that much zoom for the positions I was shooting from, or with my goal of trying to catch the whole team in action.

Pre-event establishing shot, Nikon D4s, Sigma 15mm, 1/800th, F2.8, ISO 6400,, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

A few other shots I always try and get at events, is some bigger picture images.  These are shots trying to show the scale of the event, or are from angles not usually seen.  Two quick examples of this are the lap I took around the arena with a fisheye.  This shot, taken early in the morning before the event works as a great establishing shot to show the venue and the professional presentation.  The fisheye's built in distortion, when used right can really make a room look that much bigger.  Secondly, during the event, I ran up to the top of the arena a few times to try and shoot down and catch the action from above.  I was able to grab a whole slew of images of some muscle-up synchronicity, that just help fill out the coverage better than just doing it all from the arena floor.

Working with a pretty light setup for the Invitational.  Nikon D4, Nikon D4S, Tamron 24-70, Nikon 70-200, Sigma 120-300

Lastly, some of the bread and butter images that are just too much fun to capture were doing the snatch/clean & jerk event.  Here, it was all about highlighting the athlete lifting under the lights.  For that, I switched to the Sigma 120-300 and worked to get some head-to-toe classic lifting shots as well as some very tight expression/reaction images whether the lift was made or missed.  I was pleasantly surprised by just how fired up and animated the athletes were before and after their lifts.  Those post-lift reactions were particularly exciting this year as a number of athletes PR'd there lifts even under such a high pressure setup.

Brent Fikowski after putting on a snatch clinic, Nikon D4s, Sigma 120-300, F 2.8, 1/640th, ISO 6400 Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

I have a whole bunch of BTS and from-the-floor video from the event I'll have up in a video over the next few weeks, but wanted to get some quick impressions from the Invitational online first.  Beyond the shoot, make sure to check out Hollywood Ice Cream and Oshawa for an absolutely absurd Monster Shake, as well as some Poutine from Smoke's. Also, Canadian customs is no joke so make sure you're on the up-and-up when you go through your "friendly" interrogation.  

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

What Makes a Perfect Portfolio? (PhotoFit #20)

Last week I talked about what you need to do to get paid as a professional photographer. One of them key points I landed on was how important a portfolio is to start the conversation and easily show off your work.  I want to expand on that topic here.

I briefly mentioned a few ideas.  A portfolio should be 100% focused on the field that you want to work in.  It should be short.  And it should be perfect.  

Let me talk about the "why" first.  A portfolio is the representation of the work that you've done and the work you could do.  This is where you brag about how great you are and all the really neat things you're capable of doing.  In the modern era, you're not walking into an agency with a binder.  You're now e-mailing a link to a photo editor or client.  They are going to open up that link and look at the website for 3-10 seconds.  If they see crap, or nothing interesting, they are done.  They aren't going to call you back and they aren't going to follow-up.  You have a very short window of time to make a strong impression and prove you are what you say you are.  This is why it is so important to have a portfolio, and make sure the one you have is a quality representation of that work.

Dani Horan, Nikon D4

On Topic

Include the work you want to work on.  What does that mean?  If you want to be the best photographer in CrossFit, the only things in your portfolio should include CrossFit-style images.  No one cares that you've shot a wedding.  They aren't impressed by your photos of little kids.  Food photos don't matter regardless of how delicious they look.  Including these images in your portfolio makes you seem like an amateur.  Clients want to hire the best shooter in that specific field.  They don't want a mediocre wedding photographer that sometimes shoots CrossFit in his free time.  The one qualifier in all this:  If you do have multiple passions and specific types of photography you want to build out, develop different brands and portfolios that represent that.  That said, don't include all those different portfolios on the same page or you're just defeating the purpose.

Tyler McBride, Nikon D750, Sigma 35 1.4

Short

A portfolio should be short.  Like I said above, an editor or a client is going to click for 3-10 seconds on your portfolio.  They aren't going to drill 100 images deep.  So this is both a blessing and a curse.  You need to make your impression in 8-15 images.  Usually the challenge is cutting it to such a short set.  Some things to think about are making sure there is a variety in your set of images.  Avoid including the "same" photo over and over.  Examples would be having multiple photos of barbells locked out overhead, head to toe setup shots, or repeated exhaustion photos.  You want to include a variety of compositions and focal lengths.  Tight shots, wide shots.  Images with one athlete, as well as multiple athletes in frame.  Further, all the images shouldn't be from the exact same event.  Show that you also have worked a variety of jobs.

Perfect

Your portfolio should be perfect.  With only 8-15 impressions, each shot should have no technical mistakes.  That means the exposure is perfect, the focus is tact sharp on the subject's eye, the composition is spot on, the processing is perfect without being overdone.  When I've received portfolios from perspective shooters, I'm shocked when I see obviously out of focus images or shots where the composition is way off.  What that tells me is that the photographer doesn't understand what good focus and exposure are, and that's what I'm hiring for.  That's the end of that conversation for me, I'm not going to follow-up and ask why shot number 3 was out of focus and what shot number 5 was overexposed.  I'm not really going to spell this out more, perfect is perfect and if there is anything in your image that you think may not be, it shouldn't be included.

Dan Tyminski, Nikon D4, Tamron 24-70

Additional Ideas

I think one of the last things you should consider including in your portfolio is spec work or basically what you could do for a client.  Meaning that you'll include shots from shoots you've financed and setup yourself, simply for the sake of demonstrating an ability, skill, or look you can do.  This is a great time to really show off the fancy gear or scenarios that you just haven't had the opportunity to do for a paying client, but think you will be able to pitch to future clients.

When I was putting this together I thought it would be a good idea to reach out to one of my colleagues and friends, Chris Nolan of MetConPhotos for his very knowledgeable opinion on what makes a perfect portfolio.  This is what he said, "accurate to the work that I specialize in, minimal in size (15-20 per section), and images chosen by a professional editor that lacks any kind of emotional attachment to the my work."  Clearly, Chris and I line up on this in a big way, but I think he brings up a huge point I omitted, selections without an "emotional attachment."  Far too often, people keep shots in their portfolio that are from "their first paying shoot," or taken with their first ever camera.  They have sentimental value, they may be neat, but they might not be perfect for your portfolio.

Dmitry Klokov, Nikon D600, Tamron 24-70

Writing this post was a great exercise for me because it forced me to finally sit down and spend time overhauling my website and portfolio.  The number one thing I thought I fell into the trap of was including images that I held an emotional attachment to, that should have otherwise been rejected.  The only person that thought those were "portfolio-worthy" images was me and that was because I knew the particular backstory and process that made those images special to me. I had included an image from the first event I ever shot in my portfolio and it survived revisions to my portfolio for five years!  Especially after reading Chris' advice, it finally got the axe.

My last point would be that your portfolio is just that, its yours.  It is your chance to show who you are as a photographer.  The worst thing you can do is blindly follow someone else's set of rules.  I've seen incredible portfolios that are only one image.  Others that use formats I never would have considered.  My own portfolio violates some of my ground rules because that works for my unique situation.  You do you.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Why You're Not Getting Paid To Shoot (PhotoFit #19)

The most common question I get in my email from aspiring photographers is "how do I get paid to shoot."  This usually has the same follow-ons, 1) I've shot for free but now want to get paid, 2) I don't know what to charge, 3) I don't know what to give clients, and so on.  By no means do I have all the secrets, but I want to spell out a few of the key points in my mind to turn you from just aspiring to actually making money taking photos.

First, if you want to get paid taking photos, you need to already be a professional.  I'll go over what that means to me.

CrossFit Garden City Partner Competition - shot for CFGC

You need to have professional equipment.  No, don't run out and buy a Nikon D5 and a plethora of lens, but a basic dslr, with a basic lens will do the trick.  DSLRs are incredible now.  Even entry level DSLRs have incredible low light capabilities and can create fantastic images in the right hands, better you can get them very cheap used.  A basic crop body camera - like a used Nikon 7100 or the Canon equivalent will run you less than $600 and a 35mm 1.8 (great for the low light in a gym) is less than $200.  With a setup like that you can shoot RAW, have plenty of low light range, and can nail tact sharp photos.  With those tools you can deliver a professional product to your client that they will be happy with.

Rob Moloney - Shot for Goat Tape

Next you need to have a portfolio and a social media presence, you could even get extra points and have a website.  The social media presence is easy, and everyone now has an instagram accpimt and posts photos there.  That is not a portfolio.  A portfolio is a link you can send to a client that is representative of your work.  It should be direct and short.  A portfolio should be 8-12 photos specifically of the type of work you're looking to do.  Don't send a portfolio to a gym client that includes wedding photos, or food photos.  They are trying to hire the best fitness shooter, not some person that can do a little of everything.  Your portfolio should also be perfect.  Each shot should be great, without any technical mistakes, and stand on its own.  If you're not confident in a shot, dump it.  You have every photo you've ever taken to choose from, make sure they are all winners.  More is not better here.  A client or editor isn't going to scroll through 30 images, they are going to skim a few and make a judgement.  Don't include crap.

Lastly, you could have a website.  A website might really just be your portfolio - sort of like my landing page at www.scp-fit.com.  I consider that page sort of an expanded portfolio.  It has an about me section, and a few portfolio pages that are sorely in need of an overhaul.  And a way to get in contact with me.  A website isn't a deal-breaker, but it is definitely nice to have.  I have this one hosted on Squarespace and it was very easy to put together.

Mat Fraser - Shot for East Coast Championship

So let's say having some gear, a portfolio, and a web presence is the starting point to being a professional.  Next up, getting a job.

You need to walk into your first job already knowing how your gear works and how to deliver.  Don't make a client learn the hard way that this is your first time.  The easiest way to get those bugs out of the way is to head to your gym and take photos.  Class is every hour and most people in the CrossFit space love having their photo taken.  Just clear it with the gym owner/coach/ and members and you're good to go.  Experiment, practice, and figure out how your camera works and how to get good results.

Now it just comes down to marketing.  If you want to shoot at gyms, contact local gyms!  If there are clients - whether athletes or sponsors - that you want to work for, reach out to them.  Email and social media are always easy, but phone calls work better.  Provide a link to your portfolio.  Go into this already knowing what you're going to provide.  

Beach stock shots - shot for Flex Events

Set up some basic packages.  Here are some examples of what you could do.  2 group classes, plus coaches photos for $xxx, or 4 group classes plus coaches photos for $xxx.  Explain what your deliverables will be (100 edited photos?  200 edited photos?  Watermarks or no watermarks?, what sort of usage will the client receive?  Finally, explain what sort of turn around time you can provide.  Will they have their photos in a week or a day?  

I can't emphasis this enough.  A lot of people will just say no, or worse, not even answer you at all.  That is just how it is.  You need to cast a wide net and reach out to a lot of clients before someone will get interested in you.  From there, the haggle usually starts.  You need to know what your market is like and what your time is worth.  In your area do gyms pay $1000 for photo services?  Are they used to getting everything for free?  You need to go in with a number that will not simply insult the gym but take into account what they could actually afford.  To determine your own worth, look at the investment, first in time.  A 2 hour shoot usually include 30 mins of setup and breakdown on each end, then there is an hour of driving as well.  Let's say you're not a very speedy editor so every hour of photography you do, takes two hours of editing to process and edit your images.  Pre-shoot calls and emails are another 30mins-hour.  Delivery and follow-up are the same.  So a 2 hour shoot is actually 11 hours of work.  What do you think that time is worth per hour?  You're also walking into the shoot with a few hundred to a few thousand dollars of camera gear, as well as the computer at home, and the software you're going to use to edit.  While each client shouldn't have to pay for all of that, you could certainly assign a percentage to it to help determine your rate.  

This is often the falling off point for people who haven't landed their first client yet.  Telling someone you're worth money -- and I don't mean charging $50 for a 4 hour shoot -- but real money -- hundreds if not thousands of dollars is scary.  Sticking to your guns when a client says "can you do it for less" is tough.  That's where you just need to get some comfort in knowing what you're worth and what the lowest rate you'll shoot at is.

Emily Abbot - Shot for Wodapalooza 

I think this is the perfect time to talk about working for free or for "exposure."  Just don't do it.  Free clients don't become pay clients.  You will forever forward be the "free guy."  Working for free also damages the local market for other photographers.  All that said, there are certainly times to work with financial compensation.  Barter is a real thing.  Plenty of working photographers have started out by getting their gym memberships in exchange for a monthly photoshoot.  That is not "working for free" you and the client are both getting something you want.  Further, there may be a particular athlete you want to work with, they might need some portfolio images, and you might want to practice with a more high profile athlete.  You're getting practice, they are getting some portfolio images.  That could be a resonable barter depending where both of you are at.  Again, it is all about valuation.  

Whenever you're working a job, make sure you have some kind of written agreement in place spelling out exactly what you are going to do and deliver, as well as what the client is required to do (pay you, when and how).  You also should have model releases for everyone that will be involved in the shoot as well as from the location owner (there are some handy apps that make this easier).  I also don't want to burst your bubble, but if you're working, you really should have a separate business insurance policy.  If someone trips on your camera bag at a gym, they can sue you, and if you don't have the proper insurance in place you can be liable for a hefty payout. 

Katrin Davidsdottir - Shot for East Coast Championship

I think this lays out the basics of "how do I get people to pay me."  To summarize, know the gear you're working with and have a portfolio.  Know what kind of clients you want to work with and what you can provide for them at what rate.  Lastly, deliver!  Do a killer job and make sure they are happy with the product you put together.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Taking Camera Phone Photos that Don't Suck (PhotoFit #17)

I think one of the greatest motto's in photography is the best camera is the one you have.  For 99.9% of us that is always going to be an iPhone or whatever kind of cell phone you happen to have in your pocket (I'm going to say iPhone for the rest of this article).  

In the gym that saying still holds true, and with a few tips and tricks you can still get great photos with that camera that's almost always in your pocket anyway.

A few notes:  This is going to exclusively talk about working with a iphone/cellphone/smartphone in its default camera mode without any "pro camera" app in use.  On to my guide, in somewhat of an order of importance.

One: Wipe off the lens!  I'm sure you've seen it on your favorite social media site, but someone's blurry gym selfie where everything seems blurry or foggy.  No, the humidifier is not on, what's happening is there is grease, sweat, or oil on the camera lens. Every time your phone goes back in your sweaty shorts, that lens is getting more moisture on it.  When you take it out for a quick selfie or to catch a friend's lift, it's going to be covered in sweat and the photo is going to be ruined.  The same rule applies for the selfie camera on the front.  Before every shot make sure to wipe off the front of the phone (the lens is up on the top 1/4 of the phone).  Simply using a t-shirt or paper towel will do the trick.  The lenses on camera phones are extremely sturdy, so a quick wipe is critical to taking a clean shot.

Two:  Rotate the phone 90 degrees:  I'd say something like 85% (not scientific) of all photos taken with a "real camera" i.e. dslr or point and shoot are taken horzintical/landscape.  Yet, with an iPhone, 99% of photos are taken vertical/portrait.  Rotating your camera 90 degree will immediately make your images look more professional and planned.  Further, If the really good stuff happens to be dead center, you'll be able to very easily do a 1x1 square crop for instagram.

Three:  Use the physical shutter button on the phone:  To actually take your photo, don't click the shutter button on screen.  It will immediately knock out the carefully framed up composition you've set and add camera shake into the photo.  Whereas you can use the physical shutter button on the phone - on the iPhone it's the volume rocker - and you're able to keep the framing and control of your camera much better.  Pro tip - don't try and find the button when you're ready to take a photo.  Leave your finger on that button while you're setting up the shot and then just click.
 

Four: Use natural lighting.  Lighting is one of the most critical components of a good photo.  It takes a snapshot into a photograph.  Most gyms have a window or a door or some other kind of natural light.  We always want to set up with our subject facing the natural light.  If they aren't facing it, just ask/tell them to!  It will make for a better photo and make you feel like a pro photographer instantly as you direct people around.  Now when you're shooting your subject they should be bathed in natural light, make sure not to stand directly in the way of the light casting a shadow on them.  With an iPhone-style camera, never try shooting a subject against the light.  This is called "backlit" and the auto mode on these cameras will freak out and generally just give you a silhouette where your subject is supposed to be.  That can be cool from time to time, but shouldn't be your only trick.  

Five: Get low.  When you're at the gym, it's all about looking huge and strong.  The easiest way to start getting that look is to shoot from a low angle.  Get into a nice deep squat and shoot up.  If that's not enough, lay on the ground and shoot from there.  It will turn any PR into an epic hero moment.  Any time you shoot up on the subject it's going to make them look bigger and fill the frame better.

Six: Get close.  Never use that zoom in the camera, but instead just get closer to your subject.  Your goal should always be able to fill the frame with your subject.  This might take a couple of tries but always work to be as close to the subject as humanely possible.  Often times, this is going to put you very close to falling barbells, but that's half the fun.

Seven.  Memory is cheap, take lots of photos. Finally, don't just settle on one click of the shutter.  Take lots of photos.  Especially with a camera phone firing in auto mode, you need a lot of shots for the focus and exposure to line up just right.  Further, the built in burst modes are great for taking a ton of frames very quickly without you have to press the shutter multiple times.  Sometimes these types of cameras have a bit of a lag, so taking multiple photos will help nail that decisive moment in the lift of movement.  You can always go back through and delete out the crap later.

One final note, make sure you have space on your phone!  Nothing is more amateur hour than going to take a photo or video and getting the "no space available".  Buy the biggest phone you can get, and pay the extra few dollars a month for the huge iCloud storage options.

*** All photos taken with iPhone 6, edited in Lightroom.  Athlete: Rob Moloney, Location: CrossFit Island Park

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

A Photographer's POV at the CrossFit Games (PhotoFit #16)

We all have those projects that are sitting on a hard drive that we keep "meaning to get to."  During the 2014 CrossFit Games, my first season shooting at the Games, I hooked up a gopro to the top of my camera and just let it roll as I tried to get the shot.  Fast forward to now, I finally got around to going through the content and splicing together some kind of coherent edit.  Other than the silliness of seeing sort of what I see at the Games, I quickly realized there were two main takeaways watching these videos First, just how complicated it is to shoot at big events.  Trying to get the shot is a lot more than just pushing a button.  Nailing that perfect composition means lining up the athlete during their decisive moment, with the right light, without a judge or other athlete getting in the way, and putting yourself in the perfect position to do all of that.  Secondly, how I shoot in terms of shutter mode, which I'll go into more detail below the fold.

Lauren Fisher, Nikon D4, Tamron 24-70 - Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

To briefly summarize the arc of the video above.  This all takes place at the 2014 CrossFit Games.  I kicked off the week off Hermosa Beach at 5am to capture the start of the Games as the competitors swam out and around the pier.  I started on the dingy, but quickly got switched over to a jetski (which I couldn't gopro from).  From there, the footage picks up on Friday morning with the team kickoff and the individuals taking on the triple 3.  Next up, big man, Sam Dancer crushing the 1RM deadlift workout (a workout he would again win when he competed as an individual athlete in 2016).  From there, I've got some clips of me shooting from on top of and at the base of the soccer stadium during the Muscle Up Biatholon.  What the gopro doesn't capture is the insane heat and lack of shade.  I was extra soggy during that bit.  From there, one of my favorite all time events, the 21-15-9 complex.  I'm shooting from the media pit, my favorite spot to shoot from in the Tennis Stadium, during golden hour.  The sun is setting behind the athletes and this is when the money shots happen.

Camille Leblanc-Bazinet - Nikon D4 Sigma 120-300, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

It is at this point that I think it really starts coming across just how tough it is to get a clean image during a crowded event.  In the Tennis Stadium, it is simply chaos.  From the huge rig, to the equipment, judges, staff, athletes, and volunteers, there are just countless ways for your perfectly framed shot to get ruined.  I'm constantly on the move trying to get everything to line up right, and find lanes between obstructions to zero in on athletes during that critical second.  Again, to connect with last week's post, this is why I love shooting tight.  The more I zoom in the more I'm able to isolate my subject from the chaos around them.

Rich Froning, Nikon D4 Nikon 70-200, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

From there, the speed clean ladder was the most insane event I've ever shot.  Having eight lanes of athletes charging through five barbells in a race against the clock and each other was nuts.  I was positioned dead center, with other photographers from the team to my left and right to cover those lanes.  You can see just how quick the athletes are moving and how fast you have to make decisions about which lane to shoot and which lifts to focus on.  I also think its important to realize that sometimes the best shot isn't the one straight in front of you.  The angles I had on Froning for example, to my left, I thought were actually more interesting in some cases than shooting athletes in the lane right in front of me.  You can also see me dump my camera towards the end of some of those takes, that's because I'm switching over to a 24-70 to grab those finishing shots.  With the speed of the event and the athletes basically jumping right on me, I stuck with the safety lens to make sure I didn't really miss anything.  To me, that wide angle zoom affords me the largest margin of error.

Lauren Fisher, Nikon D4 Nikon 70-200, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

For the final event, I was assigned to float, so I basically had to run around the stands to try and help fill out the team's coverage in case I could find something neat the shooters in the prime positions couldn't get.  This really though felt like I was able to experience the final of the CrossFit Games among the fans - with myself being one of them - and able to do my dream job at the same time.

Mat Fraser, Nikon D4 Tamron 24-70, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

For my second bit of nerd talk, and something I don't think I've really hit on before, what shutter setting do I use?  Single, continuous low, continuous high (or whatever the canon equivalents are).  I exclusively shoot in single shutter.  This might sound blasphemous to sport shooters, but you don't need 12fps to shoot sports, you just need to anticipate when things are going to happen.  On the Nikon D4, I have some absurd frames-per-second, but I never use it.  In single shutter, I just have a quick touch and when those key critical moments are happening, might rapidly click the shutter and get between 3-5 frames in a second.  But for the most part, I'm just getting a single frame here or there.  I've played around with shooting in continuous (motor driving) but I find it just ends up with a lot of crap and a lot of extra frames you'll never use.  I'm usually a one-man-band, so that's going to slow down my ingest, clog up my memory cards, fill my hardrives, and make the edit process take longer.  In a team setting, shooting on contious high is an editors nightmare.  It clogs up our network bandwith, crushes their ingest queue, and quickly puts you on their shit list as they have to cull through 1000s of frames of crap.  

Josh Bridges, Nikon D4 Nikon 70-200, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

You can hear all through the video that while I'm shooting I'm usually grabbing photos in bursts of two or three in a second.  When I see that critical moment lining up, I do want to give myself some leeway for focus and timing, so I'll pop off a few frames with just a rapid click on the shutter button.  I've messed around with the same style of shooting with continuous shutter on, but very very quickly find myself not taking two or three photos per moment, but more like five to eight.  Over the course of an event that will add to 1000s of more photos, while my hit count might not actually go up at all.

Julie Foucher, Nikon D4 Sigma 120-300, Copyright CrossFit, Inc 2016

Shutter goes hand in hand with buffer, and I think that's worth mentioning here.  Frames-per-second is one thing, but I think on a sports camera what's more important is buffer.  If I can just keep shooting as fast as I need for as long as I want and the camera keeps just chugging away, I'm happy.  If I start snapping and the action gets busier and all of a sudden the buffer is clogged and slowing down my shooting, I get very grumpy.  With the D4 and most sports bodies, this is very rarely possible.  Especially during the speed clean ladder, you can hear me starting off, getting some coverage of each of the athletes, but as the race picks up, and the athletes get closer, I'm firing more and more frames trying to hit as many athletes as possible while they are running towards me.  By shooting my single shutter method, that buffer never gets clogged and from start to finish I'm able to just keep shooting.  If though, I shot on continuous and was just spraying at 12fps the entire heat, by the time the athletes got close and we were really into that critical lift, my buffer would be getting very close to full and I'd have this awkward moment where the money shot is happening, but I have to wait for the camera to process.  The only times I've ever filled up a buffer is in the few instances of when I've shot continuous.

I hope this video and post, while long and meandering, helps illustrate what it is actually like to be shooting from the sidelines of the CrossFit Games.  The days are long and hot, and the job is physically grueling, but I wouldn't really trade it for anything else.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Getting Unique Shots in a Crowd - Shooting the CrossFit Games Part 2 (PhotoFit #15)

In my first post about shooting the CrossFit Games I focused on the challenges of shooting with long lenses in the gigantic Soccer Stadium.  In part two, I'll cover the complexities of shooting from fixed shooting positions and trying to create unique images that help you stand out from a crowd of other photographers.

For the third year in a row I've had the pleasure of working for CrossFit Inc. as part of their photography team.  In working within that team, positions and roles are assigned.  Once the action moves to the Tennis Stadium, assignments fall into two categories: assigned seats, and floater positions.  With assigned seats, you're literally handed a seat ticket and have to stay locked in that position.  These seats usually make for an incredible view of the action.  First and foremost, I've always been a fan of the sport itself, so getting a front row seat is never something to complain about.  As a floater - you're either shooting in the media lane or wandering around the stadium looking for good sight lines - I'll cover this more in the next post.

Katrin Davidsdottir at the 2016 CrossFit Games - Sigma 120-300 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

The downsides of these seats from a photography perspective is that if I found myself in a seat where the action wasn't particularly close to you, or doesn't advance towards you, I sometimes found myself at a loss for how to capture great images.  The Games aren't unique in this, all major sports have assigned positions for photographers, and it's on the photographer to make the best out of those positions.

If I was in a less than optimal position for a specific WOD, I fell back on the importance of trusting in the team I was working with.  Because other shooters from the team are assigned across the rest of the stadium, I count on the fact that they are in position to get the perfect shot, and it then becomes my job to see how creative you can get in unique positions.

Katrin Davidsdottir - 2015 CrossFit Games - Sigma 120-300 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

Lens selection varies wildly once you're in the Tennis Stadium, and I think that's a great way to become creative and stand out.  For the most part, I actually went back to my Regionals go-to, the Sigma 120-300 2.8.  I really love working with that lens, and only at the extremes was that 300 not enough reach in the Tennis Stadium.  For a few events this year, and when the action was panning across my seat in the south side, I busted out the 200-400 and tried to really get in super tight to athletes.  I always love working with the extra reach these monster lenses afford, but as the action gets closer, they get more and more restrictive.  

As a fun combo during the Ring Handstand Push-up event, I was stationed in the south seats (the finish line) and shot down the lane with the 200-400.  On my second body, I had a 70-200, and as the athletes closed for their last reps and sprint to the finish, I switched to that, to still get nice and tight, but offer a great degree more flexibility, and ease of use.

Camille Leblanc-Bazinet at the 2016 CrossFit Games - 200-400 f/4 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

The Tennis Stadium is an incredibly unique shooting environment with the action so close, and the conditions so easy to shoot in.   When you look to your left and right there are dozens of cameras - some professional, some just part of the spectators', but you'll also notice most people are using very similar lenses.  Something I always try and think about when shooting in this sort of environment is trying to get shots other people aren't. With some base level knowledge, and because high-end equipment's price has come down so dramatically, it really doesn't take all that much to get a good result when the lighting is awesome like it is in the Tennis Stadium.  Even with a semi-entry level camera like a Nikon d5500 or a Canon 70d and a 24-120 f/4,($1000) you're going to be able to get sharp action photos with low ISO settings, and you're not even going to know it wasn't shot on a Nikon D5 with a 70-200 ($8000)

Cole Sager during the 2015 CrossFit Games - Nikon 70-200 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

Because of that, I'm always thinking of how to mix up shots a bit so they don't just look identical to what everyone else shooting from similar positions are probably taking.  The "easy shot" is a classic head to toe of an athlete exercising with the whole athlete in frame.  Wide shots are much easier to take, and much easier to get tact-sharp focus on.  What I try to do once I get some safeties - the boring classic shots that help fill out coverage - is try to shoot very tight.  If I shoot super tight, my editors won't have to crop in post, and the image itself will have that amazing background compression and bokeh.  This is how you can get some really unique images while shooting from the exact same position as every other shooter. 

If I'm using a 70-200, I'm going to try to shoot closer to 200 and really get tight on the athletes.  If I'm on the 120-300 I try to go tighter than 200 (otherwise what's the point).  Yes, I miss a lot because of this.  Yes, I get a lot of weird crops and amputations that aren't useable.  But, when everything lines up right, the focus hits, and the crop is good, I'm able to get a really unique image that I don't think a lot of other people are going for.  

For some technical details, when I'm trying to shoot really tight during fast action, I'm going to use continuous autofocus (sorry this will all be Nikon language), and actually limit it to only 9 points.  On the D5 there are something like 51 focus points you can use, but I actually like to limit it.  As the action moves and the camera hunts for focus, if you limit the active points, you can actually track faster.  Of course, I'm using back button focusing the whole time -- read about that here if you're unfamiliar.  Something else to help get focus, I might actual close down my aperture just a bit.  With a 2.8 lens, I might actually shoot at 3.2 or 3.5.  There will be a very minor difference in the out of focus areas (especially because I'm shooting with a lot of zoom to help get compression), but I'm able to get a little more of the athlete in focus especially if they shift forward or back.  And because I'm getting a little less light, I'll just bump up the ISO more, which won't really be noticeable on pro bodies like the Nikon D4-5 / Canon 1dx mk1/2.  

Jacob Heppner - 2016 CrossFit Games - Sigma 120-300 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

For example, in 2016, I was shooting from the West finish line where athletes advanced during double DT.  I'll zoom all the way into the athlete's head and put my focus point on the eye.  From there, I'll hold down the back button, and grab frames during those decisive moments of peak exertion.  I will also try to frame up the shot in camera, but to get this in focus, I may select a focus point off to the left, right, top, or bottom so that focus point lines up best with the athlete's head and I'm able to fill the frame as much as possible. Another option is to use that middle focus point to get the subject in focus and then recompose the shoot.  You have to be careful doing this though, because if the athlete moves forward or back during the time you're recomposing, the shot will be out of focus.  The shot above of Jacob Heppner was snapped with the Sigma 120-300, at more than 200mm.  He was relatively close to me and it was an adventure to get everything framed up right and in focus.  Below is another shot, still useable, but includes a bit of a crop on Mat Fraser's hand which I'm not happy about.

Mat Fraser - 2016 CrossFit Games - Sigma 120-300 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

The best part of the last two images - in my opinion is the out of focus areas.  They are just buttery mush.  It helps separate out the athlete and create what I think are really great images.  By zooming in so hard and leaving so little to need to be cropped, the background fades out into just colors.

Another type of shot I've grabbed the last three years from the same finish line is the "finish" shot.  After an athlete's done, I'll keep the lens zoomed in on them and keep clicking hoping for a great reaction.  Yes, shooting with a 24-70 is going to be much easier to make sure I don't miss anything or crop the shot in a weird way, but shooting with a 70-200 when you nail it is so worth it.  Here are a couple examples.  The first is shot very close with a 70-200 and the other is with the 120-300 handheld.  Yes, I try that shot a lot, and I have a ton of misses, but that zoomed in image, to me, is so much stronger than a boring wide shot.

Scott Panchik's finish double DT at the 2016 CrossFit Games - Nikon 70-200 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

CLB at the 2015 CrossFit Games - Sigma 120-300 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

For some takeaways - I'd always recommend trying to shoot much tighter than you normally would.  Wide shots, while useful, are really easy to get and easy to duplicate.  To get your images to stand out in a stack of other images from the same event, try taking the harder shots - zoomed tight and into the action.  You're going to miss a whole bunch, but the hits are much better.  In my next piece of the Games, I'll talk about shooting from float positions in the Tennis Stadium and working to get the best shots in those scenarios.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Big Lenses and Big Pressure - Shooting the CrossFit Games Part 1 (PhotoFit 14)

I had the pleasure of shooting the CrossFit Games for the third year in a row for CrossFit HQ this summer.  Shooting the SuperBowl of exercise is a huge job that requires a monstrous quiver of lenses to really capture those unique moments across a series of differing arenas.  I'll try to write a few different posts about shooting the Games, but this one is going to be specifically focused on shooting with long lenses, and trying (and sometimes failing) to get good results using them.

Shooting for CrossFit Inc. has some serious perks.  First off, you're not on your own, you're part of a large team - anywhere from 8-12 photographers, plus a few onsite editors, as well an incredible group of volunteers.  Next you get access to an arsenal of loaned long lenses and tele convertors.  To begin with, I own the Sigma 120-300 2.8 (new version).  I picked it up two years ago before regionals and it quickly became my CrossFit work horse.  All of my favorite images from Regionals over the last three year came from that lens.  Those extra 100mm really just add so much punch and reach that I really think they create something special.

Josh Bridges at the 2016 California Regional - Sigma 120-300 2.8, Nikon D4. -- Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

At the Games, it's a different story though.  The soccer field at the Stubhub Center literally eats lenses.  70-200mm?  No way.  The starting point is 200 and that's only enough to get a wide shot. On the Nikon side the team had access to the following -- Nikon 200-400 f/4, Nikon 300 f2.8, Nikon 400 f/2.8, Nikon 600 f/4, and a Nikon 1.4x and 2x.

Let's talk some basics of shooting with monster lenses before I get into some of my experiences over the last few years.  First off, shooting with with lens around 300 and above, a monopod becomes a must.  These guys are heavy and the idea of handholding them may work for a shot or two, but not for any extended period of shooting.  Without a monopod, grabbing any sort of focus is basically impossible.  And longer lenses at 400 and above are basically impossible to operate without being staked into the ground.  Just because you're on a monopod though, the basic rules of composition don't change.  Simply standing there with a monster lens at eye level will get you just as boring images, even though it's much easier on the body to shoot that way.  I'll usually work to have the mono as close to the ground as possible, or at the lowest part of the guardrail that wraps the stadium.  From there I'll shoot taking a knee on the ground to help keep the camera that much more stable.  When that starts getting boring, I like to get rid of the mono and just shoot from the ground in the prone position.  While certainly a crapshoot, images from this angle in a huge stadium all the way zoomed can really came out incredible.  Anytime in an image when you can make that stadium look huge (and crowded) wrapping around the subject really creates a better story and more impact.  Shooting from the ground up angle is always a surefire way to make an athlete look huge and their accomplishments that much more impressive.

Shooting with the Nikon 200-400 during the "climbing worm" WOD at the 2016 CrossFit Games

With these sorts of extreme focal lengths too, another challenge is amputations.  When you're framing up a shot, it is easier than ever to cut off a limb / hand / foot.  You have to take that much extra care to either make sure you frame things in such a way that you don't cut off anything, or if you have to, you do it strategically that aesthetically works.

Shooting during big field events like those at the CrossFit Games you're not allowed to simply walk wherever you want.  You're required to stay off the sidelines and around the perimeter.  Because of that, you're not always able to be exactly where you want to nail the shot.  You also have to deal with myriad video guys, judges, and other staff on the field constantly walking across, or blocking your frame.  That's simply the name of the game though.  I'd love to fill my feed with the number of judges backs and videographer photos I've taken, when I thought I was about to nail the perfect shot.  These sorts of restrictions though force you to always consider what type of lens you're going to bring out to shoot - fast moving events, zooms are usually easier.  Slower events, primes can workout great.  Action close to you?  Maybe more standard lenses in the 24-200 range will work out better.

In terms of settings, you're generally dealing with extremely bright daylight filtering into the stadium during the middle of the day.  In the morning and afternoon there is a horrific split light between the rising/setting sun and shade which makes for some really tough exposures.  While many shooters prefer aperture priority during an outdoor shoot like this, I always prefer manual.  My issue with shooting in Aperture priority is that the camera's computer can easily be fooled by extreme differences in exposure.  What do I mean?  Say you're shooting straight on at an athlete coming towards you.  You're lying on the ground.  Those first couple frames just have the stadium behind the subject, the image comes out great.  As the subject gets closer the angle gets more extreme and that super bright sky is now half the background.  Depending on what metering setting you have your camera on, you may get an extremely underexposed image as the camera's meter focuses too much on the sky and not enough on the subject.  Yes, there are different metering techniques to compensate for this and you could also always use exposure compensation.  But now there are two extra steps you have to take and you may still get an exposure off.  For me, I'd rather take a few tests shots and get a good baseline.  From there, I'll slowly adjust my shutter speed up or down to compensate for changes in the ambient light while keeping my subject exposed well.  While this technique may lead to a series of images that are a little overexposed or underexposed, you're not going to get extremes unless the lighting radically changes and you simply forget to compensate.

I rarely shoot at ISO 100.  I'd much prefer to sit around 400-800 because I can then have a super fast shutter speed -- generally 1/1000th as a baseline.  Remember, these larger lenses are usually f/4 so you're loosing a lot of light from the normally quick f 2.8 lenses.  With the amazing camera bodies out there now, you can easily shoot all the way up to ISO 1600 before you even notice the slightest flicker of noise.

The full collection of Nikon gear at the 2016 CrossFit Games

My first year at the Games in 2014, and really inexperienced at shooting in such large fields, I gravitated towards the 200-400 f/4.  Even though it's an f/4 lens, shooting outdoors during the day means that basically doesn't matter.  You're able to use that ISO range from 100-1000 to maintain fast shutter speeds and 0 noise. I like the flexibility a zoom provides and it feels much more similar to shooting with a 70-200 in a regular field.  It's crazy though shooting with lenses in this range.  At 400mm you're able to get so close and tight to the action in the lanes closer to your sideline that you're able to get a view almost no one else can.  Regardless of what the internet says, I think 2014 was the hottest year in my time at the Stubhub Center.  The added joy of working with these huge lenses in big events is you have to lug them for our media office - two plus stories up in the press box - and get them back and forth to the field.  Add in some 100 degree sun and 20 minute heats, and you get the idea.  I can't go on enough though about how amazing the volunteer squad that we have was (and continues to be).  All with a smile, they would gladly carry the heaviest gear, run for water and snacks, sprint memory cards up and down flights of stairs, and just be otherwise awesome.  Without them, handling this gear all day would be a real struggle.

2014 CrossFit Games - I take naps whenever possible.  Always trying to keep the batteries on full.  Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved Photo by Tai Randall

Working with a larger team requires you to operate much more differently than you would if you were the sole shooter for the event.  We received assignments from our manager, putting us on different sides of the field and required to cover the action from there.  Some events aren't overly conducive to the money shots from some sides, but even from the worst shooting position, you're still able to occasionally capture a really unique moment.  And really, you're only given this opportunity because you can count on the other shooters in their positions nailing their shots.  This does a lot of things for you though.  You're able to sit back and really compose your images.  You don't need to take 1000 photos of the back of athletes heads if they're moving away from you.  You have the time to get the right lens and work to get a unique shot that you wouldn't be able to do if you were required to cover the entire event yourself.

In 2015, I was much more comfortable working with the larger zoom lens so wanted to try my hand at some of the more exotic glass the team had, the big primes and also teles.  While I absolutely love shooting with primes in the gym environment - the Sigma 35 1.4 to be specific - I find the big primes extremely restrictive and challenging in big field sports.  The first issue working with them is they are gigantic and heavy.  A monopod is a must, be on top of that they simply suck to lug around.  Beyond that, their handling requires the fine touch of a steady hand.  The slightest shakes back and forth or side to side can knock a perfectly level shot off, or knock a well composed frame into dutch angle hell.  The most obvious challenge of primes though is that they aren't zooms.  Once you plop that monopod in the ground, that's your position.  Assuming you picked the perfect spot at that moment, the athletes will inevitably be moving closer or farther from you, requiring you to shift positions as you track the action.  

Shooting with the Nikon 600 F/4 at the 2016 CrossFit Games, image credit Jason Morrison (@dubtastic)

When I shoot, I want to do the best I can to fill the frame in the camera and leave as little cropping as possible for post.  Filling the frame in camera creates the largest possible useable file and the easiest to edit.  Further, you're going to get the best possible bokeh, whereas if you crop into the image, you're not going to get any additional quality in those out of focus areas.  Especially when working with editors that might not see what you're seeing, you want to leave as little to the imagination as possible.  Nailing the shot in camera is that much more important.  With a prime in the Soccer Stadium though, setup on the sidelines, you might only really be able to fill the frame with one or two lanes of athletes, limiting your section for that perfect shot.  Because of that, you're constantly needing to reset your position as the action develops, or worse, sit idle as you watch as those critical moments are happening either too close or too far from your position.

Now that's not to say primes are all bad - or bad at all.  When you set yourself in the perfect position, and the action develops just right, the moments you can capture with a prime are stunning.  The sharpness and bokeh are incredible, and simply can't be reproduced with a zoom lens.  It requires a lot of patience and a bit of luck, and you can nail some killer shots.  Me though?  Not so much.  I struggled working with primes in the fast moving action on the soccer field.  Looking back through my images, I found my hit rate much lower when working with primes, and even some really good shots, needed a lot of cropping in post to get the look I wanted.  Again, when you're shots are being sorted and edited on the fly, shots that aren't quite right like that get passed by in place of better composed images.

Katrin Davidsdottir - 2016 CrossFit Games during the Snail WOD - Nikon 600 F/4 - Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

Another experiment in 2015 was working with teleconvertors to try and get a reach that isn't attainable with lenses even like the 400mm.  The common caution against using teleconvertors is that they "soften" the image, and in my experience I think that is partially true.  The first example I can think of was during the team event that included a series of rope climbs in the middle of the massive Zeus rig.  I was down in the endzone and wanted something that could reach all the way into the rig.  So I created what I affectionally called the "hubble" -- the 600 f/4 with a 1.4x tele, effectively making it a 840mm lens.  While the reach I got was nuts, and the background compression was incredible, a close review of the images after the fact revealed many of the shots I thought I "nailed" were actually soft and the sharp focus was just not there.  I'm not saying the teles were the cause of that, I think it was a lot more operator error than anything else, but it certainly cautioned me from falling for the desire for that extra reach the next year.  I had a similar experience working with the 1.4x on the 200-400.  While that extra reach was great, I really found it that much harder to get that tact sharp focus in my images.

Pondering tacos with the Nikon 200-400.  Photo Cred CrossFit Inc, Colleen Baz

Starting in 2015, we also worked to get our edits even faster with the introduction of a private wifi network on the field, and all cameras transmitting small jpeg images over that network direct to the editors.  When it worked, it was crazy to take what you think was a killer photo in the heat of a WOD, and a few minutes later notice on facebook or instagram, it was already edited on and online.

For 2016, we had a similar quiver of equipment and after reviewing my work from the previous years - what got good results and what didn't - I had a different gameplan.  For the soccer stadium, I went back to the basics and stuck to the gear I knew worked for me and the way I shoot.  I balanced using the 200-400 in the soccer field with just a sprinkling of the 400 and 600 during some of the slower events where I had more time to plan and compose shots.  

Katrin Davidsdottir and Tia-Clair Toomey at the 2016 CrossFit Games, Nikon 70-200, Nikon D4s -- Copyright CrossFit Inc, 2016, all rights reserved

Something I never really used much in previous years was my old standby, the Nikon 70-200.  Because of the ease of handling this "small" lens, it was much quicker to get down on the ground and take some shots from the prone positions, especially on the fast and dramatic turn of the suicide sprint WOD.  Ironically, the first mainsite image I got during the 2016 CrossFit Games, was taken with the 70-200 in the soccer field, not one of the $7000 prime lenses.

 Regardless of the venue, the most important thing to me is getting right in the action.  Sometimes you can do that with gigantic lenses, other times you just need to still be physically close to where the action is going to be, and hope everything lines up just right.  My take aways from working with these big lenses is that a monopod quickly becomes your best friend, and good planning is important.  On paper a 400 f2.8 might be the most magical lens ever, but if you find yourself assigned to a position where that can't catch that action, it's worthless.  Point being that you want to go into a shoot - any shoot really - knowing where you're going to be and what's the best tool to help get the shot.  For me, it is tough to beat the versatility of zooms like the Nikon 200-400 f/4 for shooting big field sports like this.  From one position you're able to cover multiple lanes of action, and within a single lane, on one athlete you can get multiple looks depending on how much you zoom.

Stay tuned for part 2 where I take things into the Tennis Stadium where I go over a whole different slew of challenges.

When given the opportunity to take a break, a nap is always crucial

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

How to Make Video Edits that Don't Suck (PhotoFit #12)

More and more, photographers on the job are asked by clients "oh can you also do a quick video?"  And more and more, photographers are branching out into video and saying, "yes."  As someone who has made that same move, I'd love to spell out a few tips to help make quick video edits that don't suck, coming from someone that has made every conceivable error.  I'm going to talk more about broad concepts and ideas here as opposed to settings and nitty gritty video editing.  If you're looking for tips on that too, please comment below and I'll get to it!

For a quick start on on shooting DSLR video, please refer to this PhotoFit post

Story

The single most important part of a shooting a video edit that doesn't suck is this: you have to tell a story.  If you remember nothing else, when you shoot a video, it always needs to tell a story, no matter how long or how short. Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, so use that to help plan what you're trying to shoot. That is far more important than camera settings, technical skill, or equipment.  Once you have an idea of what your story is, you can move on.  Because a video is a story, plan what you're trying to do, and then what types of shots you will need to tell that story.  Don't just point a camera and hope something will develop.  Certainly, as a shoot continues or in the edit process, you may change what your vision is, but going into a shoot without a direction will almost always lead to a disaster.

Basic Setup

You need a camera and a way to capture audio, whether that is the on-board microphone or something added on.  You also need some way to stabilize your camera, whether that's your hand or something fancier.  With video, lighting is even more crucial, try to have your subject lit by natural light, whether parking them next to a window or an open garage door, or you can get fancy adding lights.  

Camera settings essentials: pick a frame rate (it's pretty standard to shoot at 23.9 for a "film" feel), and set a shutter speed that is double that frame rate (this can't be changed).  Example: setting a 23.9 shutter speed means you lock in a 1/50th of a second shutter speed.  These two settings go hand and hand, and can't be changed without changing the other.  The rest of your exposure works just like in a photo so set accordingly.  White balance matters more in video because it can't easily be changed in post.  Make sure to preset a white balance based on your scene so it doesn't "shift" as the shoot develops if you leave it in auto.

Focus.  Like in photo, your shots need to be in focus.  One of the fun parts of video though, is your subject does not have to be in focus at all times during a particular clip.  Generally, as long as your subject comes in focus during some point of your clip, the shot will "make sense" to the viewer.  This can be used to great artistic extremes, but for your general video work, you want to make sure your shots are actually in focus most of the time.  To help facilitate that, shooting at apertures between f5.6 and f8.0 increase your depth of field, and make the job of focus much easier on fast moving subjects.

I'll include this in your "setup" as well, how long do you plan your edit to be?  Generally, shorter is always better.  Long videos get skipped, if you can get your point across in 15-30 seconds, you likely have a more compelling video that people will actually watch.  Knowing how long the end result will be will also help you know how much you need to shoot and what the critical shots are going to have to be.

Shot List

So you have a story and your gear is setup: onto your shot list.  When you take a photo you have to compose the shot and then everything is captured within it to tell the story in one frame.  With video though, you need to tell the story by compiling different types of shots - whether tight/medium/wide, and through motion.

Whether you use them in the final product or not, it is essential to include the three main camera shots: wides to establish the scene and orient the viewer about the space and what's going on.  Mediums to bring the camera closer to the subject and connect better, and finally tight shots to highlight details and critical moments.

Motion is a huge subject in videography and I'm just briefly going to touch on what I think works and what to avoid.  Generally, don't move your camera during a shot.  Let the subject move through the frame, but leave the camera locked in a position.  Using that as a guiding principal though, motion can then be introduced to add to the story.  Motion in practice looks like a few different thing, pans, tilts, zooms, and different types of slides.  All of these movements should be done in such a way that they are adding to the story you are trying to tell.  Just like in the balancing of shot selection between wide/medium/tight, one should also be careful to make sure there is a mix between stationary shots, as well as motion shots, while mixing different motions.  A really easy way to see these concepts in practice is to watch literally any movie.  You're going to see this mix - the camera stationary, the camera moving, close-ups, wide shots to establish, details.  

  Let's really get into one of the only technical areas I think every photographer turned videographer needs to read, and needs to read over and over: stabilization.  When you shoot video, you have to stabilize your camera or you will almost always have the "blair witch" look to your shots.  Every slight vibration and twitch are amplified ten-fold and your shots look amateur when you simply point and handhold your camera.  I'll go through different ways to stabilize your camera and pros/cons of each.

Handheld:  Should only be done in an emergency.  Shots will generally be very shaky and tough to use.  Ways to mitigate this are to first lean against something, or better, prop the camera on a sturdy surface and then don't move.  

Shoulder Rig:  A shoulder rig is a series of components that will have the camera on a base plate, some rails, and then either resting on your shoulder or against your shoulder to help stabilize the camera.   Shoulder rigs allow for "run and gun" style shoots where you need to move often to setup for different shots and include a lot of flexibility.  They help in reducing shake in dslr shooting, but I've found them to be more trouble than they are worth.  They are usually costly and often impact the composition of the shots you're trying to create because of the position of the rig on your body.  Further, because the rig is only as stable as your body, vibration and shake can very easily creep in still.

Monopod:  I think the video monopod is probably the best go-to for dslr video shooting.  They are cheapish and can help achieve almost every shot you're going to be looking for, including some basic camera movements.  By planting the camera on top of the monopod and then composing your shot, all shake and wobble is gone from your clips.  They are also small and light and can easily be repositioned to change height and angle of shots.  The only real drawbacks is more complicated moves like slides and zooms aren't possible.

Tripod:  Like a monopod, this is the gold standard for stable camera shots.  More sturdy than a monopod, a tripod will produce even smoother, cleaner shots, but it comes at the expense of greater setup time, and less flexibility.  Other than your tilts and pans, camera movements aren't feasible with this setup.

Gimbals:  Now we're getting fancy, and into the "hot" video tool of the times now.  Gimbals are devices, whether motorized or just using a balance system, designed to keep a camera stable while the rig moves.  Examples include the Movi, Ronin, Osmos, and Glidecam.  Ranging from very expensive to cheap, these all work on the same principals to "float" the camera to create amazingly smooth and stable camera motion.  The majority of videographers in the CrossFit space now work to some degree with these rigs because they allow for the shooter to help keep up with the dynamic movements of the sport.  I've worked extensively with a Ronin and have found it indispensable. 

There are several drawbacks to working with gimbals.  First, because they require two hands to operate, focus can't easily be changed on the fly.  As a subject moves, they can easily go out of focus, and unless you're using an extremely expensive gimbal setup, you cannot change focus during the shot to track the subject.  Because of that, more narrow apertures with wider depth of field are used (like f8).  That's great for making sure your subject is in focus, but now more and more of your background is in focus, sometimes creating more boring shots.  Another drawback, and this is commonly a mistake of the operator and not the rig itself, is that shots pulled from this setup are always in motion.  Yes, this is one of the best devices for stabilizing camera motion, but that does not mean every shot with it is required to include a pan/slide/zoom.  Like any tool it should be used in moderation to have the greatest impact.  And, while not technically a drawback, these rigs are usually heavy and complicated to setup.  While not a dealbreaker by any means, other than the Osmos - which is little more than a stabilized camera phone - these rigs require preproduction to work with and can sometimes limit flexibility in some surprising ways.

A few of your stabilizer options

Audio

One of the biggest places the photographer turned videographer struggle is in the audio.  Photos don't have sound, videos do, so this is a totally new world for the photographer.  Audio can be as important if not more important than the footage itself.  During your planning phase you should have an idea of what sort of audio you're looking to capture.  Is this a piece about an athlete?  Should there be an interview with them and will that be the main focus meaning you'll need to mic the athlete.  Is this a highlight reel from a competition so you just need some exciting music?  Will you use the ambient sound from the gym environment like the barbells crashing and the athletes communicating: meaning you'll need to have a mic on your camera.

The number one pitfall photographers, well basically everyone, makes in their video edits that they use unlicensed music in video edits.  You simply can't do this.  If you are a professional, meaning you are making this for money, or are making this to promote your business in any way, you must have a commercial use license to use music created by anyone other than you.  I've heard over and over this idea that there is a "fair use" exemption or if you keep the music under a certain length that you somehow have the right to use it.  That is simply not true.  Beyond stealing another artist's property, you open up yourself and your client to massive liability that can result with you being on the hook for a lots of money.  To be clear, if you want to use music - any music - in your video edits you must have the rights to do so. I use subscription services to provide my stock content because I pay once and have access to a huge library, but for better quality music you will have to buy it per track and per project.  

Without getting into the real specifics of how to mic different sorts of sounds, audio settings, and whatnot, I'll again focus on broad ideas.  When recording sound, you want it to be as clean as possible.  Just like getting the clutter out of a background in a photo, you want to do as much as you can to remove the "clutter" in your sound landscape.  In the gym, that's going to mean **gasp** turning off the music.  Yes, people get grumpy when you do that, but it will make for cleaner better audio in the end.  And look at things like fans and loud refrigerators, they can add a lot of low noise in the background that can be very difficult to edit out in post.  And think about easy fixes too, closing doors and windows can do wonders for giving you a cleaner sound.

Assembling Your Edit

So you've done your shoot, you've got your clips and you're ready to edit.  What now?  First off I want to review everything I've shot and select out of each clip what the best parts are and cut them into a timeline to start sorting.  From there I want to start assembling these clips in an order to tell the story I want.  Once I have a rough order from beginning to end of my clips and I can start thinking about fine tuning that edit - meaning sliding shots around or shortening/lengthening clips to make them flow into each other better.  Now is a great time to make sure your shots have some variety between wide/medium/tight as well as motion.

Usually at this point I like to start thinking about audio.  If I'm going to just run a highlight style video, I'm going to lower, if not mute, the audio in all the video and then drop the music clip I have into another audio track.  From there I want to go back and line up some of the cuts between clips to the beat of the song so the video/audio appear to be connected better.  I may also want to start adding back the audio from some of the clips if there are some good yells, grunts, barbell clanks, or ambient gym noises.  That helps keep that connection between what the viewer sees and hears.  Once you have a basic audio layout, it is so important to go back and play through and make sure everything works well together and the audio levels from clip to clip are consistent.

One of the last things I'm going to do is go through and color grade the look of the video, whether in the individual clips or across the whole edit.  Color grading is basically photo editing for video.  Each program has its own way of doing this but what you'll see very quickly is that working with video is much more restrictive than editing RAW photos.  You are going to be able to tweak exposure and color less so it is that much more critical to get things right in the camera while you shoot.  The grading process helps balance shots from clip to clip and keeps a continuous look through your whole edit.

Edits in Action

To try and demonstrate this, here's a quick edit I put together for PerformanceCarerRX.com.  Because this was a really quick last minute shoot I actually handheld the camera.  To help stabilize though, I have the camera leaning on the ground, or braced against my body.  To watch through the edit, I start off with a series of tight shots, and then move to a wide establishing shot showing Rob doing the snatch.  From there, I move to a medium shot and then back through a wide shot showing the entire movement.  Finally I finish off the story with the weight hitting the ground - and included ambient audio of that as well - to help punctuate the end of the lift and the story.  It is nothing fancy, but it goes through a variety of shots to help tell a very simple story - Rob snatching a heavy dumbbell.  The product is reinforced through some text banners added in.  Yes, with more time and production there are a lot of things that could be done better.  First off, the handheld clips would be shot on a monopod on ronin to stabilize them either eliminate camera movement, or smooth the movement that is there.  Beyond that I'm happy with the result, and the client was too.

And for the nerds, a quick look at the timeline for that edit.

Quick review.  To help make sure your video edit doesn't suck, start with a story.  Make sure that edit tells a story.  From there, include a variety of different types of shots as well as basic smooth camera motions.  From there, include audio that helps support that story.  Keep your edits short and concise so that they stay on topic and are easily consumable by the viewer.

So get shooting and edit up some masterpieces.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Prime Lenses for Lowlight Elite Fitness Photography (PhotoFit #11)

Read the previous #photofit columns here

Shooting in any kind of gym environment - from CrossFit to MMA - you're normally stuck in dimly lit, dark boxes that have lackluster windows and worse fluorescent lighting.  At a certain point, unless you're going to add lights (we'll talk about that later), you can't push your ISO anymore or slow your shutter further.  There is simply no way to get a bright enough exposure with standard zoom lens, lenses that for the most part can't shoot faster than f2.8.  The only place to go from there is Prime.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, F1.8, ISO 3200

Just as a refresher on the exposure triangle, you control light with three settings - shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.  To generally get "sharp" photos of action, you're going to need to shoot around 1/500th of a second.  So in a dark setting, you're going to shoot wide open - as close to f2.8 as your lens allows - and then start cranking up your ISO as high as your camera allows.  If all these parameters are maxed out and you still have an underexposed image, there's not much you can do with your current setup.  That's where prime lenses come in.  A prime lens does not zoom, but the trade-off is your aperture can open wider than f2.8 - usually f1.8 on cheaper primes and f1.4 on more expensive variants.  Because of this, you now have another option to get the right exposure - going from f2.8 to wider apertures - f2.2, f2.0, f1.8, f1.6, and f1.4 - and letting more light in.  Each of these allow more light into the camera, hopefully getting you close to that perfect exposure.

Jared Stevens, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

Working with Primes

Handling prime lenses adds a couple of challenges, namely getting your shots in focus, and understanding how to zoom with your feet.  

Focus:  As you go to wider apertures, the plane of focus gets more and more narrow as you get that increase in light.  What that means in practice is if at f2.8 you focus on an athletes chest, his eyes/face will still be in focus.  At f1.4, if you focus on the exact same point, you will very likely get a tack sharp chest, but an eyeball that is completely out of focus.  And to be clear, if the eye is not in focus on the subject, the image is out of focus and useless.  Don't give me this "artsy/focusish" crap.  If your subjects eyeballs are out of focus, the shot isn't really useable.  So you've solved your first problem, the exposure is now right because you're letting in more light, but now your focus sucks.

There are a lot of ways to deal with this.  First off, just because your fancy prime lens goes to f1/4 doesn't mean you should actually shoot at that.  There are a lot of stops between that and f 2.8, and even shooting at f1.6 or f1.8 will give you a great deal more light, but still give you some wiggle room in your focus.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

Secondly, I can't emphasize how important back button focus is when working with primes.  (If you have no idea what that is, follow the link here).  To nail focus I want to make sure that focus point is locked onto the subject's head.  Again, because I'm all fancy and using my back button to grab focus, if the movement is say a snatch or a clean, during the setup I'm going to grab focus, and then during the lift I'm not going to refocus as long as the lifter doesn't move closer or farther away from me.  If I used an "autofocus" mode and held down the focus the whole time, what would likely happen is the focus would grab onto the chest/bar/shoulder of the athlete and because of depth of field is so shallow, the end result image will be out of focus.  Sticking with a back button technique and pre-focusing on where my subject will be should lead to more in-focus images at the end of the day.

Zoom/Composition: The other big challenge when working with a Prime is that you no longer have the ability to zoom in or out.  But really, you still have that ability, it is just with your feet.  So clearly a limitation exists when using primes at events.  During big competition style events, you're not going to be able to go anywhere you want or zoom with your feet as close as you may need.  That would then mean in the largest event settings you need to know where you will be and where your action will be and bring the appropriate lens.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/250th, f1.8, ISO 800

In most applications though, you're going to be able to go wherever you need and that's where primes like a 35mm or 50mm will really shine.  Again, because you can't zoom, you need to anticipate how an athlete will move through the frame while you're taking the shot.  If you frame up the shot perfectly during the setup to a lift, the lifter will very likely have their head or feet cutoff if you keep shooting without reframing.  Because of that, I want to think about what shot I am really looking for, because I very likely can't do both during the same lift.  As a rule of thumb, give yourself a little breathing room in your frame so that you don't cut any limbs off and then crop in post.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/640th, f1.8, ISO 2500

So after all that it may seem like more challenges than it's worth, but primes have a lot of benefits beyond just letting more light in.  Primes are incredibly sharp.  Across the board, nearly all primes are sharper than a comparable zoom lens like a 24-70 f2.8.  When you nail focus with a prime, the image quality is truly remarkable when compared to their zoom counterparts.

Now the magic really lives in the bokeh (out of focus areas).  As that depth of field gets shallower, the out of focus areas turn into mush and help draw the eye into the subject.  If you go wild and shoot at f1.4, you will get some really unique results when you nail focus.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/640th, f1.8, ISO 2500

My Setup

My go-to lens for most shoots is a prime actually, the Sigma 35 1.4 art series  I find that the 35mm is perfect for most situations to capture subjects head to toe, while still allowing me to get tighter if I just take a couple steps forward.  Even in relatively dark gyms, I'll shoot at ISO 1600, 1/500th, f1.8.  This starting point allows me plenty of leeway to crank up the ISO if I need to.  Only once my ISO is maxed out around 6400-8000, will I move to f1.6 or f1.4.  Only in the most desire situations will I play around at those super wide apertures.  Unless you have a lot of time to setup and a lot of chances to nail the shot, those apertures are extremely difficult to work with on run and gun scenarios.  My thought process would have me moving my ISO up several stops before I consider going to those super wide open apertures.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

I've also been having so much fun with this setup over the last two years that I picked up the Sigma 50mm 1.4 art lens recently.  I've really enjoyed the results and the different focal length coming from shooting with a 35mm so much.  I think for most CrossFit-style shoots in the gyms, the 50mm is a little more restrictive and leads to a few more amputations than I like.  But, when everything lines up right, the results are fantastic.

And primes don't have to be expensive.  Nikon and Canon both make a 50mm 1.8 that you can pick up used for around $100.  I've used my Nikon 50mm f1.8 for years in professional work and no one has ever asked me, or realized that the lens is in the bargain bin at most stores.  If you have the cash though, I can't praise the Sigma art series enough.  There 35 has been a backbone of my camera bag for over two years, and the 50 has quickly found a place in my regular rotation of lenses.  They are also about half the cost of their Nikon/Canon equivalents, while also delivering better or comparable results in head to head testing.

Brooke Wells, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

So there you have it, the secret to shooting in extremely dark rooms:  prime lenses.  They come with a few challenges, but as long as you understand how to work around that, you can go from a shoot that would be a disaster to one that you can deliver great results.  

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Kaitlyn Fitzgerald, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

Keith Van Wickler, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f2.0, ISO 3200

Rob Moloney, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

How to Develop RAW Fitness Photos (PhotoFit #10)

This post has been sitting in my drafts for about two years, and I'm finally getting around to finishing it! I'm going to talk about the basics of post processing that I use and have worked well for me.  Before I go any further, this will be entirely focused on Adobe Lightroom, which is both cheap ($10 a month through the creative cloud or around $100 standalone) and an unbelievably powerful tool to any photographer.

Step 1 of my post processing guide, and this is a step you have to take before you ingest your images to the computer: Shoot RAW.  I won't really get into a long discussion about the long-standing argument about shooting RAW vs JPEG, but just accept that RAW wins.  RAW is basically the ingredients to the cake, but not the cake.  It is everything you need for a perfect image, but the image isn't done yet.  Taking that further what that really means is that you control the final look of the image and nothing is baked into the file by the computer in the camera.  The most obvious place this impacts is white balance, and if you've ever shot inside a decrepit warehouse gym, you understand how easily white balance is thrown off by bad lighting.  If you shoot JPEG, white balance is determined by the camera, and while it can be altered in post, it cannot be corrected the same way as RAW.  RAW files influence the final image in a number of other ways, but all you need to know is this is the largest, cleanest, most untouched file your camera can produce.  This should be your starting point for an edit, not a compressed JPEG that limits your options.

Dan Baxt at Active Life Athletics

So I'll go over a basic edit that I'll preform on an individual image basis and the usual order I'll go about.  (Note: I have basic presets that I've developed and will generally import with on of these active based on the image I'm ingesting -- my normal workflow will skip a number of these steps)

First things first, skip everything else and head down to Lens Correction.  I almost always use lens correction (except with fish eye lenses where I want the distortion) because it corrects a number of the issues you can experience with a wide range of lenses like distortion and vignetting.  

Next head to camera calibration.  I'll usually select "camera standard" which will give a fairly good starting point to how the image looked on the back of your camera.  As a note, you'll find these panels towards the bottom of the develop module.  If you're starting your edit from scratch, I want both of these changed first because they will impact the coloring and exposure of the image slightly across the entire shot.

Cropping:  I can't overstate how crucial this phase is.  Because of the way focus systems work, you may not be able to frame a photo perfectly, and get it tact sharp, because of that framing and composition could be off.  After those previous basic adjustments are made, the crop is whats going to nail the composition of the image.  I won't go nuts about composition here, but before you edit your image, it should be cropped as well as straightened.  A crooked photo is not interesting, it's crooked.  Any shot that has a horizon line or a straight vertical beam in it needs to have that line straight in the final image.  Very very minor tweaks add huge value in "finishing" the image.

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Paige Miller, Long Beach, New York

Next up the two most critical steps: White Balance and Exposure.

White Balance adjustments help correct for all the issues that can happen when the camera misinterprets what the actual color of a scene was, or you can adjust to get the image more in line with how you want it to look (realistic vs. creative).  To correct this, I'll hit the eye dropper and then sample an area of white/grey in the image.  That will usually get the WB close, and will then just need a minor adjustment on the temperature slider.

Now exposure is other huge global adjustment that radically impacts the image.  This is where you're correcting for the brightness/darkness of the image.  Especially in dark indoor locations, you can really save an image here.  The exposure slider must be used with caution and not as a primary way of getting the image properly exposed.   As exposure is added to an image, more and more noise is introduced (a common theme in editing). As a rule of thumb you don't ever want to adjust this slider more than 1 full stop (between -1.0 to +1.0).  Especially using cheaper camera bodies, pushing much more than this will not save your image, but make it really look worse.

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Random hero, Flex on the Mall 2016

Next up, contrast.  I like a strong contrasty image.  I've never found a reason to go below 0, and I'll usually land around +25.  Contrast can also be adjusted in the tone curve section by adjusting the point curve to medium contrast or strong contrast.  Play around and see what method works for your look.  You'll notice the harder you adjust contrast though how the color and exposure of the image will be altered as well, so you may have to go back and get tweaking.

Highlights and shadows -- the bright parts and dark parts of your image.  When I first started, it seemed to make sense to put the highlights to -100 and the shadows to +100.  That was really just because I had no idea what I was doing and I thought it looked neat.  It doesn't.  Like anything else, use adjustments with moderation.  But some examples when to make big changes with these sliders: extreme dynamic range.  Let's say you shoot on the beach.  It is very tough to get the subject, as well as the sky properly exposed in the same image.  In this case, I would under expose my subject so I could still get something like a blue sky, and then bring the shadows up in the edit.  Normally in a gym environment, I want to bring down the highlights a bit to get a better skin tone, and pull up the shadows slightly.  

Whites/blacks -- again, these should be tweaked with caution.  I like a strong, contrasty image, so I generally increase the whites, decrease the blacks, that helps put more "punch" in the shot.  The "professional" way of doing this right has you holding the option key and sliding the whites until a white outline begins to develop, and doing the same thing with the blacks until a black shadows starts to fill in.  

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Katrin Davidsdottir, ECC 2016

Presence might be my favorite place to experiment because so much can be done in just a few little tweaks.  +100 clarity is the first thing any amateur photographer will do when they open up Lightroom.  It makes everyone look like they are cut out of stone and have huge muscles -- the "300 effect".  The more you get comfortable working and editing your images, you'll realize, moderation is again key.  Clarity can add a lot of structure to an image, but it will also make everything look extremely post-processed and not real.  I think for a fitness scene - +30 is "moderate."  Vibrance and saturation deal strictly with the color of the image.  When you hear about "desaturating" an image, that's where this work is done.  Tweaking a combination of the vibrance/saturation sliders will pull color out of an image and add a fade.  Cranking these sliders too far the other way will make the colors cartoonish.  Again, you're shooting RAW so for a standard edit, I'm going to bring up my vibrance to around +10 to get some color back in the image, and the saturation anywhere between 5-10.

Let's go all the way down now to "detail" and specifically "noise reduction".  Noise reduction is a huge debate in digital photography.  Noise reduction is going to pull out all that digital grain that develops when a camera shoots at high ISO or an exposure was wrong and you've heavily corrected it with the exposure sliders.  For the most part, I would stay away from ever using noise reduction more than a +10.  Reason being is that as that slider's value increases, detail is lost and smoothed over in an effort to get rid of the digital static.  My advice would be to just try and nail the exposure in camera - even if that means shooting at a very high ISO instead of trying to "fix it" in post production.  Some purists insist on not ever using this slider, but I find it very useful, especially if you have a lot of blacks near the edges of a high ISO image.  A small tweak on this slider will help smooth out those edges without doing "damage" to the detail of the subject.

So that's my basic process that I go through in Lightroom.  Like I said, I have presets that I've built and use in most scenarios as a starting point, and then go through these steps to "finish" my image.  The combo of the RAW image and Lightroom are a powerful duo, but always remember to use those sliders with moderation.  A good image should stand on its own legs without having to have every slider adjusted "+100, -100."  Get editing and let me know how it works out.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

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Mary Cipriano, Strong is Beautiful 2016

Get up, Stand up - SuperClearyPhoto HQ Workstation (PhotoFit 10)

Back in the old days I worked awful desk jobs and my body payed the price for it: a terrible back and worse posture.  Like a lot of people, I got on the CrossFit bandwagon and really started looking at my overall fitness, and not just what I was doing in the gym.  Once SuperClearyPhoto took off and I could make a full time gig out of it, I found myself sitting for hours on end editing.  After a quick googling I saw the "rise" of stand up desks in the workplace and figured to give it a go considering my "office" was the corner of my apartment.

So I built stand-up desk version one.  All my pelican cases on top of a crappy Ikea desk.  This setup, honestly, worked great.  I very quickly got used to standing while I worked and found myself working more, and goofing around less.  But, everytime I was off for a shoot, I had to deliecatley dismantle my setup and put it back together when I was back.

Enter the Erector Desk (http://erectordesk.com/).  I searched for a few months to really find a cool stand up desk that was large enough to handle all my crap, but something that didn't have a bunch of costly extras.  It blew my mind that these desks were often over $1000.  There are a number of "hacks" and websites with plans on how to build your own (i.e. table from here, legs from there, etc) but even pricing those out were no bargain, and I'd have to actually figure out how to put it together.

I came across the Erector Desk and was really psyched with what I saw: slim industrial design, large surface area, and height adjustable without a motor.  The only thing that was lacking, for me, was storage.  I emailed back and forth with their sales staff and was able to upgrade and include an extra crossbar along the bottom.  That was the perfect solution for me, because now I could use that as a shelf for my cases, and various other large bulky camera gear.

I got the desk about two months ago now and have really dug it.  Buying something that is already pre-drilled and preset made assembly a breeze - probably 5 minutes in total with some hex wrenches.  Finding that perfect height is so important in a standing desk.  If the desk is set too low, you now will be looking down all day, creating a whole other set of problems.  The adjustability is easy here with a "pipe in a pipe" that connects to the table top.  Adjusting the collar around that pipe determines the height of the surface.  Leveling it wasn't overly complicated.  After of few days of moving it up and down I figured out something that worked just right for my height and have stuck with it there since.

I'm a huge fan of working at a stand-up desk.  I find myself more productive and focused on my tasks, while not wrecking my body slouching and contorting.  For the money and my particular needs, I think the Erector Desk is the best one on the market.  From build quality, assembly, work surface, and adjustability I really don't think it can be beat.  I've included a number of detail shots below so you can take a look at how it comes together.  Feel free to comment with any questions about working at a stand-up desk or this particular desk.

****Please note, I was not paid for this review, and bought this desk for its listed retail cost  You can find out more about this desk @ http://erectordesk.com/ ****

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

All Photo below taken with the Nikon D750, Nikon 60mm Macro

Each connection is locked in with these pipe clamps and a hex wrench.  All heights can be adjusted however you like.

The table top comes with the mounts already attached.  The desk's heigh is adjusted using these pipes and a hex wrench.  It can be adjusted with one person, but two is much easier.

The custom job they put together for me, including an extra crossbar so I could use that area as a shelf for heavy pelican cases.

I've never had a work surface with this much real estate before.  Plenty of space to leave out a Wacom tablet and some old cameras.

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A little present from @mrssupercleary for the office

The work surface material is a hearty wood with a nice sand on it.

Nikon D750 First Impressions (SuperCleary Reviews)

I get gear questions all the time so I figured why not just talk about what Im working with and what my impressions are.  

Over the last year I've moved more heavily into video so I've had a pressing need to get a more video-centric camera.  My D4 has great video, but it is my go-to photo camera.  My D600 is my old faithful back up, but its photo/video quality is starting to show its age.

Enter the Nikon D750.  It's been hailed to have the high-iso capability of the D4, mixed with an impressive suite of video options.  

Selling points for me:
- Full HD video at 60FPS -- slow motion video is clutch when shooting any sort of sizzle/highlight reel.  Most full frame DSLRs can only do 1080 at 30, or 720 at 60fps.  You can't upsize your video so if you hope to mix between regular speed and slowmo clips, the entire project has to be shot @ 720.  With the D750, full HD video is here.
- High-ISO performance without a $6000 price tag.  Because of the nature of where and how I have to shoot, high-iso is my starting point.  My D4 is a champ, but it comes with a steep price tag.  My D600, while adequate as a second body, definitely has it's limitations in the ISO4000+ range.  
- Batteries -- instead of being a royal PIA, Nikon stuck with the battery the D800/D700/D600 use, and I have a whole bunch.  Not a big deal on its own, but when traveling/packing and doing the hotel room thing, every charger you don't have to bring because everything works with the same system is huge.  It's one less wire you don't have to worry about forgetting.

So how did it handle on day 1?  I'll run through some impressions and samples.

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Photo Breakdown

All shots above: Nikon D750, Tamron 24-70 2.8, 1/500th, F2.8, ISO 8000 -- edited in Lightroom 5.

Shot in RAW, auto WB, continuous focus, D9.

Some quick shots during a group WOD at CrossFit Island Park (homebase).  We've got fairly even fluorescent lights (a huge improvement from our old lights), but no natural light.  The only camera I'll use in here is my D4, and usually I'll only shoot with a prime lens to get that extra light while limiting my ISO.  I wanted to go right up to 8000 to see how it went.  

I'm not a pixel-peeper.  As long as the eyes are sharp, I don't really care about noise or grain.  No noise reduction has been applied to these shots, and I can certainly see the noise in the corners but don't have any problem with it.  I would say these shots are on par with my D4 with the same lens setup, if not slightly better.  This will require a whole lot more shooting to really get into.  

One surprise though, the buffer is awesome.  With my D600, if I'm shooting a sequence with a few clicks over 3-5 seconds, I can feel the buffer starting to slow down.  This was extremely responsive though and I never hit a slowdown.

My only disappointment with the camera at this point is the shutter.  And I mean the sound.  The D4 has an extremely satisfying metallic click.  It almost has recoil to it like a bolt action rifle.  This guy, not so much.  It's quiet and soft with a plastic feel.  This has no barring on the performance of the camera, but is just something you notice.

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Video 

I didn't bring out the whole setup or spend too much time presetting things in the camera.  

Video settings
1080/60, shot @ 125th F4, Auto ISO (ranged between 1600-5000) Tamron 24-70 2.8
No stabilizers, rig, or tripod (sorry for the blair witch quality)
Audio though Rode Pro Mic, Set to Manual level 2
Edited in Premiere

After a quick edit I think the video looks noticeably better to the D600.  The 1080 is great and crisp.  I played around with auto iso (not something I've used before) and wasn't thrilled with the results because some of the clips came out underexposed.  In the future I'll just go back to good old manual.  The camera itself has the most robust suite of video settings and menus I've seen on a Nikon DSLR and it was nice to see these weren't an afterthought (how DSLR video is normally handled by them).  I also wasn't paying too much attention and left auto WB on, hence the lackluster color.  With that setting dialed in, I'm sure the video will be much more clean.

I'm looking forward to hooking this guy into the full rig with a monitor and stabilizer to really see crisp I can get the video.

After shooting with this guy with just one lens for about 30 minutes, I'm happy.  It looks to be doing what it claims to be able to do.  I'll put it to the real test this weekend shooting Open WOD 15.5 and get a better impression of how well this performs.  If you actually want a full review, let me know and I'll put it on the list!

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Lightning Fast Event Workflow (PhotoFit #9)

Read the previous #photofit columns here

One of the biggest questions I've been getting is "how do you get images out quickly."  So let's do a whole breakdown on the workflow I use to get an extremely fast turnaround from shot to delivery of images.

Above, my basic event workstation.  At the center, Macbook Pro.  For storage and live projects, a Lacie Thunderbolt drive.  For ingest I'll use a lexar CF/SD split reader.  At larger events, or if I have to manage multiple photographers, I'll switch and use the Lexar Pro Workflow hub where I can read from four different readers at the same time, and ingest to different locations.  On the right.... coffee... there's always coffee.  

You'll also notice to memory cards (I really put these in for show, but I always follow these rules).  On the left I'll place cards to be ingested.  I'll also always place a card that has info to be ingested face down.  That way, if things get shuffled around, there's a hiccup, or some sort of mixup and I find a random memory card, if it's facedown, I know it needs to still go through the reader.  On the right, I'll place cards that have been read.  I'll always place these cards face up.  If there's any possibility I'll have an assistant or helpers, I'll rip a piece of paper in half, place one on the left and one on the right with the words "in" and "out" on them.  That way if I say to someone to grab something or drop it off, there's no confusion.  This system seems simplistic but it is extremely useful, especially when you're tired.

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Software:  Photomechanic and Lightroom.  If you don't know what Photomechnaic is, just download it now and get it over with.  Best $75 you'll spend to speed up your process.  

What is PM?  Basically the fastest way to ingest images onto a computer, apply tags, keywords, and basic information, and then very rapidly select images for further editing or uploading.  It is not an editing program.

Workflow procedure
(before the event)
Open PM and set IPTC stationary for the event.  Here I set basic info like the keywords I want applied, where I am, the name of the event, copyright info, and the date.  Every ingest will get this basic info.

1.  After I take a whole bunch of photos, I'll get to the computer and put a card in.  My first step will be to open Photo Mechanic.  Once it recognizes the card (or if it doesn't I'll hit command+G) I'll go to the ingest prompt and select the card.  Here I'll decide whether I'm dropping everything into one big folder, or if I'm ingesting per heat/wod or some other identifier.

2.  Once the ingest begins, I can already start buzzing through the JPEG previews that PM generates.  The beauty of this program, is even if you don't shoot JPEG (and I don't), the program will steal the preview file that your camera creates to show you on the back of the camera and very quickly render that on the computer.  This allows you to buzz through hundreds of images, at full resolution and pick winners.  Fun bonus, I can start another import in another reader slot from another card at the same time.

3.  Sorting.  Photo Mechanic is not an ediitng program, it's an ingest and sorting program.  Because I can buzz through these full size files so quickly, I can ensure perfect focus and good exposure.  As I spot images I like, I'll tag them a "1" on the keyboard, basically just a pick that there was something I liked.  These 1-5 tags will carry over to stars in Lightroom, so I'm not just wasting my time.

4.  Once I've run through the ingest and selected my basic picks -- let's say I go from 100 to 10 images -- I'll do one more quick sweep and perhaps cut down to 6 images only by tagging the really good shots with a "2."

Ben Smith, Adam Klink - Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/1000th, F2.8, ISO 160

5.  I'll then take those "2" images, highlight them all, and drag them into Lightroom (literally by clicking, holding and then dropping on the Lightroom logo).  Once you do this, the Lightroom ingest prompt will come up.  I'm doing this now to apply my preset edit to the images and open up the full suite of editing options I want to finalize and publish my shots.  In that ingest prompt, I'll turn off metadata presets (I've already handled that with Photo Mechanic) and I'll just select the preset I want to apply.  I'll then click import.  Note, you're not ingesting another copy of the photo, you're just adding the photo to your Lightroom library.  Ingesting (getting the photo from the memory card to your computer) is handled much faster by Photo Mechanic, and Lightroom can't begin new imports if other imports have already begun (another key advantage to PM).

5A.  If your client (or yourself) just needs a quick edit burned off, you can hit command+s in PM and the save prompt will open.  If I'm working for a client, I'll often set a dropbox folder as the save to location folders so while the image saves, it immediately is going to a shared folder that the client will receive.  Conversely, I could also have this folder set to a dropbox folder that I use as a place holder for my instagram/facebook posts.  While PM won't edit your photos, you will get the JPEG preview of the image, not the flat RAW file.  If you've preset enough in your camera, that JPEG preview can be more than passable for a quick posts or upload.

6.  If we've continued with a Lightroom ingest it will take a few moments for it to identify the specific files you've selected out of the 100.  Once it grabs them, the ingest will go very quickly, and then LR will get to work applying the preset you've chosen.  

Scott Panchik - Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/500th, f2.8, ISO 8000

7.  From there, you're now just doing a quick Lightroom edit.  I'll go through crop first, then white balance, and then exposure and a few other tweaks.  Once I'm happy, I'll go to the export dialog, drop whatever watermark I'm using and burn them off.

8.  Drink coffee, get back to work.

While this might seem like a complicated process, in practice it goes extremely fast.  You can finish shooting an event and within 5 minutes already have photos online or off to your client.  The combo of PM and LR in this setup, to me, is unbeatable for speed and also delivering professionally edited content - not just snapshots.  This process works for me and might certainly not be for everyone.  Comment with what works for you and what doesn't.

Bonus points:  Let's say you have time and now you wan't to see the rest of your full take in LR.  Instead of having to tag everything, then drag it into LR there's a faster solution.  In LR, as long as one image from the folder has been added to the library, you can right click the folder and hit synchronize.  This will scan to see how many files were not ingested.  Once that scan is complete you'll then bring up the same ingest dialog and apply your presets.  This rendering will take awhile, but again, it's to be done once the pressure is off.  You don't have to worry about the long complicated ingest process anymore, and can just let LR do its thing and render down your RAW files.

Other Tips
- Never format cards onsite until your images are backed up onto a second location.  Always have more than enough memory cards.  Every now and then, something you think is ingested isn't.  You go back and realize you've already formatted that card because you were lazy and didn't want to grab another card.  Voila, you just deleted your precious content and don't have a backup.  Moral of the story, don't ever reformat cards onsite.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Emily Bridgers - Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/400, F2.8, ISO 800

KCECC 2015 - Shooting Indoor Events (PhotoFit #8)

Read the previous #photofit columns here

I had the great privilege of shooting for Kill Cliff at Ben Bergeron's East Coast Championship last month (actually two months now).  This event is the new high watermark to serve as a showcase for elite athletes.  It's not a 3-day slaughter fest.  It's not the CrossFit Games.  It almost feels more like CrossFit camp where high level athletes are brought under the same roof for a quick competition where the stakes and pressure are much lower than they are used to dealing with.  The end result?  An amazing event that allows the fans to watch the highest-level athletes do their thing.

All weekend I was teamed up with my good friend Chris Nolan (@metconphotos) so we split the event coverage as Kill Cliff had more than a dozen sponsored athletes on the floor.  I'll use this post as a jumping off point to discuss getting the perfect exposure at indoor competitions.

Lindsey Valenzuela Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200 2.8, f2.8, 1/500th, ISO 6400

During indoor events, arriving at a good exposure, quickly, is critical.  You want to be able to focus on the event and the action, and not constantly readjusting your settings.  Let's put together a run-down for how to go about setting an exposure fast, and accurately.

For indoor events, I will always shoot in full manual.  I will set my own shutter, aperture, and iso.  I'll keep white balance on auto.  For indoor events, I'm normally struggling to get enough light to get a good exposure.  As a baseline, I always want a shutter speed of 1/320 minimum, but would prefer 1/500.  So what's the process I go through to lock in my settings?

Ragnheiður Sara Sigmundsdottir - Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300, 1/1000th, f2.8, ISO5000

1.  Survey the room:  The first step is as simple as looking around and seeing what the room you're shooting in is made up of.  Are there windows?  That is the most critical element, because that will mean the best light will always come from that direction, and that light may increase or dim over the course of the day.  If there are windows, I'm always going to want to be mindful of shooting with those windows to my back and asking athletes to face towards the light to get the best possible results.  

If there are no windows, metering actually becomes much easier because the light does not change over the day.  Again, I want to survey and see where the lights are in the gym, how many there are, if they are all the same, and if their color is all the same.  You need to identify whether there are "dark spots" where the ceiling lights aren't even, if bulbs are out, or if there's a fairly even coverage of light.

Mat Fraser cleaning 375lbs (he missed the jerk) Nikon D4, NIkon 70-200, 1/1000th, f2.8, ISO 5000

2.  Take test shots in different positions:  Once I see what sort of light I'm dealing with, I'll guess a baseline exposure -- indoors I'll start at 1/500th, f2.8, ISO 3200.  I'll grab someone in a few different spots across the room and see how that exposure looks.  I'll use ISO first to adjust.  Obviously, if the image is too dark, I'll push up my ISO.  My usual workhorse is the Nikon D4, I won't think twice about moving to 6400 or 8000, but I'd really prefer not to shoot between 10,000-12,800.  There is a noticeable noise and dullness to the image that is introduced.  If I move my exposure up to ISO 6400/8000 and am still not seeing much of an improvement, I'll consider slowing my shutter a bit to maybe 1/320th.  What am I looking for when I say a "good exposure?" I want to see the subjects face lit to the point their eyes are clear.  I want some balance between the subject and the background, but I'm not overly concerned with how bright the background is.

Lauren Fisher: Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/500th, ISO 8000

3.  Using the in-camera meter:  (for this method, set your meter system to center-weighted).  Instead of just sort of "guessing" the base exposure or how to fine tune your settings, I can use the in-camera meter (those hashmarks inside the viewfinder that are usually blinking to the right or left of center.  Using a center weighted meter, the camera will tell me whether whatever the focus point is on is over or under exposed.  

4.    Test and chimp.  How are my shots coming out?  Thankfully, we don't have to go to the darkroom.  Cameras have this magical screen attached that we can refer to.  While I don't want to remain glued to my screen, I do want to use this as a tool to make sure that the baseline setting I've decided on are still delivering consistent results.  A major helper I'll use is highlights alert.  Inside your camera's playback/display settings you can enable "highlight alerts" which will create blinking area in any part of the image is that is blown out and won't be able to be saved in post.  Having that blinking alert on the screen is extremely helpful because I can know without extensively examining the screen that I need to dial back my exposure, just by seeing it blinking.

Rich Froning - Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300, 1/500th, F2.8, ISO 8000

5.  Shoot! Now, use those settings you've locked into the camera and shoot the event.  Remember what you learned when you surveyed the room -- are there dark spots?  Are there bright spots?  Instead of now having to worry about remetering and all that, I'll just know as I move into the darker part of the room to start compensating with ISO or shutter.

In practice:

The floor of the ECC was in the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston -- a large convention hall with even ceiling lights front to back, no windows.  All the lights were the same color and brightness.  Great, because that means wherever I'm shooting the exposure should be the same.

For the first event, I went out with my D4 and Sigma 120-300 2.8 (my favorite bigger event lens).  I started off the same way, f2.8, 1/500th, iso 3200.  After a shot, I could see that was much too dark so I went up to iso 6400.  I shot about a heat's worth, looked at the results during the break and then pushed up the ISO just a little more to 8000.  This gave me a solid exposure, while still maintaining a fast shutter speed that helps keeps details sharp.

Brooke Ence - Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/500th, F2.8, ISO 8000

Of course, good ol' Ben Bergeron likes to switch things up.  At the end of the speed clean and jerk workout, the remaining athletes came out to work up to a 1rm clean and jerk.  The lights came down, and just a spot hit the platform.  So, same procedure.  I shot a few frames over at the platform, even the background now went to black, I actually was able to dramatically drop my ISO from 8000 to about 3200.  Again, after the first few athletes lifted, I went through the same procedure, tinkering with my ISO to get the shot just right without blowing out the highlights.

Over the course of the weekend, the only real dark spot I found was when shooting by the rig.  Over there, I just made sure to slow down the shutter a bit to give me a little extra light, and then made sure to crank it back up when I returned to the middle of the floor.

So quick review.  Indoor events have their pros:  usually consistent lighting so you can lock in settings and then focus on the job.  The downside, usually the lighting is very poor and you'll need to pull out all the stops to get a sufficient shutter speed.  Go through the steps I've outlined above -- survey the room, take test images, dial it in with your meter, and then get shooting.  Make sure often review your results and adjust accordingly.

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Chris Spealler hitting a 405lb deadlift - Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300, ISO 8000

Barbell Business Shout Out

On this week's episode of Barbell Business - a weekly podcast that's become a do-it-yourself to growing a successful gym business - the gang focus on the importance of video marketing in a successful gym.  CTP - recovering pizza delivery guy, and filmer of Barbell Shrugged productions since day 1 was kind enough to plug the #photofit blog as a resource to learning the basics of CrossFit-centric photography.

The episode is a great listen if you're on the fence about hiring a professional photographer or videographer to help grow your gym, but even more importantly it empowers the gym owner in the myriad ways they can produce their own top-notch content.  Check it out!

Wodapalooza 2015 (How to shoot outdoor sports - PhotoFit #6)

The last few weeks I've been on the road so here come the recaps!

I had the privilege of heading down to Miami to shoot Wodapalooza 2015 for Progenex.  I know, tough gig.... Miami in January.  Quick setup - Wodapalooza (WZA for short) has become one of the largest functional fitness competitions and festivals in the world.  It takes place at the incredible Bayfront Park in Miami, with three separate workout zones, 17 divisions, and a massive vendor expo, all along the Miami waterfront.

WZA was sponsored by Progenex, and my gig was to cover their athletes across three days of competition. 

Sam Briggs and Emily Bridgers going back and forth during the final event - and during the whole weekend.  Sam took the title two years in a row.  Nikon D4, Tamron 24-70, 1/400th, F2.8, ISO 320

From a technical standpoint, outdoor events are far easier than indoor events because you know going in it will be an low ISO setup.  The real challenges comes from realizing you're going to have to work with the changing light (the sun) over the course of the day.  From the incredible golden hour light of the morning and early evening, to the brutal harsh mid-day sun.  And the extra bonus, shooting wods at night with extremely limited lighting.

My setup: Nikon D4, Nikon 600 as backup.  Go-to lens for the majority of the weekend was the Nikon 70-200 2.8 VRII.  I've called this lens magical on more than one occasion, and under optimal shooting conditions like this it didn't disappoint.  For large events like this, I bring along my Sigma 120-300 2.8 (an epic lens for big field events), but I wound up having amazing access that let me get very close to the action, so that focal length wasn't really needed.  Not that I was complaining, that lens weighs something like 15 pounds.  The two other lens I had handy were my Sigma 35 1.4 for some wider stuff (and to bust out during the night events) and my Tamron 24-70 2.8 for some wide zoom during daytime events.

Team Progenex Brute Strength --- These dudes are huge.  Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/2500th, F2.8, ISO 160

Shooting outdoor sports - Aperture vs. Manual

In my mind, there are two main ways to shoot outdoor events: Aperture priority (AP) and full manual each has its advantages and drawbacks.  In most situations, I'll lean towards full manual, and I did that for most of the weekend.  Aperture priority, means I'm setting aperture and ISO, and letting the camera's computer figure out the shutter speed.  If I'm in full manual, I'm setting everything myself, and those settings remain locked until I change them again.  AP is  extremely helpful if we have a bright sun with clouds sneaking in and out.  If I'm in manual and have completely dialed in my exposure when the sun is blocked, I'm great.  But, if those clouds blow over, the exposure is going to be completely different, and if I'm not on my game and forget to change that, I could have completely blown-out over exposed images that can't be saved in post processing.  Sounds great, but the flip-side of this is if your cameras meter sees something that throws it off, you could have images with your subjects woefully underexposed.  Where would AP go wrong?  Let's say during any of the bayfront events:  where athletes were working on a huge rig built right next to the water.  Depending on how you have your cameras metering set, when you point at your subject you might get a meter reading for the bright and reflective water behind them, not your exerciser.  If you're not aware of this and anticipate for that, you're going to have a very very dark subject with some nicely exposed water.  Of course, their are ways to deal with this (using exposure compensation, as well as using center-weighted, or spot metering) but once it gets that complicated, I'd rather switch to straight manual.

Chelsie Morter during the Sit-Shoot-Swim event.  Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/1000th, f4.0, ISO 100

How do I set my base exposure in full manual for an outdoor event?  I like to look at the exposure triangle like this:  set as much as you can, and then only have to adjust a single setting once you're shooting.  So first off, I'm going to select an aperture just a bit back from wide open - maybe 3.5.  It's outdoors, it's bright.  I'm not battling for shutter speed, so I'd rather have a little wiggle room if my focus isn't perfect.  Next, I'll set my ISO.  I'll have this anywhere between 100-640.  At these levels, there is absolutely no noise.  I'll use that upper range if I want a little more shutter speed.  So now, while I'm shooting the only setting I'll change on the fly is my shutter speed.  Now that we're out of a dark gym, we should aim to always be hitting 1/1000th of a second.  If that is underexposed, just crank up the ISO more.  You can easily shoot at ISO 800 outdoors without even the slightest hint of noise.  The added sharpness from the shutter speed makes for amazing images.  So while manual might seem like there are a ton of settings you have to be adjusting, realistically, I'm just adjusting my shutter speed based on the results I'm getting.  I'm not really touching my aperture, and my iso might just be a slight tweak every hour or two as the sun moves.  Shooting in manual also keeps me extremely engaged in what I'm doing.  I'm not pointing and shooting: I'm thinking about the environment around me and how the light is influencing the frame.  Is it brighter or darker?  What direction is it coming in from and how can I situate myself to get the best results with it.  I've shot plenty of scenes with AP, but I'll usually stick now to the more consistent results I'll get with manual.  There is nothing more frustrating to nailing the perfect moment, only to realize the camera's meter went bezerk because something bright (or dark) caught it, and your subject is now blown out or completely black.

Rasmus Wisbech during the complex ladder -- Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/800th, f 2.8, ISO 400

Organizing a big event shoot

The biggest challenge on this job (other than dealing with the incredible weather and delicious cuban food) was tracking some 25 athletes, all competing at nearly the same time, across three workout stations, over 8 WODs, as early as 8am and as late as 830pm.  The number one tip I can offer here is to plan ahead.  Once I got a list of athletes from my editor, I then setup a complete schedule, detailing where/when each athlete was supposed to do each workout, and updated this each morning as their heat assignments were updated.  With so many moving pieces, the worst thing I could do is not going into it with a strategy to cover it properly.

A little peek at a very small part of my heat sheet

Looking over the spreadsheet, I could plan out my day, and quickly see if there were conflicts - multiple athletes going at the same time at different locations.  Instead of panicking in a scenario like this, it's easier to just discuss with your clients where they'd like you and set expectations clearly.  Instead of pretending that you can do literally everything, I tried to make sure I could focus on different athletes at different workouts, and markoff who I was able to get where.  That way as the event went on, I knew if I was having trouble capturing certain athletes, or if I was only focusing on the same people over and over.  This was helpful because I could then easily coordinate with my editor.  To boil that down - plan ahead, decide where you need to be, and then make the most of that time!  Revaluate over the course of the event and if you're missing coverage, adjust accordingly.  

Lauren Fisher during the dumb bell snatch workout -- Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/640th, F2.8, ISO 320 -- notice my shutter started slowing.  The stage had a crazy split light scenario that gradually got brighter as they got farther from the back of the stage. On the fly I just adjusted my shutter speed as she got into the brighter light. 

The monkey wrench came quickly on day 1 as each workout station ran to differing degrees of on-time-ness.  Once one station started running nearly an hour behind, that sort of shot my perfect plan.  Easy enough, I just worked with the event organizers to get updated schedules and worked around it.  

Shooting at Night

As the lights went down, we all expected the Miami nights party setup to turn on, but the lights that did switch on - while awesome for the spectator experience were basically nothing more than rotating strobes.  The night events were dark, I mean really dark.  These sorts of moments, instead of being a stressful disaster, should be a time to try and do something different.  Dark is dark.  There is no way to add light to an unlit subject no matter how much you crank the iso and drag the shutter.  You cannot shoot with a flash at an event like this, so don't even reach for it.  It's distracting for the spectators and worse, can be dangerous for the athletes.  It's better in these times to try and create something new and different.  It's now time to play around with the backlight, wider shots showing the scale of the event, or any number of other "unique" shots.  You're simply not going to get those sharp perfect exposures from the middle of the day, so it's easier to adapt instead of stressing over what's impossible.  For the night shoots, I switched to my 35 1.4 to benefit from the wider aperture and shot a lot of wider images hoping to catch some of the strobe lights as they rotated around.  There were a ton of misses here, but still a few cool moments.

The legendary Taylar Stallings during the team Clean and Jerk complex ladder, with her team she set the event record.  Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/250th, F2.8, ISO 8000

Hopefully, somewhere in this ranting I've laid out a few techniques for shooting outdoor sports, as well as organizing your time during long complicated shoots.  Please, feel free to comment if you'd like to explain anything at all at length (or more clearly).  And a huge thanks to Progenex for having me down in Miami, and my amazing hosts - Guido, Dylan, Steve, et al for putting on such a sick event.  Next up will be a recap from a totally different sort of event, the Kill Cliff East Coast Championship!

Emily Bridgers after her first event.  Always smiles, she eventually took second place.  Nikon D4, Nikon 70-200, 1/1000th, f 2.8, ISO 320

If you like what you've read, please share.  Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post.  For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Some other images from WZA 2015 - click to see full-size

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Behind the Scenes with @metconphotos on a Commercial Shoot (PhotoFit #5)

In December I had the chance to team up with @metconphotos (Chris Nolan) during a commercial shoot over at CrossFit Lindy with Ricky Long.  For this PhotoFit, I wanted to put together a little behind the scenes video that goes over what Chris is up to during one of these kinds of shoots: the equipment, the thought process, and most importantly the communication with the model.  So take a watch and if you have questions please post them in the comments below.  You can also see some of the end result images below.

Check out Chris' website - www.metconphotos.com and follow him on instagram @metconphotos

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Nikon D810, Nikon 24-70 2.8, ISO 64, 1/250th, F/8

All image copyright Chris Nolan - Metcon Photos LLC - All Rights Reserved - www.metconphotos.com

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Please feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Taylar Stallings is Stronger Than You (Part II)

At the Move Fast Lift Heavy Invitational weights looked lighter than usual.  In Part I you saw Taylar clean 265lbs and nearly hit 270lbs.  Below, Taylar went for a huge PR and hit 225.  To go for what would have been near the unofficial American record, Taylar went on to attempt 235lbs.  I've included all the lifts -- the lifts and the missess -- so you desk coaches at home can weigh in.

Technical stuff:  Video shot with the Nikon D600, Sigma 35 1.4, 60FPS, 720, at 1/125th, F4, ISO 2500.  Stabilized with a photography & cinema shoulder rig.  Edited in Premiere Pro.

Make sure to tune into superclearyphoto.com for our holiday sale - 20% off all images with code 'xmas20'.  Please feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for.  And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.