The Moment of Victory
The goal of Sports Photography is to capture a moment in time, or as a famous commentator once said: The “Thrill of Victory” and the “Agony of Defeat.” Here is Heather Kampf, a professional middle distance runner, crossing the finish line and winning the Grand Blue Mile in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, to kick off the 2016 Drake Relays. The unique aspect of a race such as this is that it is a one mile road race, held on the city streets of Des Moines. The race starts one block south of the finish line with the runners going about one-half mile east, making a one block turn to the north, and then heading back on Grand Avenue toward the finish. Heather is the two-time defending women’s invitational champion and finished first with a time of 4:37.52 followed by Nicole Sifuentes (4:37.95) and Nikki Hamblin (4:38.78). A total of $30,000 in prize money was awarded among the top finishers, with each men’s and women’s champion receiving $5,000. Heather is a past United States Champion in the 1500 meters and she is training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
As for me, I’m currently working to perfect my Sports Photography skills and the public events surrounding the Drake Relays provided a wonderful opportunity. I take courses with Brian Peterson School of Photography and right now, I’m studying with Russell Isabella. Russ is a renowned Sports Photographer and his photos have appeared in Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine and similar publications, and have been used for trading cards, Fatheads, and by major corporations such as Microsoft and Adidas. He is also affiliated with USA Today and his work appears there regularly. Some of Russ’s work may be viewed on his website at www.russisabellaphotography.com.
I submitted this photo as an assignment, which required us to shoot at a sporting event with a preplanned goal in mind, taking into consideration all the aspects of what makes a good sports photograph. That last part is what the class is really all about. I was so pleased to get Russ’ comments on this particular image:
“Without a doubt,[this photo] is my favorite . . . . She is crossing the finish line, she is elated, obviously she is the winner, the “Grand Blue Mile” is visible in its entirety, and we can see the crowd. What. More. Could. You. Ask. For? This is a winner and I could see it running on the front page of a sports section or a runner’s magazine. Great shot!”
Yup. I’m proud! What I continually find is that in each type of photography, portraits, Senior High School students, weddings, or here, Sports Photography, each area has its own quirks, approaches and techniques that only come with study and practice. Oh. And Fun!
Geek Speak – Sports Photography Settings Used
This shot was taken with a Canon 5D Mark ii camera with a Canon EF 70-200mm f.2.8L IS II USM lens, 1/1250 sec. @ f/2.8. Focus was Al Servo, which is what I was working on.