So last weekend, I unlocked a new achievement for myself. I was invited by the Running Department to help with the photographing of their pacers during the Standard Chartered Marathon 2015. This meant waking up early in the morning, heading down to Orchard at 3am, and putting on the official media vest provided by the marathon organizers.
How to say no? =D
It did mean that I was slightly stressing over my camera setup and what not. Though it's not severely terrible in low light, Micro 4/3 cameras tend to struggle a little harder than higher end FF DSLRs for sure. And when last year's photos were shot by a pro using a full frame DSLR, naturally it was a lot more stressful trying to ensure the photos taken on Sunday would be up to standard.
To be safe, I charged 3 sets of batteries, brought 2 primes and my telephoto lens, and even the Olympus flash along. So in total, the setup was:
- Olympus OM-D E-M1
- Olympus 14-150mm f4-5.6
- Pan-Leica 25mm f1.4
- Olympus 45mm f1.8
- Olympus FL-600R Flash
The beauty of having a Micro 4/3 camera? That EVERYTHING fitted inside an A4 size sling bag!!! Granted it's not padded like a pro bag, but still!
Pre-Race Setup
The the pre-race photos, I played with all 3 lenses at different times. Cause it was dark, I didn't want to take changes and went with a flash as well.
The most used lens was the 45mm, followed by the 25mm, and finally the 14-150 for group photo taking.
The 45mm was great, but with light coming from all directions except towards the subject, I had to whip out the flash to ensure the primary subject stood out from the crowd. I didn't want the flash to be too harsh that the background would be completely washed out, so I went with a slower shutter speed and a slightly higher iso to ensure the background was also captured.
Group Photos
I had a few ideas in mind but ultimately decided a wide angle would have worked better, plus it would allow me to get closer to the subjects that I usually would with my 25mm and 45mm lenses, so I opted for the 14-150 at 14mm, and shot up close, creating a distortion on the edges which may not be the most flattering for portraits, but helped wrap the photos somewhat I guess when the subjects at the sides pull off to the edge of the frame.
Flag Off!
Sticking with the 14-150mm, due to my height, I had to employ the use of a stool for an added advantage, allowing me to snap overhead.
This is where focus struggled a little, but ultimately I was glad to have captured a few photos that I really liked.
This was also one of the few times I had the flash directly pointed at the road rather than bounce off a white foam sheet, it's harsh, but it also allowed me to freeze the runners in frame.
Big Splash Capture
This was where I lacked familiarity with. Cause now the sun had risen, there was no longer a need for flash. However as I usually shoot running shots with the 45mm and capture individual group, doing a wide shot and crowd-style capturing was something I have little experience in and hence had to fiddle with my camera for quite a bit.
Not to mention with the sun facing the other way, I was battling lighting conditions as well.
It took quite a bit of testing, but I think I managed to get something I liked, and ultimately cause a few photos I was happy with. They could have been better, but still, satisfactory nonetheless.
Wrapping it Up
After the photos at the Big Splash, it was time to head to the finishing line. By the time we reached, most of the runners had already completed their run, so there wasn't much photos to be taken here, but Nick's friend, Jeffrey, was on top of that, helping out with ending point photos.
I did manage to capture the last few runners as they passed the finish line, despite the heat, it was all smiles for most of them. =)
The day ended off with a group photo by the Pacer's tentage where everyone gathered for a debrief.
It was a long and tiring day, but it certain can't compare to the tiredness the pacers went through during the run, kudos to them! I'm just glad to have been part of it some way. Thanks Terence for the opportunity!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment