A rash of bad luck on the day of the last bout has got me wondering if I really want to continue with this. Anyone want to help me with the pros v cons?
PRO
Shooting derby is fun!
Free drinks, which is also a con since I don't like to drink at bouts. Reduces my ability to dodge traffic.
I have fans now.
Made new friends.
Derby is challenging. I have to use my brain to figure out how i'm going to stop that moving skater long enough to make a usable image.
I think i'm good at it.
CON
Expensive! I don't even want to think about how much i've spent so far on gear rental and travel.
Time consuming. Each bout is nearly 16 hours of prep, setup, shooting, travel and post.
Toting thousands of dollars of gear while people are whipping by you at speed is insane. something is going to break and I can't afford to fix it.
Compensation is not a concern, but i'm putting alot on the line here. Acknowledgment of that is a start.
As for the bad luck I mentioned earlier. I had to work my day job the morning of the bout, which means I was up at about 4am. After work I had some errands to take care of, then a last minute gear check and packup. Remembered the batteries for my travel light, but forgot to check the batteries for my body. By halftime I was juggling 3 mostly dead batteries (because I forgot my charger as well) costing me a handful of shots. Also one of my CF cards started to give me shit and I thought I fixed it, but when I get home i've got a dozen or so shots that were corrupt. I shoulda just dropped it in the bag and shot on another. The light in this particular venue wasn't as good as I remember, and there was a harsh temp shift on either side of the track. Not something I can really compensate for on the fly, especially from infield tracking skaters as the speed by turn 1. By the end of the bout I'm HAGGARD! Scrounging up a few parting shots of the skaters and their friends/family. I come across the captain of the home team as shes sitting with her parents and whatnot. I snap a quick shot of her and she starts introducing everyone and I COMPLETELY FORGET THE FAMILY PHOTO that I should have taken right there. I shake hands, say hellos and keep moving. WTF. In as many weddings and events and bouts that i've shot, i've never made a mistake and missed a shot like that. When I got home and realized what happened I immediately shot her an email apologizing. After all, shes the PR director for the league.
I'm not really happy with what I produced this time. I'm definitely going to finish out the season, but after that, who knows?
Anyway on the other side of every wall of text should be pretty pictures.
26 days to prepare for the next bout.
PRO
Shooting derby is fun!
Free drinks, which is also a con since I don't like to drink at bouts. Reduces my ability to dodge traffic.
I have fans now.
Made new friends.
Derby is challenging. I have to use my brain to figure out how i'm going to stop that moving skater long enough to make a usable image.
I think i'm good at it.
CON
Expensive! I don't even want to think about how much i've spent so far on gear rental and travel.
Time consuming. Each bout is nearly 16 hours of prep, setup, shooting, travel and post.
Toting thousands of dollars of gear while people are whipping by you at speed is insane. something is going to break and I can't afford to fix it.
Compensation is not a concern, but i'm putting alot on the line here. Acknowledgment of that is a start.
As for the bad luck I mentioned earlier. I had to work my day job the morning of the bout, which means I was up at about 4am. After work I had some errands to take care of, then a last minute gear check and packup. Remembered the batteries for my travel light, but forgot to check the batteries for my body. By halftime I was juggling 3 mostly dead batteries (because I forgot my charger as well) costing me a handful of shots. Also one of my CF cards started to give me shit and I thought I fixed it, but when I get home i've got a dozen or so shots that were corrupt. I shoulda just dropped it in the bag and shot on another. The light in this particular venue wasn't as good as I remember, and there was a harsh temp shift on either side of the track. Not something I can really compensate for on the fly, especially from infield tracking skaters as the speed by turn 1. By the end of the bout I'm HAGGARD! Scrounging up a few parting shots of the skaters and their friends/family. I come across the captain of the home team as shes sitting with her parents and whatnot. I snap a quick shot of her and she starts introducing everyone and I COMPLETELY FORGET THE FAMILY PHOTO that I should have taken right there. I shake hands, say hellos and keep moving. WTF. In as many weddings and events and bouts that i've shot, i've never made a mistake and missed a shot like that. When I got home and realized what happened I immediately shot her an email apologizing. After all, shes the PR director for the league.
I'm not really happy with what I produced this time. I'm definitely going to finish out the season, but after that, who knows?
Anyway on the other side of every wall of text should be pretty pictures.
26 days to prepare for the next bout.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
I saw you at your work today, but you looked busy...
Oh, and those pictures are pretty rad.