DC Rollergirls Shoot

There I was, on turn 2 – where most of the wipeouts happen – and no more than a hard elbow from meeting ten women in pads racing around a flat track on skates.  I was shooting the Cherry Blossom Bombshells against the Scare Force One with one eye in the viewfinder and the other eye in fear of being hit by flying women ensuring I was protected by larger bodies in a safe location.  There are four teams that make up the DC Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby League.  The other two teams are the DC DemonCats and the DC All Stars.

It was an incredible experience.  Those foolish enough brave enough sit right on the edge of the flat track to be close to the action while those with families, intelligence, or those not wanting sweat soaked skaters landing in their laps chose the stands.  

You’ve got skaters coming right at you that make for a great shot but they don’t always make the turn or they get checked right into you.  So definitely it’s stupid to sit so close a risk/reward situation. 

I got there an hour early when the doors opened to ensure I could get a good location since I had never been to roller derby and was not sure what to expect or where was the best place to shoot.  Loaded with a Nikon D90 and two zoom lenses and a SB-900, I took some practice shots as the skaters got closer and closer to scare those of us sitting close warmed up.  I wanted to shoot without flash so I could shoot fast to catch the crashes and not worry about the flash recharging.  I kept moving the ISO up until it hit 3200 with the largest aperture I had and still could only squeeze out a shutter speed of 1/60s.  Not near fast enough to freeze the action and on a D90 at ISO 3200 you can count the grain – they look like spectators in the background.

I noticed some of the people next to me were using the pop up flash on their cameras and no one seemed to object.  To me, it didn’t seem smart to be hitting someone coming at you with a flash, temporarily blinding them, and hoping they made the turn.  However… when in Rome…

I sat my SB-900 on the ground next to me and hoping it did not wander off for safekeeping and triggered it by iTTL.  I had it zoomed to 105mm to try to give me some throw.  As it turned out, the flash was still too close to me and I got way too many red eyes which did not seem completely out of character.  This worked much better and I was starting to feel better about getting some good shots.  However with a flash sync speed of 1/200s, I could still not completely freeze the action as the women raced around the track.

If only I had thought of using high speed sync!

So….  is there a next time and what would I do differently?  Definitely there is a next time.   It was a lot of fun and lots of opportunities for great shots.  The girls – when not skating – were very agreeable to posing and they certainly are characters and give you a different look from the “normal” model shoot.  I would definitely use high speed sync with my flash to freeze the action – I threw away literally hundreds of pictures that were out of focus.  I would also put the flash on a light stand and move it ten or more feet away to give a better angle for the flash and use radio triggers.  I would also bring someone to help watch the light stand.

My First Victorian Picnic

August in Washington - hot - humid - and everyone is looking for shade.  I had ventured to Falls Church, Virginia to capture the President's Picnic for the Victorian Society of Falls Church.  I arrived at Frady Park, not knowing what to expect and not sure I was in the right place - the park was empty except for a few people walking their dogs.  Frady Park is small and tucked away but as I initially wandered through it, I realized that it was the perfect location for a picnic.  I was immediately attracted to a beautiful gazebo that, turns out, was donated by the Victorian Society of Fall Church. 

I hung around the parking lot until I saw my first person in Victorian dress walking into the park with a large picnic basket.  I introduced myself and any concerns I had that I would not be welcomed - after all, how many people want their picture taken by strangers - disappeared as soon as I met Mac.  He was charming, friendly, made me feel very welcomed, and explained the Victorian Society, their connection to the Park, and the events they were involved in throughout the year.  As it turns out, everyone I met made me feel welcomed and they willingly posed for photographs as they played croquet in the park.

As it turns out they are a very active organization.  Their activities include literary evenings featuring the writings of Victorian authors, a book discussion group, picnics with croquet and lawn bowling, civilian Civil War re-enactments, teas and socials, living history programs, fashion shows, workshops for making 19^th century hats, clothing, and accessories, theatre outings to see Victorian era plays and musicals, historic home tours, trips to Victorian locations (such as Cape May, NJ), 19^th century dance classes, and an annual ball, featuring period dancing and guests in 19^th century attire.

After a few hours of conversation and picture taking, I thanked them and left them to their picnic with an invite to photograph their masquerade ball coming up before Halloween.