I guess this is a rhetorical question because if you do anything (and maybe even if you don't) you know stuff goes wrong much more often than you'd like, right? I do a lot of stuff and have to say the flow of unexpected events is pretty continuous. So I'm making this quick blog entry to give an example ... I wouldn't want anyone to think that everything always goes smoothly even with the best of plans ... see Always Have a Plan B below somewhere.
I shot the ShoXC Elite Challenger Series fights at the Chumash Casino Resort as you know from recent blog posts. As part of that exercise I provide images to Fight Wire Images (FightWireImages.com) by uploading images to their multi-user account at PhotoShelter.com usually via PhotoMechanic ... I'll talk about this another time. I usually do this Saturday or Sunday so the images are there for the Monday crowd looking to buy for their blogs, magazines and forums.
With PhotoMechanic fired up I clicked the upload button but FightWireImages wasn't on the menu as it has been for a year or so. I tried a bunch of things and double checked my upload configuration ... which I haven't touched since I got it working initially. PhotoMechanic has been rock solid for two years that I have used it. Nothing helped. I sent an email to FightWireImages and to PhotoShelter. Since the images are time sensitive I took them with me to my day job at UCSB and tried to logon to my own PhotoShelter account but couldn't seem to get into the photographers area. All very confusing.
Fortunately, my FightWireImages contact decided to send me a new "invitation" to contribute to FightWireImages (this is how you get connected) and that seemed to let me in again. I started uploading with the online uploader that you can just click to invoke, but it was slow. So, I downloaded the Java uploader and sent the images. Unfortunately PhotoShelter is clever enough to know how to handle files with duplicate names so I now have two copies of several images and some images aren't there. You can see the gallery here.
The good news was that when I got home to PhotoMechanic again it was working correctly. Today, a little late, I got an inquiry from PhotoShelter to see if my problem was resolved. I think that is a bit slow since I indicated the images were time sensitive but am not going to pursue it as I am the pimple on the ass of progress from their perspective as they have huge clients.
I would recommend PhotoMechanic, PhotoShelter and FightWireImages for anyone shooting boxing or MMA, and the first two for anyone shooting other sports although they are much more generally useful than that. Now I have rambled about all this I feel better.
Be Safe,
Dwight
Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
ShoXC Elite Challenger Series: Fight Night
It was another wild night of MMA mayhem at the Chumash Casino Resort. I arrived at about 3:00 pm ... I always get to events at least an hour early and for fight nights a couple of hours early. Sometimes there are issues that need resolution or people who need help or opportunities for
additional work. On Friday night I wanted to make sure that Tom Casino, one of my boxing mentors and a prize-winning boxing photographer, was ready. He has to travel out from New Jersey for these fights which leaves him open to equipment failures. Since he and I shoot with interchangeable Canon equipment I could loan batteries, lenses or even bodies. But, Tom is an old hand and rarely had problems beyond remembering which pocket has the spare CF cards. I also wanted check on Esther Lin, who also shoots with the same equipment I do, but is also a traveler albeit a bit closer. Everyone seemed to have equipment and the only issue was finding spots on the pad where everyone could shoot. Tom gets to stimulate his acrophobia by standing on a small platform just big enough for his feet so that he can shoot over the cage but the rest of us have to shoot through the chain link. Much of the platform around the cage is taken up by Showtime, the Boxing Commission, EliteXC and various other media and support types: sound & video.
With that done, I put a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS on one 1DMIII and 24-70mm f/2.8L on another 1DMIII and got my place on the cage. I always try to sit next to a judge who always have spots in the middle of three sides of the layout. All the boxing commission guys are very friendly and helpful and the judges are happy to explain what is happening in the cage. Usually the bouts end with two guys on the mat and I have no idea what happened ... it is hard for me to see if there was an arm bar or rear naked choke tapout ... sometimes even the judges can't see exactly what happened ... but, as I say, they love to explain what happened and why and it vastly improves my understanding.
After getting my spot "reserved", Dave Mandel, photographer for Sherdog showed up. Last time he was here we had problems with having room for photographers and he had to sit in the lap of one of the corners ... well, not literally, but it was close. This time we got him a decent spot, comfortable chair just on the other side of the judge I had staked out. He shoots the same lenses on two 1DMIIN bodies. Dave is a very mellow and knowledgeable 'tog who knows just about everyone and points them out. He is a pleasure to work with.
There were ten bouts scheduled. The first five, the undercard, are sent out over Internet TV and the last five are broadcast by Showtime as ShoXC Elite Challenger Series. The fighters collect in two draped off areas setup on the stage at one end of the Samala Room: red corner and blue corner. There they get their hands wrapped and whatever other treatments their trainers/corner men deem necessary. There are lots of boxing commission guys keeping an eye on everything ... mostly to be sure there aren't any drugs or equipment that aren't permitted I think. I always wander up there to see what's going on. It's usually crowded so I don't hang around, although again, everyone is very friendly and when I stop to ask questions or chat with a fighter I have shot before, everyone makes time for me.
Then I attended to my last "To Do" item: check in with Nikki and Nadia, two of the Ring Card Girls this night. I am going to be working with them on their portfolios over the next few months and needed to setup a dinner meeting at my house to map out a plan. I found them in their dressing room getting instructions from Monica Petty who is with Gary Shaw Productions. Once that was done, it was back to the cage.
Unlike boxing where I shoot with my elbows on the mat right under the ropes, the apron around the cage is about three or four feet wide, keeping us away from the chain link and making the autofocus very difficult. Friday it was particularly difficult because the lighting director had put bright lights right onto the cage so each link had a bright reflection that the sensors loved to focus on. Half my images were clear crisp shots of fencing!
Then the first bout started and was over shortly, stopped by the ref "due to unreturned strikes" which basically means one guy is pounding the snot out of the other guy who is simply crumpled on the mat and unable to do anything. If they are both just laying there doing nothing much the ref will separate them, stand them up and restart the action, but when one guy is actively striking the other who just lays there, that pretty much ends it.
The undercard was filled with guys with nicknames like "Tiger", "The Poet", "Vicious", "Fancy Pants" and "The Punk". I have no clue for most of the names but Fancy Pants was pretty obvious. Most of the fighters have tattoos and some have pretty extensive artwork. Some color their hair or have patterns or words shaved into it. Pretty much anything to draw attention to themselves.
The fights, usually three 5-minute rounds, go pretty quickly. A couple of hours of pretty constant shooting and then it's over. The earlier fighters have changed and are milling around with their buddies and folks they haven't seen for a while. Many are off to the bar across the street along with fans. People are pretty happy and glad to put another fight night behind them. I was!
Be Safe!
Dwight
additional work. On Friday night I wanted to make sure that Tom Casino, one of my boxing mentors and a prize-winning boxing photographer, was ready. He has to travel out from New Jersey for these fights which leaves him open to equipment failures. Since he and I shoot with interchangeable Canon equipment I could loan batteries, lenses or even bodies. But, Tom is an old hand and rarely had problems beyond remembering which pocket has the spare CF cards. I also wanted check on Esther Lin, who also shoots with the same equipment I do, but is also a traveler albeit a bit closer. Everyone seemed to have equipment and the only issue was finding spots on the pad where everyone could shoot. Tom gets to stimulate his acrophobia by standing on a small platform just big enough for his feet so that he can shoot over the cage but the rest of us have to shoot through the chain link. Much of the platform around the cage is taken up by Showtime, the Boxing Commission, EliteXC and various other media and support types: sound & video.
With that done, I put a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS on one 1DMIII and 24-70mm f/2.8L on another 1DMIII and got my place on the cage. I always try to sit next to a judge who always have spots in the middle of three sides of the layout. All the boxing commission guys are very friendly and helpful and the judges are happy to explain what is happening in the cage. Usually the bouts end with two guys on the mat and I have no idea what happened ... it is hard for me to see if there was an arm bar or rear naked choke tapout ... sometimes even the judges can't see exactly what happened ... but, as I say, they love to explain what happened and why and it vastly improves my understanding.After getting my spot "reserved", Dave Mandel, photographer for Sherdog showed up. Last time he was here we had problems with having room for photographers and he had to sit in the lap of one of the corners ... well, not literally, but it was close. This time we got him a decent spot, comfortable chair just on the other side of the judge I had staked out. He shoots the same lenses on two 1DMIIN bodies. Dave is a very mellow and knowledgeable 'tog who knows just about everyone and points them out. He is a pleasure to work with.
There were ten bouts scheduled. The first five, the undercard, are sent out over Internet TV and the last five are broadcast by Showtime as ShoXC Elite Challenger Series. The fighters collect in two draped off areas setup on the stage at one end of the Samala Room: red corner and blue corner. There they get their hands wrapped and whatever other treatments their trainers/corner men deem necessary. There are lots of boxing commission guys keeping an eye on everything ... mostly to be sure there aren't any drugs or equipment that aren't permitted I think. I always wander up there to see what's going on. It's usually crowded so I don't hang around, although again, everyone is very friendly and when I stop to ask questions or chat with a fighter I have shot before, everyone makes time for me.
Then I attended to my last "To Do" item: check in with Nikki and Nadia, two of the Ring Card Girls this night. I am going to be working with them on their portfolios over the next few months and needed to setup a dinner meeting at my house to map out a plan. I found them in their dressing room getting instructions from Monica Petty who is with Gary Shaw Productions. Once that was done, it was back to the cage.Unlike boxing where I shoot with my elbows on the mat right under the ropes, the apron around the cage is about three or four feet wide, keeping us away from the chain link and making the autofocus very difficult. Friday it was particularly difficult because the lighting director had put bright lights right onto the cage so each link had a bright reflection that the sensors loved to focus on. Half my images were clear crisp shots of fencing!
Then the first bout started and was over shortly, stopped by the ref "due to unreturned strikes" which basically means one guy is pounding the snot out of the other guy who is simply crumpled on the mat and unable to do anything. If they are both just laying there doing nothing much the ref will separate them, stand them up and restart the action, but when one guy is actively striking the other who just lays there, that pretty much ends it.
The undercard was filled with guys with nicknames like "Tiger", "The Poet", "Vicious", "Fancy Pants" and "The Punk". I have no clue for most of the names but Fancy Pants was pretty obvious. Most of the fighters have tattoos and some have pretty extensive artwork. Some color their hair or have patterns or words shaved into it. Pretty much anything to draw attention to themselves.
The fights, usually three 5-minute rounds, go pretty quickly. A couple of hours of pretty constant shooting and then it's over. The earlier fighters have changed and are milling around with their buddies and folks they haven't seen for a while. Many are off to the bar across the street along with fans. People are pretty happy and glad to put another fight night behind them. I was!Be Safe!
Dwight
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Day Before: ShoXC Elite Challenge
This year I will shoot four fight cards: two ShoBox: The New Generation and two ShoXC Elite Challenge MMA. For these events I normally take two afternoons off from my day job at UCSB: Thursday for the weigh-in and miscellaneous shooting, and Friday for the fights. I am still learning how to work the MMA events as the flow is slightly different and the demographic is younger. Both Showtime and Internet TV have a piece with ShoXC being the five main events. This means there are two sets of interviews going on as well as the weigh-ins on Thursday. Yesterday, the interviews were happening while four of us photographers were standing in a lift waiting for the weigh-ins so I missed a chance to shoot the fighters at the 
Showtime interviews ... the Showtime people are amazingly friendly and cooperative and allow me to photograph any of their activities if I can work it in with whatever I am doing. You will hear me say it again and again, but the Showtime staff are absolutely top notch and work very hard to make sure that everyone involved, from the fighters to the photographers gets maximum opportunity without any sense of proprietary restrictions. They have let me put cameras in the lighting truss, visit the truck, shoot during their interveiws, shoot at their tapings down in the boiler room and this style starts at the top with Gordon Hall and works its way all the way down to the gaffers and sound people. Their style is very affirming ... they will tell you if you are interfering with their work somehow while still trying to make sure you get the best. But I ramble.
Yesterday I arrived about 1:30 pm with the cage under construction in the middle of the floor. I wandered around to see who was there. Generally the groups of folks are: Gary Shaw Productions, the promoter; Showtime; King-of-the-Cage (I think); the California Boxing Commission; and all the fighters and their entourages. Each team has one or two head people and almost everyone knows everyone else from previous events. My first boxing photography mentor, Showtime's Tom Casino (Google that name if you want to be impressed by accomplishments) was there. He's the guy who convinced me to change from Nikon/Fuji to Canon and who put my elbows on the mat at my first card. Jeff, who is one of the production staff from the casino was also shooting the weigh-in. Esther Lin who freelances for an MMA magazine and website and her guy, videographer Casey (hope I got that right.)As for the fighters, they tend to wander in around 4:00 pm to check in with the boxing commission, file their medicals, get their picture taken, get checked by the doctor and chat with on another. There are lots of big smiles, hugging, fancy handshakes. Guys who are planning on pounding the living daylights out of each other later today are laughing and sitting next to each other like old friends. And they couldn't be any nicer to me, letting me but into their little groups and listen and ask questions.
The weigh-ins started a bit late yesterday. They are scheduled for 5:00 pm. But before they can weigh in they have to have all their paperwork/doctor exam complete which includes lab tests and some of the paperwork didn't arrive on time. So the four of us togs and Casey the video guy stood in the lift in front of the stage for about 30 minutes with nothing happening. Then we decided to deplane and walk around ... and that's when the weigh-ins started, of course.The weigh-ins themselves are kind of fun. John, a very funny guy who is with Gary Shaw Productions runs the fighters for the boxing commission and the photographers. He lines them up, calls them a pair at a time, gets them on the scale, they weigh, he sends the other of a pair, he weighs, then he poses them with fists up staring at each other, waits for the togs to shoot, then has them look at the cameras in the same pose, waits for the togs to shoot, and then moves them along and starts the next pair, all the while giving everyone a hard time ... only kidding!
Once the weigh-ins are done, things begin to shut down pretty quickly. I was home by 6:30 pm as I live 7.5 miles from the casino. I will be off to my day job in an hour and then back this afternoon and off to the casino for the fights. Oh, and the picture of the two guys at the right is, Malaipet (L) and Thomas Denny (R) ... they are a main event.In the meantime,
Be Safe
Dwight
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)