At 02:16 11/20/02, Albert asked:
So is it really that hard to do "action shots" with a manual focus??
I don't do motor sports but have worked some other action
photography. Your friend is dead wrong. All he need do is look at racing
coverage done from about World War I through about 1980 or so. That's over
6 decades of race coverage *without* auto-focus. Somehow they managed to
get the job done, and the pros did it extremely well.
What your friend doesn't understand is *how* they did it. Similar issues
abound among editorial, news and journalist photographers. There were many
tricks in the trade that allowed using not only manual focus, but manual
exposure too, including using flashbulbs with fixed output and adjusting
aperture based on bulb GN and subject distance. The basic secret is
*knowing* how common situations develop, positioning oneself in advance,
presetting focus and exposure, and then letting the photograph come to you
as the action plays out. You'd be surprised at how much behavior is
repetitive, whether it's racing, wired up band members hopping about on a
stage or team sports. Careful observation noting common behaviors and
patience wins with better shots while burning less film getting them. If
you chase after an action shot, you'll never get it. The old adage "f/8
and be there" has more truth to it than most imagine.
Your friend needs to find the book of boxing photographs made by "One Shot
Charlie" (Charles Hoff) who primarily covered sports for the NY Daily
News. He used a manual focus, manual exposure 8x10 view camera. Got his
moniker from burning so little film while producing outstanding sports
coverage.
-- John
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