Ever wonder how the photographers at “super events” such as the Olympics get the awesome shots they do? It takes planning, preparation, tons of gear, and being able to handle any obstacles thrown your way. Take a look at the preparation for the men’s 100-meter-dash courtesy of Vincent Laforet (movie). It’s a cool insight into what goes on behind the scenes in sports photography. I’d bet that, despite all that gear, only a couple of photographers got a shot that Sports Illustrated would take. Luck does play into the equation.
It looks like most of the cameras were hard-wired to remote triggers. This isn’t surprising consider the limited channels for remotes. One shot did show multiple cameras with Pocket Wizards. The top-of-the-line Pocket Wizard, the MultiMAX Pro, has 32 channels. I wonder how they coordinate the channels so there isn’t overlap. Of course, considering they aren’t limited to 36 frames and they all are holding down the trigger for the full 10 seconds of the event, it probably doesn’t matter. You could hook them all together and trigger them en masse with the difference being the point of view and lens selection. Notice that no two cameras are set the same, different lenses and angles, and I’m sure, different exposures.
- Dr. Joe
