Of all of the Olympic Games that I have photographed (this being number eight), I have never seen a more beautiful venue than the Beach Volleyball venue in Paris.
If you saw any of my interviews on television before I left for these Games, I mentioned that the one shot I really wanted was a night shot from this venue. The other shot I was excited about was from the Opening Ceremony, but unlike that night, this one did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, it was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be, if not more so!
Last night was perfect weather in the evening, with clear skies (finally) and a really nice temperature around 70 degrees . Knowing that the sunset was around 9:30pm, I aimed to get to the nearest train station around 8:30. What I didn't know is that the media entrance to the arena was nearly impossible to find. I literally had to walk more than a mile around the fenced facility to find it, and was worried that I would miss the best light. Luckily, I made it just in time.
The resulting image is everything I had hoped it would be! I decided to use the Canon R5 MKII camera and brought two lenses with me to the top of the stadium. I brought an RF 24-70mm lens and an RF 15-35mm lens, not knowing what focal length I would need from this position. As it turned out, for this shot it was the RF 15-35mm lens. I also decided to change the camera setting to shoot RAW and JPEG since this shot was so important to me. I have been shooting JPEG only because these cameras are pre-production and Adobe could not open the RAW files. But I was shocked when I got back to my hotel room around midnight and Photoshop opened the RAW file! They JUST updated their software in the nick of time for me. Thanks Adobe!
I knew that the volleyball court would be really bright in the frame, and that the sky would be really dark. So I metered the camera on the court, changed my exposure comp to -.03, and fired. I knew that I could darken the court and brighten the sky later in Photoshop to make it all work. And that it did. I love this photo so much that it is the lead image on my home page now.
To say that this filled my cup is an under statement.
This zoom roll does not show the blinking lights, but is clearer on the Olympic Rings on the tower.
I am curious. What do you all think of these images, and if you have a favorite? Let me know!
After I took these photos, I sat at the top of the venue, put the camera down and just soaked in the moment. I am here at my 8th Olympic Games, looking at this incredible scene, enjoying the night air, doing what I love, and able to share it with all of you. It was seriously incredible!
And now I can keep photographing the Games happily knowing that I have this shot in the collection.
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12 comments:
Nice shots. I would have loved if you had been able to take a big step to your left to align the middle of the court to the middle of the Eiffel tower. I feel it's a bit crooked.
Well done on the creative shots, zooming out I guess.
Incredible images! Love the zoom action.
I’m glad I checked your home page, your lead photo is much sharper than on your blog. Wonderful image! btw, I think I got a screen capture of you at the first women’s waterpolo match. I’ll save it for your return.
Love that top image timing wise (blue hour); composition wise and context. Nailed it!
I love that third shot that has the creative zoom features but includes being able to pick out more detail--what a beauty!
Catherine D
Do you have a drone? With 20m above the scene, you could differentiate the picture maybe? Another one: having more of the sunset.here the sun has vanished beyond the horizon line for 10 minutes at least But honestly this picture is perfect as it is! Congratulations! When Americans find beauty in France, French people are very proud! I love your Olympics blog and read it everyday with great expectations! A big thank you for taking the tone to write, in addition to all your other daily tasks.
This is also the shot I would have been looking for. Great color and timing. Maybe you can keystone the image a bit to make the court line up with the eiffel tower a bit more.
Reading about your journey through an Olympics, illustrated with your photos, has become one of my favorite things from the Games. Thank you for so much sharing!
These are great images. I always like it when you are thinking outside of the box and come up with your creative images. Between the zooms, I’m liking the first one best.
Great pics, I would love to see more shots of sports from the R5 MkII, I have already pre ordered this camera. Now waiting for stock to arrive in Australia
For sure THE shot of the Olympics - congrats! But then, you have over a week to go where you may get something you never expected (thinking about the "floating" surfboard/surfer shot). As for the rolling zoom shots - love them. My favorite is the first one.
Really beautiful work, Jeff! I've been enjoying following your shooters perspective of the Games! I'm wondering if you could possibly comment on the high-iso capabilities of the R1? Also interested to hear about it's low light focusing skills. Thanks for any feedback you might have!
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