Speed Graphic at China Olympics - basketball

For those that are watching the US versus China basketball match, there is a photographer on the sidelines that is using a 4x5 Speed Graphic. I haven't located him except once in the background but he is the front row somewhere along the sidelines.

I would love to see his images versus the other pool photographers...it should be a differentiator.

Phil

Perhaps View Camera have sent an accredited photographer to cover the games, whoever it is will be there officially.

Ian

Can be pretty sure it's someone for a magazine, or at least not on deadline pressure.

Competition to get tickets to cover this event, perhaps more than even the opening ceremonies, is intense for the media. Only a certain amount is doled out and if you're not able to make the list, then too bad.

If I had to make a guess I'd say Sports Illustrated. But it is nice to see traditional methods get a revival in pursuit of higher, faster, stronger creative images.

David Burnett?
http://www.davidburnett.com/gallery.html?gallery=Personal&skipno=0&currentIndex=3

http://www.lightstalkers.org/DavidBurnett

Most likely David, but I'll have to e-mail him to check if he was at the basketball game.

Did he have gray hair and glasses?

Here's what David looks like with his Speed Graphic at the opening ceremonies. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_89a-CWRrSyg/SJ1Fvs480WI/AAAAAAAABF4/uXHiNyufSrI/s1600-h/P1020905.jpg

Likely David Burnett, but possibly Robert Beck as well, and if so, probably shooting Type 55. However, most of his Speed Graphic work is editorial portraiture, not features.

Then again, it's not like it takes a rocket scientist to use one, so it could be anyone who is shooting a feature. It would have to be someone with some respect in the industry, and probably a history of published material using the same techniques, though...otherwise they would not let him shoot anything other than a highly competitive camera.

Also, I would be surprised if there were any pool photographers there, Phil. No one is going to share photos with other agencies at an event unless absolutely required due to an extremely limited number of billets and/or other restrictions. Pools occur when it is impossible to get any more than one, or perhaps a few, photographers in. Something like a media-blitzed court case would have a pool (can't have 50 photographers snapping away in court), but likely not a sporting event.

Was he using flashbulbs? Probably nothin' doing with available light and large format. Was he actually shooting the action? I doubt it, but if so, he was probably rigged to studio flash heads in the rafters.

Here's Dave's reply to my e-mail:

"SG/5" xenon lens guess focus, no strobes, rear shutter tri x 250/2.3 and probably nothing will turn out.. but it was fun trying (hand held) and there were 45 photogs courtside, another 30 or so in the stands"

Pinholemaster said:

Here's Dave's reply to my e-mail:

"SG/5" xenon lens guess focus, no strobes, rear shutter tri x 250/2.3 and probably nothing will turn out.. but it was fun trying (hand held) and there were 45 photogs courtside, another 30 or so in the stands"

Click to expand...

So that's why they pay him the big bucks?????

No one in photography get paid the big bucks. CEOs get paid the big bucks as they run companies into the dirt. Dave's just happy to be working. With his number one daughter recently graduated from college he's probably even more happy.

That is so cool. I noticed him a time or two. HI DAVE! I'M THAT FAT GUY AT THE DELAWARE END OF THE CAMERA!

Look at the humidity, that guy in the photo is just soaked with sweat.

I don't envy them in those conditions, having endured a few hot and muggy trips to China myself.