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Helping take pictures for a good cause

Today... or yesterday... I helped out at my fellow co-worker's charity event.  I usually help in some way shape or form every year.  I've been involved pretty much since I think maybe 2008 ish?  Most other years I just kind of drive around on a golf cart and hand out pretzels and beer to golfers, which is fun, but this year I did some candid photographing which wore me out!  Photographing events with lots of people is... REALLY hard work!  I mean... I had no idea how much work it is.  WAY more than a regular photo session although a regular photo session is hard work as well.  Photography is just a lot of work.

So the charity event is a golf outing  where a few hundred golfers play the whole course all at the same time.  They all start at different holes and go around in teams of four.  It's all to raise money for a charity.

The charity is http://www.zacharywallacefund.com/

So overall it was good fun.  I'm just soooooooo tired.  I came home and pretty much just uploaded the photos to my computer ran a backup and then just fell asleep for a few hours.  Then I woke up to blog... and here we are.

I must say that it was WAY more work then I had expected trying to run around and take photos on the course.  There were just sooooo many people and as well it was a bit rainy so at some points I just kind of put my camera away and headed back to take cover because I didn't want to be in the rain with my camera.  But I took a good near 300 pictures and went almost completely through 2 batteries.  I went from 1pm to about 8pm.  I was definitely under prepared for it all.  I sort of went into it thinking just taking a few snapshots here and there of a golfer or two in a candid fashion and ended up also being more of an event photographer and taking photos at the post golf outing awards ceremony and raffle give away thing.

I am looking at the pictures I took inside and kind of really wish I'd used the flash instead of pumping the ISO up.  But I really don't like to use the flash because it gives it that "I obviously used a flash" look.  What I should have actually done was had a tripod and increased or decreased the shutter speed along with some ISO.  Shoulda/Coulda/Woulda... Two things I definitely need to buy are a big real tripod and maybe a pro flash.  I've also heard of something called "bouncing the flash" and I find that technique interesting.

The problem as far as technically speaking for me at least is that in photography I am still at that stumbling/fumbling stage.  You can only ask someone to wait to have their picture taken for so many seconds before they kinda sorta... well... if you have ever been to a graduation of any kind where the 90 year old grandma is trying to work her brand new digital camera she got as a gift at xmas last year you know what I'm talking about.  But when you are supposed to be the "photographer person" at the event... you can't be messing around with trying to figure out how to get the settings right on the camera for more than a split second before people start questioning if you really know what you are doing.

I suppose since I am still a stumbling fumbling photographer this is why I'm doing pictures for friends.  But... hmmm I don't know... it's just weird... today made me doubt myself a lot because... I think towards the end I got more put on the spot as being the actual photographer person and as they were giving away events and things suddenly people were posing for me and I was in front of a room full of hundreds of people taking pictures... and... I kinda sorta freaked out a little.  And... yea... It was a little like suddenly you realize you aren't just a second photographer in the corner... you are the ONLY photographer documenting this!  I can't be creatively messing around with the settings on the camera when I'm the only person documenting this.

I think today showed me that... I have a LOT to learn about what it means to be a photographer.

Seriously though... the whole first being outside for a few hours then inside for a few hours was tough.  As I look at the photos I can see a progression where at first there's this "warm up period" of 10 photos or so... it's as though I just hadn't used my camera in a while.  I find that interesting because I think it's almost like playing a show in music.  So in music you soundcheck and warm up and play a song or two before you start your set.  I think maybe with photography I'm seeing this same thing.  I really think I need to go around and take pictures where I'm going to be taking pictures... maybe 30 minutes before hand.

Then I can kind of see good picture taking for a few hours.  After a few hours it starts to get sloppy as I get tired.  I guess?  Not sure what's happening there.  I don't know... but all I do know is when it was over... I was just tired.

So for those who photograph LONG events... like weddings or do back to back portrait type shoots all day... can I just say I don't know how you do it!  AND... I wish the people being photographed just knew how hard it was to do that!

So I think for the most part I'm ok with it.  But some of the photos just didn't come out as good as I had liked them to.  I think I feel as though I missed a lot of opportunities as well.  Like where something funny or interesting happened and I had my back turned or my camera was off to save battery.  And then I was thinking about that missed photo op and it caused me to miss others!

I think that's the biggest thing with photography.  Anyone can just buy a decent camera and snap shots.  And anyone can sort of try to learn the photography technicals about shutter speed and aperture and ISO and all that... but the real important part of photography is the whole creative and attentiveness side.  Like knowing how to coax tense subjects into being more relaxed and just being fun with it.  That is definitely a talent needed.  To be sort of really able to get the person in front of the camera to have fun.

So my conclusion for today is... I had a lot of fun and money was raised for a good cause and it couldn't have been done without everyone involved.  So that includes all the volunteers and the organizers and the golfers and everyone who came to the post golf raffle thing.

My other conclusion is that photography for big events involving lots of people is really hard work and I really need to be more prepared the next time I volunteer to do something of that size!  But I still loved it and had a lot of fun.