Photographers

[Harley-D]

Watching the HSBC it’s noticeable how intrusive they are. What is the point I wonder? Must be really boring picures

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Watching the HSBC it’s noticeable how intrusive they are. What is the point I wonder? Must be really boring picures

Why? Look at some of the stuff Dave Canon and others have done over the years. Some iconic and fabulous shots. Also where do you think the content for the magazines, their websites and the press come from

 

[davidy233]

Watching the HSBC it’s noticeable how intrusive they are. What is the point I wonder? Must be really boring picures

Intrusive to you watching on TV or intrusive to the players?

 

[Harley-D]

Intrusive to the players

 

[SaintHacker]

Given that none of them ever actually complain that probably answers your question

 

[davidy233]

Intrusive to the players

They aren't at all intrusive to the players - unless as happens once in a blue moon someone screws up - if that happens the offender will get told in no uncertain term (usually by a grumpy caddie) or removed if serious.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

From the limited knowledge I have, the press and freelance photographers are under strict instructions about when and what they can do and so will be very aware of any chance of getting anywhere near a player and especially his peripheral vision

 

[davidy233]

From the limited knowledge I have, the press and freelance photographers are under strict instructions about when and what they can do and so will be very aware of any chance of getting anywhere near a player and especially his peripheral vision

I've got a pretty good knowledge of this having photographed a good few European Tour (now of course the DP World Tour) tournaments and an Open championship - simple fact is professional golfers are a lot less precious about people being in their eye line than your average hacker - they are, after all, used to crowds. What they are (rightly) precious about is sudden movement and sudden noises.


I'm about ten feet from Tommy here so very much in his eyeline - he knows I'm there and he's OK with it


I'm probably even closer to Tyrell here - am I too close? If I am then so are the crowd because I'm sitting at their feet.


Homer talks about strict instructions - you don't get actually get instructions but you are working and you don't want to get on the wrong side of a caddie - so you behave sensibly.

As a matter of fact the one thing you would get told by veteran photographers is that you should never ever fire a burst of shots during the backswing - that advice has become redundant - if you have a camera with a silent shutter.

Oh and at the Open you get told you should stay within an arms length of the ropes - that's not so you don't disturb players - it's because the R&A don't want you 'affecting the integrity of the rough' - in other words don't trample it.

 

[sunshine]

Great photos david.

What I find irritating is when an entourage stand in front of spectators and block their view. In your photo of Fleetwood above, it looks like there are about 7 people "inside the ropes" (some at the back look like spectators), and only a couple seem to be actually doing anything (the one with the microphone and one guy looks like a photographer with a tripod). I'm sure there were probably others outside the photo (including you), so the group is pretty large.

 

[davidy233]

Great photos david.

What I find irritating is when an entourage stand in front of spectators and block their view. In your photo of Fleetwood above, it looks like there are about 7 people "inside the ropes" (some at the back look like spectators), and only a couple seem to be actually doing anything (the one with the microphone and one guy looks like a photographer with a tripod). I'm sure there were probably others outside the photo (including you), so the group is pretty large.

Not quite - Tommy is just outside the ropes in the rough- if you look closely you can see a faint blue line in the grass at the bottom of the pic, that's the rope that he's had taken down to stop it getting in his way.

As for the people - they are all spectators getting a close up view of the shot - except for the guy with the 'dead cat' covered mic - he's SKY's sound gatherer. What you've seen as a tripod (and therefore a photographer) is actually a folding seat that spectator has brought along with him.

If fans are around then photographers who are close to the action will always get down low (if at all possible), pics usually look better from a low perspective anyway - TV crews won't a lot of the time - sometimes they can't. Reporters/written media usually know to get down low if there are spectators. A tip I'd share is don't sit on the ground at the ropes at a tournament - people inside the ropes will usually try to get low but they can't disappear into the ground, better to get a bit of elevation.

As for other people Marshalls are often ignorant about what's around them and what they are blocking and how intrusive their presence is to fans and photographers - the marshalls walking with players almost never get down low or stand to the side out of the way, I've been a marshall a couple of times a good few years ago and if I did it now I'd be much more aware than any of us were back then. Scorers and scoreboard carriers are usually more aware.

And then there are players family, agents etc. In my experience they aren't normally a factor except on practice days when there can be loads of them walking with the players.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I feel that perhaps the OP gets easily affected/annoyed by a bit of noise - airships, cameras etc. I wonder what the next noise gripe will be

 

[davidy233]

I feel that perhaps the OP gets easily affected/annoyed by a bit of noise - airships, cameras etc. I wonder what the next noise gripe will be

He replied above that he was talking about photographers being 'intrusive to the players' here rather than while watching on TV

 

[sunshine]

Not quite - Tommy is just outside the ropes in the rough- if you look closely you can see a faint blue line in the grass at the bottom of the pic, that's the rope that he's had taken down to stop it getting in his way.

As for the people - they are all spectators getting a close up view of the shot - except for the guy with the 'dead cat' covered mic - he's SKY's sound gatherer. What you've seen as a tripod (and therefore a photographer) is actually a folding seat that spectator has brought along with him.

If fans are around then photographers who are close to the action will always get down low (if at all possible), pics usually look better from a low perspective anyway - TV crews won't a lot of the time - sometimes they can't. Reporters/written media usually know to get down low if there are spectators. A tip I'd share is don't sit on the ground at the ropes at a tournament - people inside the ropes will usually try to get low but they can't disappear into the ground, better to get a bit of elevation.

As for other people Marshalls are often ignorant about what's around them and what they are blocking and how intrusive their presence is to fans and photographers - the marshalls walking with players almost never get down low or stand to the side out of the way, I've been a marshall a couple of times a good few years ago and if I did it now I'd be much more aware than any of us were back then. Scorers and scoreboard carriers are usually more aware.

And then there are players family, agents etc. In my experience they aren't normally a factor except on practice days when there can be loads of them walking with the players.

Thanks for the response - great insight.

I'd agree with your point about marshals. Quite common for them to be only interested in spectating rather than marshalling, or jobsworths who aren't aware of what's going on (not tarring all marshals, just my experience!).

 

[Harley-D]

I feel that perhaps the OP gets easily affected/annoyed by a bit of noise - airships, cameras etc. I wonder what the next noise gripe will be

You

 

[NeilG]

Thanks for the response - great insight.
.

Agreed. Really interesting stuff. Thank you.

 

[sunshine]

I feel that perhaps the OP gets easily affected/annoyed by a bit of noise - airships, cameras etc. I wonder what the next noise gripe will be

Reminds me of PG Wodehouse quote: "The least thing upset him on the links. He missed short putts because of the uproar of the butterflies in the adjoining meadows."

 

[davidy233]

They aren't at all intrusive to the players - unless as happens once in a blue moon someone screws up - if that happens the offender will get told in no uncertain term (usually by a grumpy caddie) or removed if serious.

Having said this just last week quite ironic that one of the rare occasions when a photographer screws up and fires his shutter on Rory's downswing on the 16th fairway just now "That was a little early whoever that was" is not something you want a player saying to you while he's looking for the culprit.