Mikael Rantalainen Photography
-
Recent Posts
- New gallery: Circus Lumica in Kamppi Shopping Center
- New gallery: Winter Landscapes from Helsinki 2012-2013
- New gallery: Miss Helsinki 2013 Final
- New gallery: Winter Landscapes from Lapland and Kuusamo 2013
- New gallery: New Year 2013 Celebrations at Senate Square
- New gallery: I love me 2012 – Wedding and Evening Dress Fashion Show
- My exhibitions in Helsinki
- New gallery: Russian Ballet Stars in Lahti 2012
Links
Categories
Meta
Category Archives: Skating
New galleries: ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011
Like I wrote on last Sunday, I photographed the free program in ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011 on last Saturday. Here are now two galleries.
I have photographed synchronized skating earlier, but previous time was three years ago. So, at the beginning I was feeling little rusty… I was also photographing from the first row. I liked the low perspective from the first row, but there were also challenges: It was quite difficult to compose and focus on skaters when they were passing me with the high speed at the distance of few meters. It would have been also easier to get white ice as background from the higher location. If I would have photographed the also short program on Friday, I would have used different, i.e. higher location, at that time.
The atmosphere in the arena was terrific, the (mostly Finnish) audience was supporting all teams! And when the Finnish teams where performing, the supporting and cheering was incredible
Synchronized Skating: Double Victory for Finland!
I visited yesterday ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011, and photographed the free program. Finnish teams won double victory
Congratulations to Rockettes and Marigold IceUnity!
I will post later a gallery, but here are some of my favourites (click to see a larger image).
Continue reading
Finlandia Trophy 2010: Ladies, Free Skating
Here are my favorites (16 photos) from Finlandia Trophy 2010 Ladies – Free Skating competition from today. Akiko Suzuki won the Finlandia Trophy’s ladies competition, Kiira Korpi was second and Elena Leonova was third.
From the camera setting points of view, skating is quite simple to photograph: use fast lens and full aperture (in these photos F2.8 or F2) and fast shutter speed to stop the movement (1/500 – 1/800 seconds). But the act of skating photography is not simple: Ice skaters move fast, they are typically too close or too far away (for your lens), eyes are closed, hand is in front of face,… And even the AF has misses the focus occasionally. So the success rate is quite low, and you need to prepared to shoot a lot.
Continue reading
Also posted in Event, People, Sport
Tagged Event, Finland, Finlandia Trophy, Free Skating Ladies, Skating, Sport
4 Comments
Finlandia Trophy 2010: Ice Dance, Short Dance
Here are 18 photos from Finlandia Trophy 2010 Ice Dance competition from yesterday.
Continue reading
New galleries: Plan Ice Gala – Because I am a Girl
Plan arranged a charity ice gala, Plan Jäägaala – Because I am a Girl, on 11.3.2010. This event collected money to educate, provide health services and improve security of girls in developing countries.
Kiira Korpi, Laura Lepistö, Susanna Pöykiö, Jenni Vähämaa, Henna Lindholm & Ossi Kanervo, Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari, Valtter Virtanen and Mikko Minkkinen performed in the gala. Also synchronized skating teams Marigold IceUnity, Rockettes and Team Unique had their own performances.
Photographing skating show is quite different compared to the photographing of skating competition. During the skating competition the whole hall is illuminated, but in the skating show the skaters are illuminated typically only with spot lights. This has several benefits: you can photograph interesting shadows, background is clean (=very dark, advertisements do not disturb), and you can photograph the flying ice
The only drawback is that there can be less light than in the competition. The individual skaters in these galleries where typically photographed with ISO 1600 and F2.8. But when the teams were on ice, the spot beams were wider, and there was less light, so typically ISO 3200 and F2 was used…











