Link to Rockettes – Short and Free Programs 2014 gallery
Synchronized skating team Rockettes performed their short and free programs in Helsinki on 29.3.2014 before leaving to World Synchronized Skating Championships in Italy. Rockettes won bronze medal with these programs 🙂 Congratulations to them!
Team Croatia / Link to Gallery
Like I wrote on last Sunday, I photographed the free program in ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011 on last Saturday.
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 🙂
Supporters of Marigold IceUnity (MIU) waving flags
 Kiira Korpi / Link to Gallery I |
 Henna and Ossi / Link to Gallery II |
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…