I was just invited to help shoot the Publix Georgia Marathon http://www.rungeorgiamarathon.com/ hosted by US road Sports Entertainment Group http://www.usroadsports.com/. There will be roughly 18,000 runners. I'll be given a media pass/ creditals to shoot during the event which allows me in restricted areas of the 23 mile Marathon.

Now, i would not be compensated for my work but the photographers will enter a mini-contest. Best picture receives a $150 cash prize and the winning photo will be published and viewed by an estimated 150k people along with the photographer's name. That would help me put my name out there once i do start shooting professionally in my local area.

As most of you know. I now have a 5D Mark II which isn't exactly the ideal camera for a job such as this. I considered renting a 1D Mark IV for the event which will cost me $200 for the weekend if i rented locally, i will most likely rent a 16-35L II to slap on my 5DII as a second camera. I will have flashes on both for fill.

Now, with the majority of the info out of the way. The question is rather for me to rent the 1D Mark IV for the event or should i just go ahead and rent/ maybe buy a 7D for the work? Both have superb AF system, no doubt the 1DIV will be the better camera. $200 for a 3 day rental seems fairly steep IMO, could be money towards a second body.. which in this case will be a 7D.

(I do not know what the weather would be like that day, it's happening rain or shine.. but if i do rent, i need to reserve the camera ahead of time to ensure that i can get it.)

Also, another question. Has anyone worked/ has had any experience with Action Sports International http://www.asiorders.com/? They will be covering the event as well but they're doing it to sell prints. I thought that since i'll be doing it anyway.. I might make a few extra bucks working for them for just that one day if possible. They paid roughly $30- $50 per hour.

Edit: If anyone has had any prior experience shooting marathons.. i wouldn't mind some tips since i'll be a first timer

This post was edited by Eek on Feb 24 2011 01:54am

no experience shooting marathons but i have run a couple, when i was younger, fitter and not so damn lazy, oh and obv a little insane

imo a 5DII will be fine, its not the fastest sport around

what are you required to shoot? anything/anyone?
i know some photogs get assigned to certain (top) runners for the complete race, they would normally be on motorbikes
alternatively you need to pick certain spots to try and get to, it wont be easy as roads will be closed ad they should be crowds around

you would have to do something like this:

get shots of the start etc
then quickly move on to approx the 10mile mark (can possibly do 2 spots if you can make it around in time)
take shots of the leaders, wait till all the big names come through once they all through head back to the finish
obv the winners etc are mandatory but there will also be some people dressed up for fun, some for a good cause, there will be some great opportunities for shots of people helping each other out, and some almost heart breaking moments where people are dragged across the line, or collapse just before it

you will need to know who is running and then recognize their faces
make sure the course is a single lap and not a double (1/2marathon) lap

lmk if u have any specific questions

I've never done a marathon, but the center point of the 5d II's AF should suffice.
Bring out your creative side here - which most sports photographers lack. Shoot reflections of a runner through glass, puddles, get some in-your-face shots with your 70-200 II - especially at the end, when the runners are tired, and going uphill has them making some awesome faces.

I'm not quite sure what i'm required to shoot yet. They're still gathering photographers and we'll be given a briefing in a few weeks. I honestly doubt that they'll rely on me for their top runners since i had no prior experience with this type of work.

As for the course, i do have a map of the course in my hands.. I just need to scout it in advance to find some good spots to shoot from where the background distraction wouldn't be so prominent. Getting there will most likely be the hard part since the roads will be closed and i'm not sure if i will have access to my car. Need to plan a shortcut! Lol.

I'll be doing a wide variety of shots, from UWA to super-teles hoping that i can get a shot that would "stand-out". I might be able to get my hands on a 300/2.8 or a 400/2.8 for that day.. I know i'll be competing with tons of other very talented photographers and my chances of winning will be slim, but that doesn't mean i should give up trying.



If i do shoot with my 5DII, i'll probably be shooting in a portrait orientation, the linear outer AF points worries me. From my experience.. they're not the greatest when it comes to AI Servo tracking. I was told to shoot as tight as possible and isolate the runner from the other runners and distracting background if possible. I'm also very picky about my photos.. a slight OOF shot will be marked for deletion no matter what.. I just don't think the linear AF points can keep pace :S

And thanks for the tips! Shooting a reflection thru glass definitely seems very creative.. But i'm not sure if i have an opening to one since crowds will be lining up both sides of the street. As for the impressions.. that's a great idea.. I'll keep an eye out for them!

Now that i think about it.. i don't have to work for ASI to sell prints. What if i handed out some business cards with my info and have the runners contact me afterwards via phone or email to buy prints? Has anyone been able to pull that off?

I've sold plenty of photos in events I'm not supposed to even photograph
When President Bush came to El Paso, for example.
As long as you dont' sign anything that specifically says you cannot do it, then do it. You can't be fined by it.

This post was edited by onepagememory on Feb 24 2011 01:03pm

i doubt that will be successful
obv they wont take anything while they are running, and once they are done they are normally to buggered to think
as you said there will be 18000 runners, you will only manage to capture a few of them, so the likelihood of you having a pic of the interested person is very unlikely, beside this is normally an option on registration
the way they do this for races is:
the athlete will register and select that they want pics taken, sometimes they will get an identifying mark on their race #
there will be photogs at certain points that then shoot every marked runner (very boring)

a better approach might be to contact the running clubs in your area, at least then you can notice the runners by their kit
or after the event if you have any really good photos (which i know you will) then you can contact those clubs
also try shoot international runners (not just the top) might be good if you get a shot with a large group of intentional runners

Kinda wish i read this earlier.. But anyway.. before i read that.. i spend the better part of "several" hours designing my business card. Good to have around anyway.

Comments?

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as you said; always great to have business cards anyway
looks good, very original