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i have a dumb question but it's really been bugging me so i just gotta ask: how do you get good pictures of vaulters w/ out getting really close (when they are vaulting). like w/ a normal camera (in other words: not fancy : ). sometimes when you are really close to the mats and someone is vaulting and your taking pictures, they get nervouse (well, the people i know do). j/w here. thanks

You need a camera with some kind of zoom lens.

darn. : (

PvaultinGirl wrote:darn. : (

You could probably find one that is not too much money. And shoot you can stand fairly close to the pit w/o being a distraction. I mean if you are like 5 feet away from the pit and it still bugs your friends... they need to learn how to deal with it!

rainbowgirl28 wrote:I mean if you are like 5 feet away from the pit and it still bugs your friends... they need to learn how to deal with it!

Sorry Becca, but WAY wrong! Zoning out the "normal" distractions of the pit crew who NEED to be there (and know to FREEZE!) is one thing. Worrying about whether or not a photographer is going to be shifting around while you're attempting to vault is another.

I've seen photographers racing from the standards to the end of the pit in order to grab that "perfect" shot while the vaulter is approaching the box. This is NOT a good time for the thought "Am I going to land on that a**hole with the camera?" to enter the competitor's head!

(And the answer is yes, I've buttonholed a few over the years!)

Get a telephoto lense and stay out of the vaulter's line of sight, everyone will be happier. Besides, some of the best shots can be made from the stands.

i have canon camera with a 300mm zoom...i can get decent shots from anywhere within a reasonable distance...i agree with pvdad (personally i dont like tons of people around the pits) that you should get a zoom lens and take pictures from a littlefurther back...only recommendation, if you're going to take shots from far away, probably best to have a tripod, or at least a monopod

i know that the only people around the pit that i don't mind are meet officials and maybe a few friends or something (if they aren't too close : ). last year when yearbook took pictures , that moron was standing directly behind the mats in plain veiw. so i'm going down the runway basically staring into the camera and when i went to plant, the idiot took a picture (w/ flash i might add)! needless to say i sucked that day. i always seem to get crummy pictures from the stands and i know that people get nervouse even when i'm not that close to the pit. any suggestions on a good (but not too expensive )camera w/ nice zoom?