This captured my attention last night: “Photographer leaves All Blacks fuming“. Turns out its a shot of Graham Henry’s, All Blacks head coach, hand with defensive game plans clearly visible.

No, I’m not posting the shot. Quit asking.

I’ll ease the frustration by saying that Mr. & Mrs. Henry picked out a lovely wedding band for Henry. Looks fairly solid and weighty to me. That and Coach Henry stays out of the sun or uses great sunscreen. I can only dream of having skin that nice in twenty years.

Oh right…I’m sorry…back to the issue at hand.

First off – Not Cool At All. Period.

Second – Wanker.

I’d like to thank Scott Barbour for destroying the trust that a rugby team puts in me to shoot their game. When I hit the pitch it is with the unspoken knowledge that what I hear, see, smell, touch, say stays on the pitch. My refusal to shoot anything remotely close to a piece of paper carried by the team or injuries that happen is a non-negotiable. That also extends to anything I hear on the pitch from my team or the opposing team regarding the game plan.

Its just uncool. Seriously uncool.

I’m sorry. Getting a money shot and noteriety in exchange for a world class team never trusting you to shoot them EVER again…not worth it. Jeebus. Its a tough enough battle gaining the respect of the team and keeping it. Why, in all of creation, destroy that? I don’t get that. Never have. Trust is huge and to be on the pitch shooting the All Blacks (or any team) at practice. Sign me up. Just be aware that I’m not the go-to gal if you want seekrit photos of game plans, etc.

If Getty is going to fire a photographer for altering an image at a golf game then they need to do what is right and fire this chap for breaching a team’s trust and shooting that shot. Come on, Getty fired a chap for bad Photoshop job and they need to fire Barbour – fast.

Hearing an unnamed rugby player say “This is why we don’t like some photographers” broke my heart. I hate that I, and the rest of the ethical photographers, have to make up for this bloke’s image. It really does break my heart. I’m sorry and I apologize on behalf of the stupid ones, mate, for being retarded enough to shoot stupid images AND turn them in to Getty.

I hope I’d made my point clear enough that this was dirty, mean, uncool, slimy, bottom-feeding, rude, betraying, and horrible misuse of the privilege of being a sports photographer. And if that wasn’t clear enough…you clearly are not paying attention.

Me and my camera won’t fire off those shots. Period. If you ever attempt to ask me to take those shots I’ll ensure that the monopod I carry in my gear finds a new home on your person (if you get my drift). And, you better hope I’m not carrying one of these -

Flexible Tripod

You’ve been forewarned.

“We (the outsiders) can’t understand their world” – says a photographer about rugby.

Rugby + Artsy = Oil & Water.

This is not a sport of snotty, artsy-fartsy people. This is a raw, gritty sport that is played with absolute skill and abandon. It is a hooligans game played by gentlemen. Capture that and one is golden.

The players don’t want fussy artsy shots. They want the game shot “as is”. That requires being personal and understanding the players. Get inside their heads and shoot accordingly. Have the unspoken “I get you” knowledge. Get to know the club, members, staff, and shoot the shit with the players. Become rugby. Immersion is the best teacher, non?

It is my job as a photographer to understand their [rugby players] world. The interpretation of subject matter to the audience by the photographer is critical. The ability to capture a fast game and anticipate the shots is the artsy part. That’s my job. That’s what I bring to the table. KNOW.THE.GAME. Being able to anticipate a shot based on an intimate knowledge of a scrum-half’s knack for firing off a pass to his right when he pops the ball to a back is pretty handy. It’s also handy to know how the players react in a game.

I have to understand “their world” or my shots suck. Plain and simple. Here is my brain whilst the game is afoot…

• Follow the ball.
• Watch the players eyes.
• Follow the damn ball.
• Don’t shoot the action w/out the ball in the shot.
• My players don’t have the ball? Shoot them wrestling the ball away from the other team.
• Bodies flying = Fire off a sequence of shots.
• Capture the Try. Bonus points for Flying Try’s and moments just prior to touch or moment of touch (ball to try zone).
• Follow the damn ball. The ball is the center of importance. Follow the damn ball.
• No, I don’t need the 75th shot of a scrum. Enough already.
• Telephoto at half-time, capture faces during coach talk. Raw emotion, game faces, intense. Silently shoot amazed at access into the realm of team half-time talks. Don’t listen, just shoot. Slip away.
• Oooo, lineouts….poetry. Get the American flag in the shot, Shazza. Can I blowup that damn tank at Gate that ruins my lineout shots? Prolly not, eh?
• Heh, caught a player on a shot emasculating an opponent…hahahahaha. That’s going to hurt. Ouch.
• No shots of injured players when medics attending…ever. That’s bad form.
• Crap, a player is having a moment w/family over the loss. On the pitch. In uniform. Capture, or no? No…that’s private. Even if an incredibly emotional awesome shot, don’t shoot. Lower the camera. Nod head that it wasn’t caught on camera.
• Follow the ball. Follow the ball. Follow the ball.

THAT is how one shoots rugby. THAT is the beginning of understanding “their world”.

And capturing something like the below image is just awesometastic. He later told me that when he was running into the try zone he saw me raise my camera and follow him in. We both laughed and I said “yeah, kinda my job to shoot eh? Was cool to capture it”.

Chris Biller makes a try against Old Blue

Luckily, the boys avoided solid Glasgow kisses from our mates across the pond at GHA Rugby Club. ‘Twas a great shoot and nice to be standing on a pitch again after Churchill. Found myself scouting out the try zones on the pitch for the best shots. Luckily, I fired off good images of the mates playing rugby.

Back history to GHA Rugby Club is that they have a similar history to Gate having been formed out of more than one club. Happened nearly at the same time as Gate’s union with City. In the words of GHA Rugby -

“The second game is against San Francisco Golden Gate, the 2009 US National Champions and the runners-up in the 2010 championship. SFGG are a club with a not too dissimilar history to GHA, having been formed in 2001 with the merger of two former foes and with the ambition of creating a club capable of competing at the top level in American rugby. With 1 win and 3 runner-up awards in the last 4 US National Championships, they haven’t done too badly”

Great match, sweet as blokes, fabulous shots, and fun times following the rugby. Look forward to the next time they come visit.

[View with PicLens]

Additional images are located at NoReinsGirlPhotography on SmugMug.com