Gaffer:  The chief lighting or electrical technician on a movie or film crew. 

In Praise of Gaffer Tape

Gaffer tape is one of those non-secret, secrets that lots of photographers use regularly but others have never even heard of.  It is an inexpensive cotton cloth tape that is durable and holds strong yet has the ability to be readily removed from a surface without leaving any residue.  As the name Gaffer implies, this tape is often used in electrical applications to hold wires to wood, carpet, tile or any other flooring material.  In photographic applications, this tape can mitigate a possible trip hazard from wires of all types.  The lack of a residue will be appreciated by the maintenance staff and is a must for many venues.

Since it is a cloth material, it is useful to cover metal or other surfaces that can be cold or hot to the touch.  If you own a monopod or tripod and frequently find yourself holding cold surfaces, simply wrap the area with gaffer tape and voila, instant comfort.  A similar improvement can be for offending areas of a camera body.  This tape is also used for the lens caps of Canon 'Big White' lenses.  It makes touching the cap comfortable and is a nice reinforcement when the lens cap has a crack.

Since we're speaking of monopods, let me mention another use.  When I shoot high school football, I clamp a speed light to my monopod using hose clamps.  Wrapping the monopod shaft with 3 turns of gaffer tape will prevent the clamps from scratching the metal and keeps the clamps from sliding.  

If you've ever had lens switches move inadvertently, a small piece of gaffer tape can prevent that from recurring and if you want the focus to remain unchanged for a remote  set-up, gaffer is the ticket.  Camera bodies can benefit from some tape applied to covers that tend to come loose or open.  When I ship a body to Canon for inspection and cleaning, I'll tape over the area exposed by the removal of the battery.

This material also makes a great impromptu clamp for temporary positioning of speed lights, PocketWizards, or even a light stand--especially if a light is mounted on the end of a monopod.  Take your shots and toss the used tape.  It's fast, cheap and easy.

There are many wonderful ways to attach gels to a speed light.  All too often however, I find myself with the need to attach a 1/2 cto or other gel and no way to do it.  I just put some short lengths of gaffer on my 580 EX II so if I ever need it, I can remove and use a bit to attach a gel.  It peels off when I'm done with no ill effects.

One last use is to mark repeat locations on a floor or other surface.  This can be handy for camera remotes or any application that will be repeated from time to time.

OTHER IDEAS:  How do you use gaffer tape?  Post your ideas.  Thanks.

Phil Zivnuska 

So you got a new dslr for Christmas and now you want to take some photographs of your son or daughter playing baseball, softball or t-ball.  You'd like to shoot the batter or pitcher but there is a fence obstructing your view.  Don't worry, the solution is easy.  Shoot right through it. It doesn't matter if the fence is a net made of string or a chain-link type.  Both can be dealt with quite easily.  When the lens is focused at a distance, near objects partially obscuring your view will seem invisible to your camera.

The first thing to do is to get your lens as close as possible to the fence or net.  I don't place the lens touching the fence, just close.  It can be so close that your left hand touches the fence at the end of your lens cap.  If you are behind the plate, be sure you and your lens won't be hit by a deflected pitch.  Have your lens location such that the spaces between the links are maximized for the clearest view.

Second, use a fast lens.  You want the largest diameter lens you can use.  That will maximize the view and minimize the effect of your obstruction.

Third, try to shoot perpendicular to the fence.  Anything more than a very slight angle and the metal or net will have a greater and greater effect in degrading the image quality.

Here is an image taken with the 400mm f/2.8L IS and a 1D Mark IV through a chain link fence.  This large diameter lens is more than a match for a chain-link fence.  You can see the detail and sharpness.

This was taken using the 300mm f/2.8 IS and again the 1D Mark IV.

While the larger diameter super-telephoto lenses are best, fine images can be obtained using something far less expensive.  Here a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS is used through chain-link moments before sundown.  The body is a 1D Mark III in this photo from 2010.

Pixel peepers will be able to tell that there is a slight loss of detail in images shot through a fence but that will only be apparent at very large print sizes and even then, the differences will be subtle.  Remember, use fast, long lenses, get close to the fence and shoot directly through the spaces.  One last tip:  These images are exceptional in part because of the light.  Late afternoon golden hour light is low in the sky.  When the diamond is laid out in the conventional orientation, that light will come from the west and illuminate the face and especially the eyes of the right handed pitcher without a shadow from the cap.  

Phil Zivnuska

How to Photograph the Long Jump

By Phil Zivnuska

The Long Jump and its cousin the Triple Jump are relatively straight forward to photograph but there are several simple techniques to improve your ordinary images and make them noteworthy.  

The biggest photographic problems are poor backgrounds.  The typical high school track meet will have numerous obstructions in the background and other competitors will be standing, sitting, loitering, or otherwise just be hanging out in the area you would prefer to be clean for your image.  Nothing says "Who Cares" like a disinterested high school student appearing in the background of your capture.  Additionally, the athletes who aren't competing at that moment will be wearing an assortment of coats, hoodies, shirts etc. and they will often look a bit tattered.

Fortunately, there are strategies to employ.  First, the runway has to be clear for the long jumper to run on his approach.  If you are lined up directly in line with the runway, that will allow you to have at least the area directly behind the jumper clear.

Next, be sure you are shooting at a large aperture, perhaps f/2.8 or at least something close to that.  That will assure as much background blur as possible.

Third, get low.  A low angle allows you to view the jumper against the sky. For this shot, I was literally laying in the dirt with my elbows on the ground.  My position was right next to the officials with the rakes.

This extreme position was required to isolate the jumper against the sky instead of the cluttered group of onlookers.

When you are about to shoot a jumper, keep an eye on them all the way through from beginning to end.  There can be a lot of intensity as the athlete runs to the takeoff point.  

The landing is always a popular shot due to the spray of sand.

I wrote earlier about aligning yourself with the runway.  At most high schools, the football field runs north and south.  The long jump and triple jump areas also often run north and south on the edge of the field.  In the typical 'after school' track meet, this means that the shadows from the setting sun will divide the face of the jumper into sun and shadow.  In strong sun, that can make for a compromised image (see immediately above and below).

Moving to the side of the pit will help with the sun angle but as seen earlier, be sure to get extremely low to view the jumper against the sky instead of obstacles.  One last tip: If you are going to shoot against the sky as  your backdrop, consider using a circular polarizing filter.  The sky will be bluer, the clouds look whiter, and the colors will pop.

A polarizing filter was used for the last two images as well as the Derby jumper (in green) further above.

Sometimes, the long jump is pictured directly from the side.  This emphasizes the height reached by the competitor.  In this case, the background is even more critical to the success of the shot.  Consider shooting this with the sun at your back or even shooting into the sun and having the athlete silhouetted against the sky for an artistic view of the event.

Phil Zivnuska

From 2009:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=735799