A Very Difficult Job
From the title you might be expecting me to start whinging on about what a tough job I have trying to photograph racing boats as they dart around the ocean, but you would be wrong.
I love my job, I find it hugely rewarding, and nothing gives me more satisfaction than looking back on a shoot well done.
I want to write just a few lines about the people with the really tough job, the unsung hero, (but unsung no more). The photo boat drivers.
For me to be able to take my perfect shot I do not have the luxury of being able to walk around my subject, assemble my tripod use lighting to fill in any shadows, and then slowly and methodically start shooting. I am in a small photo boat chasing massive race boats, up to 150′ long bearing down at up to 25knots, often turning around racing marks only to charge off in the opposite direction. I have to choose my ideal shooting position in advance, patiently wait as the boats approach, and in the space of a few seconds hope that the lens and camera settings I have made in advance are suitable for the unfolding scene.
Now maybe this doesn’t sound too hard, but I am not positioning the photo boat myself, the boat has a dedicated driver and it is only with their skill that we arrive in the right place. And there are other considerations, often their first language is not English, maybe they don’t speak English at all! And the big hole in my education is a complete lack of language skills! So to get over the noise of the engines I use hand gestures and shout the odd word in pigeon English to try and indicate where I would like to be, while the driver is looking on at me as some kind of lunatic with arms flailing like a windmill on a stormy day.
Even when we have arrived at our preferred destination there are many other issues, factors such as tide and prevailing wind quickly move the boat out of position, support boats, camera crews and race officials can appear from nowhere and potentially block our view of the race track. These are all difficulties which our unsung heros have to deal with, and did I mention that I’m often not the only photographer on the boat?, there are other photographers who might want to be in a slightly different position, and are telling the driver to move a little to the left or right (or maybe even a completely different part of the race track!)
On top of this the drivers have been briefed by race officials as to where they can go and where is definitely off limits, and we are maybe screaming that we need to be in these off limit areas.
The reality is that without the hard work, amazing driving skills, and ability to diffuse arguments that would challenge a full time counsellor the photographers wouldn’t get close to the action and certainly wouldn’t get any of the stunning images we are so proud of.
I have been very lucky to work with some of the best drivers in the business, people who are way over qualified, Olympic medalists, World class sailors, professional yacht skippers, Mark Covel, Adela Gonzalez, Johno Fullerton, Phil Plumtree, Tom Powrie, Gus (Sail for Gold, Weymouth) Simon Morgan, The Portuguese guy in Marseille who did not speak a single word of English, and many more I haven’t been able to name check. To all of you, a huge thank you.
The blog would not be complete without also recognising the helicopter pilots who do an incredible job of putting their machines in amazing positions while I try and describe where I want to be in three dimensional space, with clear and concise directions like “No, No, over there!” I clearly remember Mike Burns from Atlas Helicopters while we were following boats around the back of the Isle of Wight looking at me and saying in a very calm voice, “Ian, this helicopter weighs three tons and what you are asking me to do is physically impossible.” So Mike, Sorry, and thanks for your understanding!
Good on ya Ian, love ya work, appreciate the recognition.
Ian, thank you very much for this great post in which you collect with much success all the concern surrounding our work. Thank you for your recognition, always a pleasure to have you on board, vamonos!!!!!!!!
See you in Cagliari
Ian, I second our post! Must say it must be really hard sometimes for the drivers as not all photographers are as relaxed as us two….
our = your …..:-)
Well said, Ian. I also owe a great deal of gratitude to the people who have driven me around race courses up and down the country. As you say, it’s a hard job. The simplest request can be the hardest to fulfil – “just stay right here!” – when it’s blowing 20+ knots and the tide is running too! Keep up the good work