p.1 #1 · IHSA Individual State Wrestling Championships
Had the opportunity to once again cover the IHSA wrestling championships with a good friend. He runs a one man show wire service in central Illinois - the PhotoNews. The original shot list had 150+ wrestlers - though by Saturday when I came (he had another friend their Thursday/Friday to help) the list was pared down a bit. We had 34 participants in the championship matches.
With the exception of the last two of the series, these are all shot with on camera flash. My current approach to wrestling is high iso (2500 - 6400 depending on the gym), 1/640th - 1/1000th, with on-camera flash set to high speed sync - SB-900 set to -1.0 FEV, HV battery pack. I can get between 5-8 frames in a burst without losing the fill flash with this setup. The loss of working distance with the HSS is not the issue with wrestling as I found it to be with football.
p.1 #11 · IHSA Individual State Wrestling Championships
Thank you all.
Frank, the 285 match was something to watch. 1-0. The local kid scored a second period escape and won when the other guy could not escape in the third. These two went to overtime in the sectional match to reach state. He finished 39-0 and the other kid had 2 losses....both to him.
Watching the lower weights lift kids is pretty commonplace but to see not one but two lifts above shoulder level with a true 285 impressed me. He's a junior and already planning on next year.
p.1 #12 · IHSA Individual State Wrestling Championships
I am not a fan of the 'flashed look' at all, but these don't even looked flashed to me (except just slightly on one or two of them). Great job with the lighting - especially with on-camera flash. Did you soften the flash at all or does the HSS prevent that harsh flash look?
p.1 #13 · IHSA Individual State Wrestling Championships
It's just fill flash - I was pretty much at ambient and the flash was set at -1 FEV. All I was trying to do was to push some light into the shadows and pop the colors. The event was at the Assembly Hall in Champaign, where the University of Illinois plays their basketball games, so we had TV lights. Beats the dickens out of high school dungeons.
