Boxing at the National Stadium

twowheelsonly

Hi All,
Just looking for a heads up from anyone that may have taken boxing shots in the National Stadium before.
I've been invited to do so at the Pro Show on Saturday and I'm looking forward to it. I've taken a few in the 'Ringside Club' previously, of amateur boxing, but never in the main stadium itself and haven't even been in there in years.

I presume that the lighting is a lot better than the usual boxing halls and clubs but what I'm really wondering is where the shooting positions are. I see quite a few photos online that appear to be taken from a height rather than at ringside and I wonder is this by choice or do the stadium set the rules? I prefer to go under the ropes and I know that if it's the promoters call then it won't be a problem but do the stadium dictate that or can the promoter decide it? If it is from a height I presume that a 70/80 to 200 would be the lens of choice?

That or any other tips/info regarding the place would be more than welcome.

Cheers...

pixbyjohn

Some nice shots here >>> http://pix.ie/kewreeus/2732298/in/tag/nationalstadium

twowheelsonly

Cheers Pixby, some nice ones there ok and they're obviously from ringside so hopefully that'll be the case. I just don't like boxing photos taken from above. Fingers crossed anyway.

mayo.mick

Hope you don't mind me hijacking the thread. Do you use flash ringside? I've done a few competition match's for my local club in the past from under the ropes, never used flash. Took test shots the day before and set the WB to the tungston or sodium settings to suit the lighting. I assumed I wouldn't be allowed to use flash ringside? I used a sigma 18-50 f/2.8.

twowheelsonly

Flash is a big no-no for boxing or for any martial arts etc. Locally (in Cork) the announcer will tell people to stop using it and indeed to turn off the lights on their phones if they're using the video. I've seen guys get indignant for being told but their not the ones getting a smack while they're blinded!!

Lighting in a lot of halls/clubs can be woeful but then again they're usually not designed for boxing or photography. I'm hoping that the Stadium lights are a lot better than what I'm usually stuck with!!

As a matter of interest, I'll nearly always use a 2.8 lens, sometimes use the nifty 50 though. Speed usually needs to be 320 upwards though with some 'smallies' you'll get away with slightly less. I prefer to be heading towards 4 to 500+ though if possible and usually use auto ISO set up to 10,000. I'm lucky though in that I have a D3s since last Sept/Oct so the ISO is superb.

Some of my Boxing photos on Flickr here


P.S. Usually I'll use Auto WB, sometimes a Pre-Set on the day and occasionally I'll use Daylight if I think of it!! That way all the photos can usually be corrected in a batch ;-)

twowheelsonly

Just a quick update..

Actually went very well, got to shoot from ringside all night and I was quite happy with most of what I got. Shot way too many as usual though

One thing that surprised me - a lot - is that there was another photographer there at ringside using flash the whole time. (There was 2 or 3 others there as well but not using flash) When she asked the Ref he just said flash away!!! I found that extremely surprising but I ploughed on without it in any case.

320 results of the nights work are here if anyone is interested..!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39020932@N05/sets/72157641133138174/

mayo.mick

Great shots, thanks for sharing. I'm surprised that there was no problem with using flash ringside I would have thought it would dazzle/distract the boxers?

twowheelsonly

Not half as surprised as I was!! Different strokes for different folks I suppose but I was at boxing in Belfast on Friday night and a ref stopped two 'professionals' from using flash. One was grand but one seemed a bit indignant about it. This is the result of one of them..

[IMG][/img]
DSC_2491 by Doug Minihane, on Flickr

Imagine that 10/20/30 or more times per round. Very annoying and possibly dangerous for the fighters.