a point of view: shooting from center track

At the venue where I first started shooting roller derby, the Santa Cruz Derby Girl Stadium, the center of the track looks like this



or this



Chairs are setup in the middle of the track for the teams and coaches



It's a fairly tight venue for shooting and playing derby (in fact the track is a bit too small to play regulation/sanctioned WFTDA bouts there).

Santa Cruz currently plays its WFTDA sanctioned bouts at a westside warehouse, featuring three columns in the center of the track.



The first time I shot center track was at the warehouse in a scrimmage between the Boardwalk Bombshells and the Bay Area's newly formed "expansion team," the Berkeley Resistance.  I manged to get a few decent shots from the center.



But as with just about any thing new and different there is some frustration.  I shoot with manual/mechanically focused lenses.  I tend not to chase roller girls with the focus ring of my lens.  I often wait until they skate into focus.  But that first time at center track, I was going around in circles without my intended subject skating into focus.   I remember thinking, "Jesus Feist! Lulu! Would it kill you to skate two feet closer to me?"



Then I realized, "Oh, it probably would kill her," as the Berkeley blockers were trying to do just that.  Ya, just have to adapt to realities with roller derby.

(oh, and actually I've only started taking Jesus Feist's name in vain since the Big O Tournament this last March.)

Some of my favorites from center track in the last month or so.

At the Craneway Pavillion, Richmond, CA.  Shooting wide open with a f2 90mm lens with available light.


At a westside warehouse, Santa Cruz, CA. Gromshells vs Bad Apples.


At Water City Roller Sports, Marina, CA. Jamming twins!


At San Jose Skate, San Jose, CA.  Killabytes vs South Coast.

 
At San Jose Skate, San Jose, CA.  Killabytes vs South Coast.


At San Jose Skate, San Jose, CA. Dot.Kamikazes vs Sockit Wenches..


At San Jose Skate, San Jose, CA. Dot.Kamikazes vs Sockit Wenches..


At a westside warehouse, Santa Cruz, CA.  DBC gives Liv N. LetDie a little evil eye.


At Water City Roller Sports, Marina, CA. Team timeout brought to you by Zorro.


At Water City Roller Sports, Marina, CA. Steinwreckers vs South County.


At Water City Roller Sports, Marina, CA. Steinwreckers vs South County.


Maybe, next year, Santa Cruz will play at a full sized venue that may allow for this point of view.

But please. Warriors. City.  Can we have some nice light?  No sodium lamps.  No florescents.  I can't say I'm that fond of the HID's at the Fort Mason pavillions (too green) either.  So, maybe tungsten, or lights with the same color as daylight.  And lights with a little direction would be good... not straight down like the light is as the Civic... but a little direction, like the light at the Craneway.  Yeah, that would nice.