July 11, 2015

Location: Charlotte, NC

Nikon D600 w/85mm 1.8, 70-200mm 2.8, 24-85mm.. Alien Bees and Pro Studio Strobe

      I have been fortunate enough to shoot numerous Crossfit athletes and events, however I have never had the opportunity to cover an event with this many athletes competing at once. I would like to thank Brian Strump owner of Crossfit Steele Creek for putting me in contact with SuperFit Games. I was stoked when it was time to shoot this event. I arrived at CFSC the Friday before and setup my strobes in each corner of the competition floor. I knew that I was going to need plenty of light so I had the lights set up just a bit past 1/2 power. While I was there setting up I was also fortunate enough to have my custom shirt delivered by "Snatch and Run" these ladies are amazing. My custom shirt said "You Jerk, I Snap".. it was perfect for this event. (www.snatchandrun.com)

I arrived the next morning at 6:30am...and shortly after athletes began to pull up and claim their spots for the day. I quickly got inside and plugged my lights up... did some test shots then proceeded to setup my Mac in the front office. Between each event I had to provide 5-10 photos from the event and lets just say Lightroom and I became a lot closer after this event. I started to capture photos of athletes while they were getting registered and warming up. This event was super organized which made my job so much easier. The first event I shot with my 70-200mm 2.8 and it was sharp as always. Allowed me to stand from a distance and cover the entire floor. 

The next event I decided to go with my 85mm and switched to my 24-85mm to cover a larger area of the competition floor. The WOD consisted of toes to bar, burpees and shoulder to overhead. I knew this one was going to be fast so I bumped my ISO up a bit and my flash power so I would be able to freeze these fast movements. I was extremely pleased with the way these came out.

I was really starting to feel the fatigue by the 3rd event. I am pretty sure I did more squats then the athletes did.. however I will not complain considering I would have loved to be working out myself. I shot the entire 3rd event with my 24-85mm so I could really capture all the energy and atmosphere that Crossfit can provide. Hopefully in the pictures below you can see what I am referring to.

I continued with my 24-85 for the rowing, pull-ups and squat cleans. Now this one was fun to shoot. Multiple people working on 3 different movements. Glad I stayed hydrated all day because I needed it for this one.

After this event it was time to announce the teams who made it to the final WOD... which was so legit... Bar Muscle ups...Deadlifts....Double Unders and Thrusters. I brought out my workhorse 70-200mm to capture this event. Lighting was perfect and since there weren't as many teams on the floor I was able to move around a lot more freely. I couldn't wait to catch these athletes who have been pushing themselves all day.. now have to lift some heavy weight and do some double unders. I was able to get some really cool shots with this workout.

I had an amazing time shooting this event and cant wait to shoot another one. Big thanks to SuperFit for hiring me and trusting me to capture these athletes at their best. Thanks to Crossfit Steele Creek for being an amazing host and making sure that everyone had everything they needed. Last but not least... THANK YOU to all the SuperFit Charlotte athletes that came out there and gave it all and allowed be to be front and center to catch them DOING WORK!!!!! Until next time.... I hope to be there for 3...2...1...GO!!!!

SuperFit Games

http://www.superfitgames.com/

Crossfit Steele Creek

http://www.crossfitsteelecreek.com/