Photography

[Kirill]

So..... I recently have been looking at many Parkour/Free-running Photographs all over the internet ..... I happened to see many similar ones (By saying similar i mean average- just pics showing movement.... = Not works of Art) I also looked on APK And I realized that There are no BAPK photos! That made me kinda jealous- because we have some wonderful photographers.... I believe that one of the ways we could get our community really recognized, is by posting some works on APK. I propose that we can get some Photography going on at least one of our jams. I dont think that just shooting randomly and capturing a kong or something makes a good photo- Same with Cinematography. Lets take Azat (Volfgan) for example- his works are outstanding and the movement that he generally captures is not that "Amazing (As in WOW)"---------I think that its the photography that makes it interesting. it would be wonderful if we could really plan out this type of thing.... I hope that i dont sound stupid lol. Do you guys/Traceuses =) have any ideas, comments, propositions, proposals?

[Kirill]

It is not enough to just "bring" it or "drag" it to a jam. If this is going to be done...we have to do some planning.

[Caliguy]

I always brought my camera to any jam/practice I went to back east, and will be doing so for each one I make here... however its a 35mm and uploading always takes a while, I do try and get the best shots I can, but i'm no photographer and my usual subjects are automobiles which tend to move less when parked at a show...

that being said, if you guys do want professional/artistic photos, I suggest going down to the Academy of Art and offering up your services...I know we did that at Northeastern University and those shots turned out amazing: basic parkour moves that captured the freedom and flow while not over-emphasising the move itself. and as a bonus they were taken on $5,000 camera equipment including lights and studio equipment which kinda beat out our Nikons and Cannons haha

I know my motivation with taking pictures or having my picture taken in any event, be it a car show a PK jam, or just a birthday party was always to have something to remember the event by, so that i could look back on it and smile...but when i can also take that photo, perhaps do some basic editing in Photoshop, and than print it out and frame it as art, well thats just a plus, because now i'm not the only one who gets to enjoy the picture, anyone who sees it will also be able to share my experience.

Action photos are always difficult, but with parkour you have the added emotion behind the movement that just adds complexity to the shot, for this reason I believe that it really would be required to set up a dedicated photo shoot day/jam where we would have the time and paitence to set up each shot and take probably dozens of the same photo, which is just not possible at a normal jam, least none that i've been to

[Kirill]

Why do we need academy of arts if we have our own photographers?! It is wonderful to have an event especially for a photography session.... Lets do something on the beginner jam?!

[Caliguy]

As i said the difference between amatuer and professional photography is normally stunning, there are always good shots that can be taken by non-professionals, however lacking formal photography training will limit you

I wasn't suggesting that we shouldn't take our own photos, but just another option to think about is to get proffesionals or professionals-in-training out with us every now and again.

[Kirill]

Im saying we basically have professional photographers....

[Seng]

Funny, I might have said formal training may limit you.

Musician #1: Can you read music?
Musician #2: Yeah, but not enough to hurt my playing.

The difference between professional and non-professional isn't training, it's how one conducts their business.

[Caliguy]

true in a sense, however, as an amatuer photographer i have neither access nor ability to manipulate the higher end equipment that can change a good photograph into art, thats the difference i was trying to make clear, not that they would be any better, but that they would have access to top of the line photography equipment

and i doubt that formal artistic training hurts their artistry, which is why i suggested the academy of art, which is known for its indepence and free spirit towards art, and i doesn't have much of a stifling effect...

also with regards to your analogy learning to read music does not, or at least in my experience, hurt your playing, in most cases it helps it, because its much easier to record what you have played and play it again later when you can ya know actually read/write it, just becuase you can do something by the book, in this case, read and write music, doesn't mean you have to; the musician wouldn't be relegated to only playing music that others have written or only playing music he can write down afterwards... Pakour would be another example, i can learn the basic form of a Kong, Dash, Theif and what have you, but than later adapt that on my own, but i first must learn the fundamentals which is what schooling is all about

[Seng]

Pro Camera and Calumet in SF, Keeble and Schuchat in Palo Alto and even borrowlenses.com, wherever there are based, all have professional equipment available, the same or better equipment than any art school student might be able to access through their institution, not to mention that it may be more affordable to many to rent gear than to pay for school. The latest tech helps photography just as shoes helps parkour; it's not like there weren't incredible action photographs taken before digital cameras, motor drives and radio-triggered remote strobes. Then again, as the saying goes, a good craftsman never blames his tools, a great one always does.

I think part of Kirill's point is that we have potential photographers in our midst and it would be preferential to develop talent from within instead of seeking out just because of equipment insecurity. There's often a big difference between what looks cool to an outsider and what a practitioner can really appreciate. Ideally, a great shot would appeal to both, but without the some background in a discipline on the part of the photographer, the images tend to be lacking. I think it would be more in line with the philosophy of this group to refine our own image than to ask an outsider (though of course also a potential traceur/traceuse) to do it for us.

[Caliguy]

I meant no disrespect, sorry if i stepped on anyones toes, it was only a suggestion :D

[Seng]

No worries, it was a fair suggestion, esp if you've had good experience that way. I'd just rather see people at least try it themselves first because there's a lot to be learned that way.

Also, as this discussion may have hinted at, there will be plenty of outside photographer requests as parkour grows (while staying still fringe enough to be interesting) so we need to be able to understand our own needs before jumping at every opportunity, especially ones that may distract from training or endanger individuals.

[SafeNSure]

...very well!
It seems to me that we have beaten this horse quite a bit and would recommend to switch to what we (BAparkour...) are most known for: ACTION!
;)

I will close this thread on these final agreeing notes, and re-open it anytime there's a specific request (like some new Photographer joining the group).

Otherwise, IMHO I believe we should focus on setting up (and taking part to) specific events like this, and display the results here.
=)

[Kirill]

Why is it necessary to close it though>?