Last weekend I was hired to shoot the start of the 2010 Iditarod in Anchorage and Willow Alaska. Up here, the Iditarod is a pretty big deal. It’s kind of like our Super Bowl, especially since the nearest NFL stadium is a 2,400 mile drive from Anchorage.
Dog sled racing offers everything for the outdoor and sports photographer: fast action, cold, snow, great expressions (on the dogs, anyway), snow, famous names (at least here in Alaska), lots of waiting, and did I say snow?
It’s the kind of shooting that requires you to be on your toes, because in addition to concentrating on the shooting part and trying to capture action scenes as the dog teams race by, you also need keep you and your camera batteries warm. As I’m getting ready for the shoot, I’ll stick a couple of fully charged batteries in my jacket pocket along with my flash card holder, and if it’s really cold, I’ll throw in a chemical hand warmer pack. That way, spares remain handy, and I don’t have go fumbling around if I need to grab a new card or warm up my hands.
While I don’t teach a course on how to shoot dog sled racing, I do cover some of the applicable techniques and ideas in my “Step into Outdoor and Adventure Photography” course at The Compelling Image.
Tags: 2010 Iditarod Race, Adventure, Alaska, camera, Dan Bailey, Daniel Bailey, photography, sports
