Since the photo editors know where their assigned photographers are located on the field, they can immediately begin looking for incoming photos in the folder assigned to those photographers who likely got the best shot. In the trailer, the photo editors are all watching the game on TV while editing, so they know the location and time of an important event on the field. All of this happens very quickly, with photos from tethered cameras arriving in seconds and photos from roaming photographers arriving shortly thereafter. Additionally, a photo can be copied into a folder to be easily located by its assigned editor. The Ingest processes look up the serial number of each incoming photo and automatically apply the photographers’ credit to each photo’s metadata. “Staff”), and a shorthand folder name for their assigned photo editor. The spreadsheet maps the camera serial number to each photographer’s full name, position (e.g. The list of cameras can be extensive as photographers roaming the field will typically have at least 3 cameras. AP creates a spreadsheet with all the serial numbers of the photographers’ cameras. To automate the Ingest processing, AP leverages Photo Mechanic’s “Code Replacement” feature. As soon as a flash card is inserted into a card reader, Photo Mechanic immediately copies the photos, both for the editors and to a backup. The Ingest Stations are typically headless Mac mini computers running Photo Mechanic’s “Auto Ingest” option. Speed is of the essence, so as soon as an important moment happens during the game, photographers immediately hand their flash cards to a runner to have the photos “ingested” in Photo Mechanic. ![]() Meanwhile, photographers who are “roaming” the field (untethered) have assistant “photo runners” who quickly take the flash cards from the photographers’ cameras and run them to the nearest 20-yard Ingest Station. Primarily, it copies the photos to a server in the trailer for the photo editors to access and makes another copy for backup. Live Ingest watches for incoming photos and then it performs several operations. AP typically uses several “headless” Mac mini computers (with no monitor, keyboard, or mouse) for this purpose, each one running Photo Mechanic’s “Live Ingest” operation. Additionally, cables are run to four locations on the sidelines at the 20-yard lines to connect “Ingest Stations.” The game begins!Īs soon as the shutter is released on the tethered cameras, the photos are immediately sent to a computer for processing. The cameras accept the Ethernet cables and become “tethered” cameras, which allows photos to be transmitted without removing the flash cards. Two cables are run per camera for redundancy. Additional cables are run to the mezzanine level at the 50-yard line for a photographer to capture that angle. Ethernet cables are run to various locations for remote overhead cameras and to the end zones where photographers either kneel or sit in reserved end zone seats. The wiring begins!ĭue to the long distance, fiber optic cable is run from the trailer into the stadium where it is converted back to copper. A double-wide trailer is configured to seat several photo editors (who use Photo Mechanic) and image “preppers” (who use Photoshop). For these “Big Games,” AP will typically begin with a few trailers tucked away in the parking lot near the stadium. For the Olympics, they begin months in advance setting up offices and scouting the various venues for optimal camera positions.Ĭamera Bits has been working with The Associated Press since the release of Photo Mechanic in 1998 where it was first used by AP for Super Bowl XXXII. For a big game such as Super Bowl, they begin to set up shop weeks in advance of the event. ![]() The top news agencies invest a lot of time and effort to cover major sporting events. Read on to get Dennis’ account for how photographers for top news agencies have worked during a big game, and see how his creation Photo Mechanic plays an integral part in keeping their workflow super fast. Photo by Dennis Walker.Ĭamera Bits President and Founder Dennis Walker recently sat down to give some fascinating details about what goes on behind-the-scenes with photographers at big sporting events. Photo editors from The Associated Press continue to work editing photos during the power outage in the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |